Search - Peter Ecklund :: Horn of Plenty

"It's great when a leader takes care to bring us some nearly-forgotten gems, rather than recording just the same Dixieland warhorses that everyone has heard a million times. This album - Peter Ecklund's debut as a leader - includes a few older tunes that I never expected anyone to record again. And throughout, Ecklund has focused on making the best possible music, not just showcasing his own playing. Too many leaders get self-indulgent when they record. They solo endlessly, using sidemen basically to provide backgrounds for them, which can get boring. You will hear a good deal of Ecklund's lively cornet on this album, but you will also hear a good deal of Dan Barrett's trombone, Vince Giordano's bass sax, Frank Vignola's guitar, Joe Muranyi's clarinet, etc. both in solo spots and in ensemble passages (plenty of them). Ecklund knows listeners welcome variety. ...to play the old-time jazz [he] plays on this album, you have to have a feel for the spirit of the music. And an understanding of the pre-bebop trumpet tradition. And [Ecklund] clearly does."