In the 1960s altoist
Johnny Hodges and organist
Wild Bill Davis recorded eight albums together, several of which included trombonist
Lawrence Brown. This 1997 set sounds very similar to that band and would probably confuse listeners in a blindfold test.
Bob Wilber, normally a soprano saxophonist and clarinetist, always did sound a bit like
Hodges on alto, but the biggest surprise is
Dick Hyman. On piano,
Hyman has displayed the ability to do close impressions of nearly every jazz stylist. He sticks to organ throughout this date and sounds exactly like
Davis both in tone and ideas. With trombonist Britt Woodman (who played alongside
Lawrence Brown for a time in
Duke Ellington's band), guitarist
James Chirillo, bassist Phil Flanigan, and drummer
Joe Ascione,
Wilber and
Hyman perform songs either written by
Hodges or closely associated with the group. Some are numbers that have rarely been performed since the
Hodges/
Davis band, including "Wings N' Things," "Taffy," and the catchy "L.B. Blues." Even the more familiar tunes (such as "In a Mellotone," "It's Only a Paper Moon," and "It Don't Mean a Thing") are played in the style of the group. Two offbeat selections, Charlie Chaplin's "Eternally" and
Wilber's tribute to
Hodges ("Cote d'Azur"), also fit into the idiom. Although purposely derivative, the music is so well played (and fairly obscure) that both
Hodges and
Davis fans will want this unusual tribute. ~ Scott Yanow