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Terry Waldo & the Gotham City Band: Treasury Volume 1

By Jack Bowers
December 27, 2024
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Terry Waldo & the Gotham City Band: Treasury Volume 1

Pianist

Terry Waldo

piano
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Terry Waldo isn't stuck in the past; he revels in it, as do his eager teammates on Treasury, Vol. 1—the first of three such discourses, according to the album's liner notes—recorded not in jazz's primal era but in May and June 2022 (save for "After You've Gone," recorded in October 2018 with the splendid guest vocalist

Veronica Swift

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Veronica Swift). Waldo, a student of jazz from its origins to present-day genres, treads a well-worn path here, reprising bright and enduring themes some of whose origins can be traced back a century or more.

There can't be many jazz enthusiasts of any stripe who aren't familiar with the trad and Dixie staples "Bill Bailey," "Tiger Rag" or "After You've Gone." Perhaps a shade less notable—but no less admirable—are such keepsakes as "I Get the Blues When It Rains," "San" and

Jelly Roll Morton

piano
1890 - 1941

" data-original-title="" title="">Jelly Roll Morton's "Wolverine Blues," each of which gains new life in the able hands of Waldo and his groups, which range in size from six to eight.

To add a further note of authenticity, the album's closing number,

Scott Joplin

piano
1868 - 1917

" data-original-title="" title="">Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag," was recorded on vinyl at 78rpm (remember that?) using an original studio horn from the 1920s. The surface noise (another relic from days gone by) enriches the ambience, making it sound much like a recording from the 1920s, not 2022. Clarinetist

Dennis Lichtman

clarinet

" data-original-title="" title="">Dennis Lichtman crafts his finest

Omer Simeon

b.1902

" data-original-title="" title="">Omer Simeon impression and the band takes it from there, deftly restoring the rapid-fire "Rag" in all its venerable glory.

Waldo arranged every number save two—"I Get the Blues When It Rains," arrangement by

Sam Chess

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Sam Chess, vocal by

Tatiana Eva-Marie

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Tatiana Eva-Marie—and "Maple Leaf Rag," arranged by

Colin Hancock

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Colin Hancock who plays cornet on that number, tenor saxophone on "Yellow Dog Blues." Rounding out the charming program are Doc Cook's "Blame It on the Blues" and "The Frog Song," perhaps the most long-lived item on the menu, whose apt vocal is delivered by the group's able banjo player,

Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton.

Waldo takes a number of solos, each of which is rigorous and tasteful, as are those by Paxton, saxophonist

Ricky Alexander

woodwinds

" data-original-title="" title="">Ricky Alexander, trombonist

Jim Fryer

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Jim Fryer, cornetist

Mike Davis

cornet
b.1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Mike Davis, bassist

Brian Nalepka

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Brian Nalepka and drummer

Jay Lepley

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Jay Lepley. For those who prefer their jazz well-seasoned and age-defying, Waldo's album is indeed a Treasure, one that imparts the delightful promise of even more amusements to come.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Blame It on the Blues; I Get the Blues When It Rains; Wolverine Blues; Yellow Dog Blues; Bill Bailey, Won��t You Please Come Home; San; The Frog Song; Tiger Rag; After You��ve Gone; Maple Leaf Rag.

Personnel

Terry Waldo

piano

Colin Hancock

drums

Dennis Lichtman

clarinet

Ricky Alexander

woodwinds

Mike Davis

cornet

Evan Amtzen

clarinet

Jay Rattman

saxophone

Additional Instrumentation

Jim Fryer, Sam Chess: trombone; Amt Amtzen, Nick Russo: banjo; Jerron Paxton: banjo, vocals; Brian Nalepka: bass; Jay Lepley: drums; Tatiana Eva-Marie, Veronica Swift: vocals.

Album information

Title: Treasury Volume 1 | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Turtle Bay Records

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