EARLYJAS
Editor, Webmaster:  Phil Cartwright       Editor@earlyjas.org
Bert's Bits -- CD Review:  Norrie Cox' New Orleans Stompers
Earlville Association for Ragtime Lovers Yearning
for Jazz Advancement and Socialization
EARLYJAS
CD Review
by Bert Thompson

Norrie Cox & His New Orleans Stompers - Let Me Hear Them Feet (GHB Records
BCD-459).  Playing time: 68m. 04s.

When You and I Were Young, Maggie; Somebody Stole My Gal; Trouble in Mind;
Bogalusa Strut; Does Jesus Care; Lily of the Valley; Blues for John Steiner; June
Night; Don't You Leave Me Here; Silver Bell (An Indian Intermezzo); Darkness on
the Delta; Smile, Darn Ya, Smile.

If you are looking for a band that plays everything loud and fast, that sandwiches solos
between an opening and closing ensemble, I'm afraid this one is not for you.  It is an uptown
New Orleans style band, thus playing ensemble most of the way through, with the occasional
solo judiciously interspersed among the ensemble passages, and giving attention to dynamics.  

The musicians are all quite well-known in New Orleans jazz circles, having earned their spurs
long ago.  On clarinet is leader Norrie Cox, an ex-Brit, who came to the U.S. in 1966, having led
a band in England, but having taken a long sabbatical from playing until 1989, when he put
together this group.  (More information can be found in his website www.norriecox.com)  
Charlie Devore on cornet has long been a fixture in the midwest, as well as in New Orleans
itself, having played with, among others, the famed Hall Bros. New Orleans Band at Mendota's
Emporium of Jazz in Mendota, Minnesota, during its 25-year life.  Trombonist Jim Klippert lives
in Moraga, California, but when he was back east he was one of the original New Black Eagles;
he also played for a time with the Grand Dominion Jazz Band and is active in the San Francisco
Bay Area.  Mike Carrell, banjo/guitar, played for many years in Madison, Wisconsin, with the
Hiway 51 Jazz Band; he passed away in 2004. Bill Evans on string bass is another alumnus of the
Hall Bros. New Orleans Band, as is drummer Don “Doggie” Berg.  For these musicians,
"dynamics" does not mean "I'm playing as loud as I can."  It does mean shading the volume to
suit the passage and their fellow bandsmen.  They are given to listening to each other carefully,
to "playing for the band," not their own egos.  And the result is a very satisfying recording.  

While most of the tunes are quite familiar, it is a pleasure to hear the renditions given them
here, most including the verses.  Tempos are not frantic but danceable--were there dancers at
this recording session, I'm sure we would, indeed, "hear them feet" shuffling on the dance floor.

The CD opens with a laid back When You and I Were Young, Maggie, and that sets the tone for
the rest of the recording.  Norrie Cox supplies some fine clarinet work as he leads into Does
Jesus Care and also on Blues for John Steiner, a variation of George Lewis' Burgundy Street
Blues.  (Steiner was a jazz historian and promoter and a long time friend of Cox.)   A couple of
the other titles may not be familiar, but their alternate titles will make them so--Alabamy Bound
(Don't You Leave Me Here) and Sometimes My Burden Is Too Hard to Bear (Silver Bell).  

Charlie Devore plays some beautiful muted cornet, Jim Klippert some very nice legato
trombone where needed, nice glissandos à la Jim Robinson elsewhere, and the rhythm section
provides solid backing.  If I had one small nit to pick, it would be that the drums tend to be a
little too dominant, for my ears at least--some judicious tweaking of the balance would have
helped.  That is not to say that Doggie Berg plays too loud, and he does lay down a fine New
Orleans sound with his pressed rolls, tom tom accents, and wood block work.  In short, this is a
"righteous" band.

From the above you have probably guessed that I like this CD and I think you will too.  It is
available from GHB Records, 1206 Decatur St., New Orleans, LA 70116 (tel: 504-525-5000;
website:
www.jazzology.com) and mail order sources such as World Records (tel: 415-898-1609.
Bert Thompson
I have been privileged to play with Norrie's band since 2000, first as a sub for Mike Carrell when
he was ill and then as a regular tour  and festival player when Mike died.
Sadly, Norrie Cox passed away in 2007 and Doggie Berg died of a heart attack in 2008.
                                                                            Phil Cartwright