Saxophonist
Rick Fay (originally from Pasadena) and flugelhornist
Jackie Coon (at one time a Glendale resident) played together back in the late '40s, so their reunion CD merges together their two former homes in its title! The good-time Dixieland date has an awful lot of vocals (only three of the fourteen performances are instrumental) which, although harmless enough, take time away from the solos.
Coon has always been a very relaxed and soft-toned player in the manner of
Bobby Hackett while
Fay is best on clarinet and soprano; Charlie Bornemann's trombone is also a strong asset and pianist Bob Phillips takes "Cherry" as an unaccompanied feature. The constant and unimaginative banjotuba rhythm gets a bit tiring after awhile and there are few surprises on the date but the music (consisting of dixieland standards) is cheerful, swinging and full of good feelings. ~ Scott Yanow