Realized at the rented Capitol Recording Studios in Los Angeles, CA, on October 26, 1953, during
the George Lewis Ragtime Jazz Band's West Coast tour, this album of old-styled New Orleans jazz is a fine example of this popular Dixieland group at its very best. That's largely because Jazz Man Records producers
Al Van Court and
Wayne Lockwood handed the musicians complete control of session dynamics and repertoire. With
Lewis at that time were trumpeter
Avery "Kid" Howard, trombonist
Jim Robinson, banjoist
Lawrence Marrero, pianist
Alton Purnell, bassist
Alcide "Slow Drag" Pavageau, and drummer
Joe Watkins. Most of the vocals were by
Howard and
Watkins;
Purnell sang "Lou-Easy-An-I-A," whereas "Burgundy Street Blues" was sung by
Monette Moore, a seasoned entertainer who made records with
Charlie Johnson's Paradise Ten back in the 1920s. Unlike most previous issues (selections from this session have appeared on Storyville, Everest, and Polydor and as
Jazz Funeral in New Orleans on Tradition and
Hot Creole Jazz: 1953 on DCC), this 1999 Fantasy/Good Time Jazz release carries four additional tracks, including a seven-minute version of
Walter Donaldson's "At Sundown" and a solid five-minute jam on
Fats Waller's "Honeysuckle Rose" that contains what must be one of
Purnell's very best recorded solos. This exciting amended reissue offers a rare opportunity to hear everything recorded by this group on October 26, 1953. Unfortunately, the album title
Doctor Jazz has created confusion between this Good Time Jazz release and an identically titled Verve album from 1959, which is a distinctly different entity involving almost entirely different personnel. It should also not be confused with the Delmark album
Hello Central...Give Me Doctor Jazz.
–
arwulf arwulf, Rovi