Jack Daniel's Original Silver Cornet Band Hometown Saturday Night CD

Recorded live at The Performing Arts Center, Nashville, Tennessee in June 1981.

In 1972, a photo of a band from the 1890s inspired Dave Fulmer of Lynchburg, TN, to form a new version of a brass band, sponsored by Jack Daniels Distillery. The ensemble caught on for a time, making some records and going on a few national tours. This CD gives one a good example of what the band's shows were like in 1981, although the packaging is not too enlightened. A straight reissue of the original LP, the liner notes are microscopic, the inner sleeve is blank, and there is no listing of personnel. Dave Fulmer functions as the narrator and conductor, and half of the release features him introducing songs and telling homespun tales of times gone by. His delivery and message are charming and nostalgic, but one wishes that there was more music because the band is excellent. The repertoire ranges from turn-of-the-century tunes and semi-classical adaptations of ballads to a bit of Dixieland on "Charleston," "That's a Plenty," and "When the Saints Go Marching In." Despite the packaging, this is a disc worth picking up if found at a budget price. ~ Scott Yanow

Full performer name: Jack Daniel's Original Silver Cornet Band.