Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble
The Golden Age Of New Orleans Jazz
Sweet Willie Singleton Jazz Cornet
Sweet Willie Singleton plays cornet with the Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble recording entitled Moods Of Old New Orleans.
Although Sweet Willie Singleton is best known for his exemplary lead trumpet work throughout his 55 year career, see:
https://sweetwilliesingleton.com/about/
and
https://sweetwilliesingleton.com/artist-testimonials/
his remarkable musical versality to perform traditional New Orleans jazz is on display on this fine recording.
Sweet Willie Singleton performed with the Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble from 1994-2005
Track List:
00:03 1. Bourbon Street Parade
03:29 2. The St. Louis Blues
07:25 3. Wa Wa Wa
10:08 4. The Burgundy St. Blues
13:24 5. As You Like It
16:28 6. Pastime Rag #3
20:06 7. Angry
23:22 8. The Old Rugged Cross
29:15 9. She’s Crying For Me
31:59 10. Sobbin’ Blues
35:13 11. New Orleans Stomp
38:12 12. Thrownin’ The Horns
42:09 13. Love Dreams
45:07 14. Do Doodle Oom
47:57 15. Shake It And Break It
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Personnel:
Fred Starr – Clarinet, Sax
Joe Muranyi – Clarinet, Sax
Ray Taranto – Sax, Clarinet
Lew Green – Cornet
Willie Singleton – Cornet
Tom Ebbert – Trombone
John Chaffe – Banjo
Terry Waldo – Piano
John Joyce – Drums
Tom Saunders – Bass, Tuba
Carol Leigh – Vocals
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Technical Notes:
Recording location: Fairfield
University Quick Center; Fairfield, Connecticut
Date: June 25, 26, and 27, 1995 Engineer: Wade Bray
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ABOUT THE ‘LOUISIANA REPERTORY JAZZ ENSEMBLE’
Jazz began in New Orleans. Contrary to popular understanding, it did not go “up the river” to Chicago, for the Mississippi doesn’t go near the Windy City. But as early as the 1920s jazz did begin to evolve and change, and has continued to do so ever since. Swing, bop, cool jazz, fusion, and free jazz each followed in succession. Amidst these exciting transformations, the early days of the New Orleans pioneers were all but forgotten.
There are exceptions to be sure. Louis Armstrong, for one, remains alive in memory, as do a handful of others. But what of Armand J. Piron or Leon Rappolo? Or the fine players who made the New Orleans Owls? Or the Halfway House Orchestra? These are scarcely household names! Oh yes, when this volume was recorded in 1994 there were still some old timers in New Orleans who once danced to the music of these great players and who recall their names with a twinkle. And there are a few fanatically loyal record collectors worldwide. But beyond these limited circles, the Golden Age has slipped from memory.
In this collection the renowned Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble of New Orleans offers a sampler of classic from the heroic years before 1930. This was a period when few New Orleanians referred to the music as “jazz’’ preferring to describe it instead as “our dance music!’
And it was music for dancing — for stepping out with a Fox — Trot, Shimmy, Black Bottom, Turkey Trot, or one of the many other dance fads that swept the land. New Orleanians of all backgrounds were fanatical dancers. As the dance fashions changed, so did the music, at least in New Orleans. As early as 1915 the city’s Creoles, Anglo- Saxons, African-Americans, Sicilians, Germans, and Jews were all head over heels in love with city’s new, syncopated music.
These dancers knew what they wanted — pulsing beat and melody that was both punchy and sweet. They objected when bands executed the fancy “breaks” and long virtuoso solos characteristic of later jazz. After all, these only interrupted the throbbing, rhythmic flow and hence upset the dancers. Only in the occasional low—down blues of hot virtuoso piece did a more show-off style develop in New Orleans. Increasingly, this came to be associated with the new technology of disc recording, which by the mid-twenties created a new “market” for many of the most polished musicians who hailed from the Crescent City. But for the true home market of dancers it was still the beat, rather than the pyrotechnics, that most counted.
Founded in 1980, the “Rep” quickly established itself as the band of choice among New Orleans’ musical insiders. Today it concertizes throughout the world, having appeared in major jazz festivals from Hong Kong to Chicago, Warsaw, and St. Petersburg. It has also performed at the prestigious Doubleday Concent at the Smithsonian Institute and has appeared at the Grammy Awards in Hollywood.
Instead of Bourbon Street bars and tourist spots, the Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble favor the same balls, private parties, and dance halls where the music was originally played.
Core members of the LRJE had deep roots in the music. Leader, Fred Starr, blew his clarinet in river boat bands as a teenager; drummer Joyce and banjoist Chaffe were playing with New Orleans pioneers Steve Brown, Harry Shields, and Raymond Burke five decades ago; clarinetist Muranyi was for years Louis Armstrong’s clarinetist of choice; a branch of cornetist Willie Singleton’s family ran the notorious dance hall in Bogalousa, where many classic bands played; etc., etc. Is it any surprise that such musicians offer New Orleans jazz “straight from the bottle?
The LRJE is the performing arm of the Hogan Jazz Archive at Tulane University in New Orleans. Archival research, careful transcription from rare recordings, and hundreds of hours of interviews with surviving bandsmen and dancers from the 1920s go into each performance. No wonder the late jazz historian AI Rose called the LRJE “the most authentic band on the scene today” But the LRJE seeks more than the mere technical accuracy. In this recording, as in its hundreds of public appearances, it offers above all the true spirit of the lost Golden Age of jazz in New Orleans.
ABOUT THIS “GOLDEN AGE OF NEW ORLEANS JAZZ” RECORDING:
An exceptional example of true concert hall realism, this album was recorded directly to stereo using the “Head Acoustics” Binaural Recording System. In order to preserve the natural ambience and spatial integrity, no dubbing, remixing, echo or anificial enhancement of any kind was employed. The result is a true listening experience that puts you in the “best seat in the house” (to capture all the spatial nuances, headphones are suggested). Whether you choose to
listen with headphones or speakers, just sit back and enjoy the very special sound of the Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble.