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  1. #1
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    Something a little different, but as good as anything I've heard in a long, long time

    Just picked up the latest disc from the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and it is absolutely fantastic. It's called Funeral for a Friend and it is a playing of an entire New Orleans funeral cycle, dedicated to their founding tuba player who died just weeks after the recording was finished. All spirituals, played with a jazzy, funky New Orleans style that makes you move, think, pray, laugh and cry.

    If you have any intrerest in this sort of thing, this disc is a must have. A great band, at the top of their game, playing an incredible selection ranging from I Shall Not Be Moved to Down by the Riverside, Amazing Grace and more. The perfect program played by a band that fits the material like a glove. Anybody who thinks there is no classic jazz coming out today just plain hasn't heard this disc.

    A little off the beaten path compared to much of what I tend to listen to and what gets discussed around here, but I think lots of people would have to be moved by this one.

  2. #2
    Forum Regular newtrix1's Avatar
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    are there vocals...

    ...or is it mainly instrumental? I had a similar reaction a few years back with a jazz disc called "Jazz at Lincoln Center Presents: The Fire of the Fundamentals". Quite a jazz showcase with lots of variety (swing, fusion, vocal, dixie) & top shelf performers. I'll have to revisit that one.


  3. #3
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    Mostly instrumentals. They use vocals on one track and a little background singing pops up throughout, but mostly instrumentals.

    It's a blend of R&B at points with Dixieland, and more traditional jazz. Just really top notch stuff. Great recording too.

  4. #4
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    Do they play the Saint James Infirmary Blues? What is the label and recording number? Dixieland is my favorite jazz. I've written to the heirs of the Dukes of Dixieland and await the reissue of the great recordings they originally made on the Audio Fidelity label in the 60s. The two or three I've gotten on CD might not be pirated but the sound is terrible. Maybe they are just early recordings that were made with inferior recording technology. Sadly, I have not been able to get much well recorded Dixieland music on CD. Just three on the Green Hill label I ordered over the net and frankly, while the performances are good, they are not great. Any other suggestions for well recorded Dixieland jazz?

  5. #5
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    No St. James Informary Blues on this one. Here's the whole tracklist for ya...

    1. Just a Closer Walk With Thee
    2. I Shall Not Be Moved
    3. Please Let Me Stay a Little Longer
    4. What a Friend We Have in Jesus
    5. Jesus on the Mainline
    6. John the Revelator
    7. I'll Fly Away
    8. Is There Anybody Here That Loves My Jesus?
    9. Down by the Riverside
    10. Amazing Grace

    It's on the Rope-a-Dope label, which I know nothing about. But, the recording sounds good to me and there is a note inside about how it was recorded and monitored on Audio Research and ProAc equipment, so they obviously took some time and expense with it.

    For more info about the recording, including some interesting information about New Orleans Jazz Funerals, check out:

    Funeral for a Friend

    Can't really help you out on other good Dixieland recordings. Most of the older jazz I have suffers from sound problems as well.

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