Live In Copenhagen 1954

With the exception of three selections, all of the music on this 1998 CD was previously unreleased. The concert from Copenhagen, Denmark features the Dutch Swing College Band (during their early period) on seven numbers, clarinetist Albert Nicholas jamming with a quintet also including trumpeter Al Fairweather, and Nicholas sitting in with the Dutch Swing College Band on "Black and Blue," "I Found a New Baby" and "Weary Blues." Some of the music (particularly the first few tracks by the DSCB) sounds a little too fast, as if the tape is running just a touch too slow, but it is all quite listenable. Clarinetist Peter Schileroort, trumpeter Wybe Burns and trombonist Wim Kolstee made up an infectious, if not particularly distinctive frontline, and Nicholas plays throughout in typically fine form. The music, which also includes such numbers as "Fidgety Feet," Lil Harden's "Tears" and "Dippermouth Blues," is spirited trad jazz. ~ Scott Yanow|