St. Louis Rag

Drummer Hal Smith, long a favorite in traditional jazz circles, organized the New Orleans Night Owls in 2021 to play New Orleans Revival-style traditional jazz. (Think: Bunk Johnson, George Lewis, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.) Smith pulled together top musicians from across the United States: Oregon, California, St. Louis, and - of course - New Orleans, and the band played to great acclaim at the Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival (Davenport, Iowa) and the San Diego Jazz Fest in 2022. For their debut Rivermont recording, the Night Owls play jazz arrangements of classic rags and ragtime-era songs with plenty of heat and authentic New Orleans flavor. TJ Müller shines on cornet and vocals while pianist Kris Tokarski seasons the ensemble with echoes of Jelly Roll Morton. Charlie Halloran's robust trombone and Ryan Calloway's colorful clarinet combine with the solid rhythmic drive of Bill Reinhart's banjo, Michael Gamble's thumping bass, and Hal Smith's musical drumming to round out this exciting and distinctive group. Fans of the venerable St. Louis Ragtimers will be pleased to hear cornetist Bill Mason guest on several tracks, providing a living link to the height of the New Orleans jazz revival of the 1940s and 1950s. 17 tracks. 64 minutes.

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