Trombonist John Gill's Dixieland Serenaders is at times reminiscent of
King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band due to the group featuring two very fine trumpeters (Chris Tyle and
Duke Heitger), and on this set performing at least six songs (including the first four titles) associated with
Oliver's 1923 group. However, the funnest tunes of this CD are the ones never recorded by
Oliver. It is enlightening to hear this particular instrumentation play such numbers as "Heebie Jeebies," "Hot Lips," and "In The Good Old Summertime," giving a fresh perspective to those standards. There are five vocals from the musicians, but those are fairly harmless and Gill (who takes three of them) has a strong voice. The four horn players (including the fine clarinetist Frank Powers) display plenty of spirit, so fans of Dixieland, New Orleans jazz, and classic jazz will enjoy this outing. ~ Scott Yanow