Albert Nicholas New Orleans Clarinet CD

Albert was the archetypal New Orleans clarinetists, with warm, liquid tones, supple phrasing, attractive vibrato, subtle swing, and always a strong feeling for the blues. He is one of the mellowest clarinetists in the classic New Orleans tradition, and h

Personnel: Albert Nicholas (vocals, clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Albert Nicholas; Danny Barker (vocals, guitar); Bud Scott (vocals, banjo, background vocals); Louis Armstrong (vocals, trumpet); Jelly Roll Morton (vocals, piano); Lee Blair, Bernard Addison (guitar); Dim Kesber, Peter Schilperoort (clarinet); Sidney Bechet (soprano saxophone); Billy Paige, Billy Paige, Charlie Holmes (alto saxophone); Happy Caldwell, Teddy Hill (tenor saxophone); John Dengler (baritone saxophone); Bob Shoffner, Bob Shoffner, Al Fairweather , Ward Pinkett, Louis Bacon, Sidney DeParis, Shelton Hemphill, Freddy Jenkins (trumpet); Fernando Arbello, George Washington , Fred "Rodriguez" Robinson, Geechie Fields, J.C. Higginbotham (trombone); Bert Cobb, Bert Cobb, Pete Briggs (tuba); Jack Russin, Adrian Bentzon, Herbie Nichols, R.J. Jones, James P. Johnson, Art Hodes (piano); John Green Field , Joe Watts, Bob Van Oven, Pops Foster, Wellman Braud (double bass); Danny Alvin, Adrian Rollini, Sam Weiss, Tommy Benford, Zutty Singleton (drums); Johnny St. Cyr (banjo); Barney Bigard (tenor saxophone); Kid Ory (trombone); Luis Russell (piano); Paul Barbarin (drums).
Audio Remasterer: Martin Haskell.
Recording information: Concert Hall DHJ 1202, Boston, MA; JJ 38 (Storyville SEP 303), Copenhagen, Denmark; Storyville, JJ 40, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Arrangers: Albert Nicholas; Jelly Roll Morton.
There aren't too many Albert Nicholas collections on the market, and most of those are sets from his 20-year expatriate stay in Europe at the end of his career, so it's not too hard to make New Orleans Clarinet the first choice as an introduction to this smooth, elegant, and versatile horn man. Covering nearly 30 years of recordings from 1925 to 1954, this fine compilation features Nicholas' work with some of the giants of jazz, including King Oliver ("Sugar Foot Stomp"), Jelly Roll Morton ("Ballin' the Jack"), Louis Armstrong (the oh-so-true "I've Got a Heart Full of Rhythm"), and Sidney Bechet (stunning takes on "Weary Way Blues" and "Old Stack O' Lee Blues"). Nicholas' steady, mellow tone on the clarinet (he played both tenor and alto) never falters on these classic tracks, and on sides like the blistering "Toledo Shuffle" (with Bernard Addison) he shows he can step it up as well. Possibly because he never really embraced bop and stuck close to his traditional jazz and Dixieland roots through the years, Nicholas is somewhat of a forgotten man these days, but a listen to this solid set may well change all that. ~ Steve Leggett