ATJS Cullum Concert 08

Photos by Tom Straus

Review

By Dan Augustine

Did you ever get a visit at your home from a favorite uncle, who everybody loved and who used to sit around telling those great stories?  Me neither.  But that's what a visit by the Jim Cullum Jazz Band might be like.  The uncle visits just about every year, and even if you've heard some of the stories before, you want to hear them again, because of the way he tells them.  Plus, he's always got some new stories you've never heard before, so he manages to keep you guessing what he's going to say next.  Everybody, even folks from the neighborhood, crowd into the living room, or onto the back porch, and there's food, drinks, and good times.

Well, that's what it was like on Sunday, March 2nd, at the Austin's Capital City Comedy Club, when the Austin Traditional Jazz Society hosted another visit from San Antonio's Jim Cullum Jazz Band (which, of course, is world-famous, has radio shows, tours around the world, and has made tons of recordings; but you knew that).  Besides Cullum on cornet, the band consists of Ron Hockett on clarinet, Kenny Rupp on trombone, Howard Elkins on banjo and tenor guitar, Jim Turner on piano, Don Mopsick on string bass, and Mike Waskiewicz on drums. 

The first set led off with "Misty Morning" by Duke Ellington, a slow thoughtful bluesy song that ended with ever-louder dynamics intensifying the mood.  Not many other bands play this song, which is a shame, but then again, not many other bands can play this song and do it justice.  If anyone started to suspect that the musical fare would not be 'traditional', they were disabused by the next song, "Weary Blues", a favorite of Turk Murphy's.  It started off with a good strong beat and Jim Cullum's solo was energetic and excellent.  Not to be outdone, Ron Hockett on clarinet, backed only by banjo, drums, and bass, demonstrated why he is one of the best jazz clarinet players in the world.  The crowd, which started arriving at 1 pm for the 2 pm kickoff, applauded lustily.  After impressive renditions of "Dogtown Blues" (which not many bands play) and "Sobbin' Blues" (which not many bands play), the band started off all singing "All by Myself", encouraging the audience to sing along.  One hallmark of excellent players was subtly exhibited when Jim Turner's piano solo started off with the same melodic improvisation that Kenny Rupp's trombone solo ended with.  That means, my friends, that these guys are listening to each other and have the taste and technical ability to make musical comments on each others' solos.  You find that in very few bands.  The set ended with "all five strains" of "Panama" in a bright two-beat tempo.

The second set began with a song that had everybody scratching their heads (musically, at least) for the name of it.  After the song ended, Jim Cullum asked the audience if anyone could provide the correct title of the song, seeming to promise a bright red Ferrari as the prize for the correct answer.  Alas, nobody knew it, and Cullum said that the title was "Gypsy Love Song" (sometimes known as "My Little Gypsy Sweetheart").  The tune originally appeared in an 1898 operetta by Victor Herbert.  (How soon we forget.  The Jim Cullum Jazz Band played this same song last year and offered the same red Ferrari, but nobody remembered.)  One of the highlights (for your reviewer) of the afternoon was the next song, "Gulf Coast Blues" (which not many bands play -- is that starting to sound familiar?), which featured perhaps the best Cullum solo of the day, the best Hockett solo, the best Rupp trombone solo, and a string bass solo by Don Mopsick all by himself in an absolutely silent room. Next was a complete change of pace with the song, "I Like You Best of All", sung by the band.  NO other band i know of does that song.  No other band also does the next song, "Pep" (probably because they can't), with another wonderful Ron Hockett clarinet solo.  His playing is kind of like what somebody said about Vladimir Nabokov's writing: they were using muscles nobody else even had.  Howard Elkins then played a beautiful rendition of "Nuages" and the set ended with Mike Waskiewicz playing a New Orleans-style street-drum intro to "South Rampart Street Parade".

The third set saw a number of Austin musicians sitting in with the band: Larmon Maddox (cornet), Dave Stoddard (valve trombone), Scott Bailey (slide trombone), Jon Doyle (tenor saxophone), J. D. Pendley (guitar), Ryan Gould (string bass), and Budge Mabry (drums).  The group first played a generic blues that featured all the new players, followed by "Dinah" (with Jon Doyle trading 4s with Jim Cullum, and Larmon Maddox and Dave Stoddard trading 4s also).  The concert ended with "Up a Lazy River", and the audience rose to their feet with an enthusiastic standing ovation.  Not only that, but they also bought 26 CDs of the Jim Cullum band.  Uncle Jim did good again.