Rick Fay, whose tenor recalls Eddie Miller a little, gathered together an impressive frontline of top-notch players for this CD: cornetist
Ernie Carson, veteran swing-era clarinetist
Johnny Mince and trombonist
Dan Barrett. The rhythm section swings lightly, the four musician vocals (two apiece by
Fay and guitarist
Bob Leary) are painless enough, and even the more familiar tunes on the Dixieland set sound fresh and enthusiastic. Two songs, "Up a Lazy River" and "Ice Cream," feature
Fay with a cornet/guitar/bass quartet and put more of a focus on his fine
Bechet-ish soprano. An enjoyable set for Dixieland fans. ~ Scott Yanow