They were in rare form at the Sherborn Inn, after torrential downpours had decimated the group a few weeks ago (substitute drummer's house was flooded). We were fortunate to have the full compliment, the front line: Larry Baxter cornet, Steve Straus reeds/leader, Bob Batchelder trombone.  Back: Phil Hower piano, Dave MacMillan banjo, Pierre Lemieux tuba, and Rich Malcolm drums.   Powerful band, made more so when Straus began the first tune, Putting On The Ritz, with a soprano sax.  Everything sparked.  It never slowed down from there.

Dave MacMillan, always a character on vocals and banjo, started on Chinatown, then they blew the roof off!   Blues My Naughty Sweety Gives To Me.  Remembering that there was still lots of water out there - Up A Lazy River, Dave on vocals, Larry backing with soft muted cornet, Steve loose sinuous, soprano sax.  Piano intro to Hard Hearted Hannah, more lively sax, with Rich Malcolm, standing up, keeping time by tapping the snare drum. Beale St. Blues fine clarinet, bolstered by Pierre's tuba and Rich's drum. 

Tune stolen from1694 Johann Pachelbel's "Canon in D Major", which has become one of the most popular pieces for wedding party entrances, and which contains brilliant intertwining melodic lines over a bass (cello) ostinato. Actually, he was a predecessor of J.S. Bach, who took some of these principles and originated the idea of improvised melodies over a chordal framework. Add some rhythm and a few flat thirds and, boom, you've got jazz!---intertwined, euphonious, and cacophonous.

The band then went into a dissonant musical rant, From Monday On, Steve on kazoo, Baxter playing trumpet from the wrong end.  Everybody deliberately off-tune.   Pierre Lemieux, supercharged tuba player, safeguards the group's sanity.  With much patience, Rich just added a gentle drum roll.

The piano had been moved to the left - with Phil facing the band, so the band could hear the piano loud and clear.  Generally, the piano is to the right, so the piano player can hear the band, but Hower has no problem with this group. Phil makes the piano sing, and points them back in the right direction, when improvisations have led them too far astray. (How is he going to get back from there??)   

The whole band started singing It's A Sin To Tell A Lie, prompting the audience to join in, when Steve told Larry to 'Milk It'.  Video. They continued with Somebody Stole My Gal.  Larry continued hamming it up with a wittingly pitiful imitation of Al Jolson's Rockabye My Baby With a Dixie Melody.  This is a fun group!  But make no mistake - they play outstanding Dixieland Jazz!