Now here's a collection that is guaranteed to please anyone with a predilection for New Orleans-style jazz as it was played in Chicago during the 1920s and early '30s. Longtime old-school jazz heads and new initiates alike would benefit greatly from Acrobat's
Chicago Black Small Bands, a 23-track anthology that traces the recording habits of 18 different bands during the years 1926-1936. The majority of the players began their careers in New Orleans and made the journey northward to industrialized Chicago. The
New Orleans Wanderers, a group that included trombonist
Kid Ory, clarinetist
Johnny Dodds, and pianist
Lil Hardin, cut several handsome sides, returned to the studio the following day and made more records under the name of the
New Orleans Bootblacks. As for
Lil's husband at that time,
Louis Armstrong is heard in duet performance with pianist
Earl Hines on "Weather Bird," one of the best-known titles in the entire collection. Other comparatively famous artists who are represented here are clarinetist
Jimmie Noone, pianist and composer
Richard M. Jones, and the great
Jelly Roll Morton, who performs his own "Wolverine Blues" in a trio with
Johnny and
Baby Dodds.