Red McKenzie is one of the shadowy figures in jazz history, too pop to be taken seriously by modern jazz heads, yet pivotal in his historical place. His spasm band turned small combo,
the Mound City Blue Blowers, made jazzy records with top-notch soloists while
McKenzie crooned and blew a kazoo in a lyrical style on these sides. This 24-track collection brings together recordings from 1935 to 1937 and features the likes of
Eddie Condon,
Bunny Berigan, and
Bobby Hackett on some truly fun pop tunes with a strong jazz bent to all of them. Transfers are wonderfully clean and the booklet notes by
Digby Fairweather are exhaustive and really bring the story of this quirky music home. A wonderful set. ~ Cub Koda