Considering his talents as a trumpeter and vocalist, it is surprising how few sessions
Thomas Jefferson led through the years. With the exception of this album and one set made in 1960 for Southland,
Jefferson's few dates have all been made for tiny and long-lost labels. Recorded in Copenhagen with clarinetist
Sammy Remington (doubling on alto) and European musicians,
Jefferson sounds typically exuberant throughout the octet outing.
Jefferson plays and usually sings on eight standards (including the lesser-known "Mardi Gras" and "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall"), most of which qualify as Dixieland warhorses, such as "When You're Smiling" and "St. Louis Blues." This LP is easily recommended to New Orleans jazz fans.