This Pacific Jazz album is a bit unusual.
Bob Brookmeyer (on valve trombone and piano),
Jimmy Giuffre (switching between clarinet, baritone and tenor), guitarist
Jim Hall, either
Joe Benjamin or
Ralph Pena on bass and drummer
Dave Bailey perform eight songs from the 1920s and '30s including some obscurities. While these selections have occasionally been revived by Dixieland and swing bands,
Brookmeyer and his group use harmonies that were modern for the 1950s to update such tunes as "Louiaiana," "Truckin'," "Honeysuckle Rose" and even "Santa Claus Blues." Because the musicians have a respect for the older styles, they extend rather than break the tradition; the results are quite enjoyable.