Anyone who has attended a lot of Dixieland events has no doubt been subjected to some musicians who are weak or inadequate singers. Being a talented musician doesn't automatically make you a talented vocalist, and Dixieland players who can't sing should leave the singing to the experts instead of tormenting audiences and embarrassing themselves. But there was nothing embarrassing about the late Clancy Hayes, a fine Dixieland-oriented banjoist who was also a fine singer. Produced by Lester Koenig, Swingin' Minstrel demonstrates that Hayes wasn't just an adequate vocalist -- he was an excellent vocalist. This album, which came out on vinyl in 1963 and was reissued on CD in 1995, focuses on two sessions: a 1956 date with Bill Napier (clarinet), Ralph Sutton (piano), and Bob Short (tuba), and a 1958 session with Short, Pud Brown (clarinet), Jess Stacy (piano), and Shelly Manne (drums). One of L.A.'s finest drummers, Manne was best known for cool jazz and bebop. But Manne's drumming on familiar standards like "After You've Gone" and "You Took Advantage of Me" proves that he could easily handle himself in a Dixieland/classic jazz setting. The star of the show, however, is Hayes, who plays banjo and guitar in addition to singing; the 1956 session finds him playing drums as well. As a singer, Hayes was as swinging as he was charismatic -- his triumphant performances of "Limehouse Blues," Fats Waller's "Honeysuckle Rose," and Jelly Roll Morton's "Wolverine Blues" makes one wish that all Dixieland-oriented musicians sang as well as Hayes. Swingin' Minstrel is enthusiastically recommended to anyone who is looking for an album of first-rate Dixieland and classic jazz singing.
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