Jeff Hughes trumpet/leader, John Clark and Craig Ball reeds, Jimmy Mazzy banjo/vocals, Ross Petot piano, Al Bernard sousaphone, Steve Taddeo drums

Once again the Jazz Jesters brought their Hot Dance music of the Jazz Decades to the Hot Steamed Jazz Festival, with plenty of 20’s and 30’s early Bix and Bunny Berigan.  They play many of their own arrangements with have tight ensembles and  exciting solos.  Unfortunately, most of those pictures were lost, so we’ve picked some substitutes.

They started with This is My Lucky Day – Henderson 1926, with piano intro, Jimmy scatting.  Anytime they can can perform together is a lucky day – they’ve made this their theme song.

Craig Ball was featured on high register clarinet for the 1930’s Three Little Words.

The band played early Bix in his Wolverine Days, before he joined Goldkette, with John on baritone sax: I Need Some Petting

The dynamic reedmen Craig Ball and John Clark are as expressive as the reed sections of a Big Band, changing combinations, saxophones on Song of India, clarinets.
They inspire each other, alternating alto and tenor sax and clarinet, baritone sax, and sometimes challenge the leader by changing the program on him.

1940’s Tommy Dorsey with Craig on clarinet, John on alto sax, I Know That You Know.

 

Jeff Hughes’ love of this music radiates out of every pore.  Hot tempo on custom-made tuneable bell Yamaha trumpet for Al Jolson’s Golden Gate.  Jeff even sang the vocal.
(He found the old sheet music list for this music one weekend going through an antique store.)

 

Davenport Blues with Jeff on flugelhorn:

 

 

 

Pushing the band is Al Bernard, wrapped in sousaphone.

 

 

 

 

Ross was featured with the rhythm section on Cole Porter’s most famous tune, the 1929 What Is This Thing Called Love, beautiful ballad, Jimmy wailing it in Mazzy style, with Ross backing him on stride piano.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John on alto, Craig on clarinet Blame it On The Blues

Paduca 

Pardon My Southern Accent Jimmy vocal, with great tenor sax by Craig.

 

 

They let Steve Taddeo go on Fats Waller’s 1920 Zonkie.  He loosened the snare drum to give it the Gene Krupa treatment.  (It’s inevitable.)

 

 

 

Steve stayed in Gene Krupa mood.  Jimmy started the verse on Irving Berlin’s Russian Lullaby, Jeff adding some fabulous Bunny Berigan.

1920 Walter Donaldson’s  Sam, The Accordion Man featured Jimmy.
They closed with Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?

The Jazz Jesters reminded us of New Orleans, Bix and Bunny, St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, all the places the early jazz from the 20’s and early 30’s was played.