Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Paul Cosentino & the Boilermaker Jazz Band: Panama

178

Paul Cosentino & the Boilermaker Jazz Band: Panama

By

Sign in to view read count
Paul Cosentino & the Boilermaker Jazz Band: Panama
There seems to be a small but lively revival of swing music from the 1920's and 30's. Don Neely's San Francisco based Royal Society Jazz Orch. has been issuing CDs which delve into the charts from this period. Now along comes the Boilermaker Jazz Band out of Pittsburgh, PA headed by clarinetist Paul Cosentino. Cosentino uses the pretty much discarded complex Albert system of playing which was taught by the well known New Orleans clarinet teacher, Lorenzo Tio, Jr., in the early 1900's. Among his more famous pupils were Sidney Bechet and Barney Bigard. Using this system, Cosentino's clarinet takes on a soulful, sometimes mournful, mahogany sound which works well with the music and the style he plays it in which comes close to, but doesn't quite reach, New Orleans traditional.

All of the music on this set was written between 1902 and 1939 and most of it is played in an up tempo manner. But there are some surprises. We tend to forget that Latin rhythms were favored by the early New Orleans jazz players and Cosentino's group reminds us of that with "Siboney" with Gerry Gagnon's quivering trombone taking the lead. The waltz "In the Good Old Summertime" is done as a rip roaring barrelhouse swinger. "Little Grass Shack" has an uncredited singer backed by the banjo instead of ukelele. The more senior of us may recall that this tune was a favorite of Arthur Godfrey who did use a ukelele. One of the more engaging tracks is a blusey, melodic Cosentino clarinet on "If I Had You" followed by that unknown crooner.

Calling this group a band may be a bit of an overstatement. The biggest it gets is seven pieces. The quartet format is used for six tracks and a trio for one. But whatever the configuration, the outcome is an exciting, spirited and fun-filled session. Recommended.

Track Listing

Would Do Anything for You; You Tell Me Your Dream; Did I Remember?; New Orleans Joys; I'll See You in My Dreams; In the Good Old Summertime; Shoe Boogie; If I Had You; Panama; Just for a Thrill; Siboney; I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now; Little Grass Shack

Personnel

Paul Cosentino
clarinet

Paul Cosentino - Clarinet/Leader; Clint Baker - Trumpet; Dan Davisson - Banjo; Gerry Gagnon - Trombone; Ernest McCarty - Bass; Tom Roberts - Piano; Rich Strong - Drums

Album information

Title: Panama | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Boilermaker Jazz Band

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.