Search - Lionel Ferbos, Lars Edegran :: Lionel Ferbos, with Lars Edegrans's New Orleans Band

Artistry of Lionel Ferbos

John C. Graham | toronto, ontario Canada | 08/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've had this one for about ten years and still play it every once in a while. It was my first time hearing Lionel Ferbos outside of the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra. He plays trumpet in the old fashioned way, a firm lead with little vibratto. His singing is quaint and may be reminicent of Doc Cheatham at times. He's got at least 70 years experience behind him, playing in society orchestras where reading was imperitive before joining John Handy's Louisianna Shakers in 1932. He was employed as a sheet metal worker while raising a family in New Orleans and spent some time away from music. Lars Edegran hired him to play in the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra in 1970 and he's been with them ever since. Lionel was 84 at the time of this recording and was still playing in New Orleans at the Palm Court Cafe on Saturday nights.



Piano, banjo, guitar and musical arrangements are by Lars Edegran. Fred Lonzo plays trombone, Bernie Attridge is on bass, Ernest Elly is the drummer and Evan Chrisopher is heard on tenor sax and clarinet. The music is very relaxed. Nothing sounds hurried at all. It just ambles along with a graceful swing that puts everyone and everything at ease. It is the band sound that is so important here and these musicians succeed in creating the perfect musical environment for Lionel Ferbos' trumpet and vocals. They all sound like they enjoyed making this one.



Lionel sings on 9 of the 14 tunes. One of them is "Pretty Baby", a number that he sang for the soundtrack of the Louis Malle film of the same name. It's pure New Orleans through and through.



Recording engineer Richard Bird of Audiophile Studios in New Orleans has done a masterful job here. The sound is superb. With the hot days of summer upon us this cd may help to slow things down a little. One of the nicest collection of songs to put your feet up to. Recommended.

"