Search - Herb Morand :: 1949

Please remember this great jazzman

Yves F. Smierciak | Chicago, Illinois United States | 06/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Herb Morand is one of the more forgotten greats in jazz history. Remembered primairly for his trumpet playing with the very sucessful "Harlem Hamfats" from the 1930's, he should also be remembered as one of the greatest New Orleans trumpet players from the 1930's generation (along with his fellow Chicago transplants Lee Collins and Punch Miller, as well as the one who stayed home, the curiously forgotten Kid Howard). Although he was reluctant to record in the earlier 1940's when he moved back home (too bad, could you imagine George Lewis' "Climax Rag" from 1943, a desert island record already, with the trumpet team of Morand and Howard?), it is indeed a fortunate for us that he did record in the late 1940's for a couple of sessions reissued on American Music Records (a second CD AMCD 106 has the titles Herb recorded for New Orleans 78's, plus the alternate takes and some titles of Paul Barbarin's band). This CD features an all star date from 1949 with clarinet great Albert Burbank (who always sounds better when away from Barbarin's band, don't ask me why) and Johnny St Cyr, featuring some fantastic blues playing by Morand, good vocals (he did a lot of the singing for the Harlem Hamfats, and I just love the New Orlans treatment to the "Sheik Of Araby"), and a very balanced front line (Louis Nelson's trombone is always at the right place, no wonder the great Kid Thomas kept him for so many years, like Jim Robinson, he really knows the role of classic New Orleans jazz trombone, and one can never speak well enough of Albert Burbank, it's great to hear him with Morand, he is at his peak here, try him with Kid Thomas for more work of this remarkable musician), as well as a fine rhythm section that never rushes the music. The last four tracks are of a more informal nature, a small swinging group recorded at a club with Andrew Morgan on sax and clarinet (saxophones do have a place in tradtional jazz, and Andrew was doing it since the 1920's with his brother's band that recorded for Columbia), enjoy this wonderful music and pay special notice whenever Morand does some growling plunger work, he is one of the masters of this sort of thing, take care, Yves Francois"