The New Wonders: Steppin' Out

Although the ten songs performed by cornetist Mike Davis' Brooklyn-based septet, The New Wonders, on the group's second album, Steppin' Out, are well removed from new, most have stood the test of time and remained popular with a small yet devoted number of trad jazz enthusiasts, some for a century or more. The New Wonders carry forward a storied tradition that dates at least as far back as the Original Dixieland Jazz Band in the early 1920s and whose best-known champions have included Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Bix Beiderbecke, Sidney Bechet, Jelly Roll Morton, Red Nichols, Kid Ory, Jack Teagarden, Henry "Red" Allen and the venerated Preservation Hall Jazz Band, among others.

Wherever a banjo is involved (and, less often, a cornet), it's a pretty sure bet that the Dixie heritage is front and center, and Steppin' Out is no exception to that rule, with leader and cornetist Davis sharing the stage with Jared Engel's rhythm- centered banjo. One departure from many traditional groups is the inclusion of baritone saxophonist Jay Rattman, replacing the usual string bass or tuba to cover the deepest bass lines. Drummer Colin Hancock keeps steady time, while alto saxophonist Ricky Alexander, trombonist John Holcomb and pianist Andy Schumm round out the front line.

Unlike the band's first album, which consisted for the most part of stock arrangements from its library, Steppin' Out boasts nine new charts by Davis and one ("Half-Seas Over") arranged (and written) by Schumm. Every one is an explicit and tenable sample of time-honored Dixie tenets and grammar. This is to say that everything The New Wonders have in mind is readily summarized and renewed as high-quality Dixieland (or trad) jazz, lively music that inspires a sunny and pleasant trip down memory lane.