Nat Gonella is Great!
Thomas G. Welshko | Baltimore, MD USA | 01/12/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It has only been in the last two years that I have discovered the wonderful music of Nat Gonella (1908 - 98). I have been a jazz and big band enthusiast since I was a teenager in the 1970s, but as an American, I did not have a great depth of knowledge about Great Britain's contributions to those genres. Gonella demonstrated that British jazz musicians could swing as much as their American counterparts. He certainly patterned himself after Americans Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima and Wingy Manone, but his trumpet style and singing expanded on those artists and, ultimately, he made his sound his own. The ASV-Living Era CD provides a an excellent survey of Nat Gonella's work. Nevertheless, I have become aware that this label ceased production in September 2007, so if you want it, act fast! There are only so many left in stock, I would suppose."