Michael Lande loves 1920s/early-'30s hot dance and orchestra jazz music. He initially transcribed a few vintage recordings for his own amusement before getting the desire to hear how they sounded when played live. During a period of time when he lived in Kansas City, he put together the ten-piece
Rhythm Club Orchestra, an ensemble comprised of professional musicians who had mostly not played early jazz before; a string trio is added on four numbers. With Lande keeping time on drums and taking occasional vocals, his
Rhythm Club Orchestra recorded this lone album for Stomp Off. Soon afterward, Lande moved back to California, so he never performed with the band in public. That is a pity because with its wide repertoire, covering white-and-black ensembles of the 1920s alike (ranging from
Duke Ellington and
McKinney's Cotton Pickers to
Leo Reisman,
Paul Whiteman, and
Miff Mole),
the Rhythm Club Orchestra could have put on some entertaining concerts. This recording is mostly based on earlier versions of these songs with the solos sometimes being recreations and at other times hinting at the past while being newly improvised. With the exception of
Reisman's version of "What Is This Thing Called Love" and
King Oliver's "Too Late" (both of which were originally classics), many of these renditions hold their own with their predecessors. Fans of early hot dance music will enjoy this set.