Final Recording

 Well, I got off to a pretty good start with this blog, then got busy with other projects. But I'm back, with a short entry and the promise of more to come.

The Maryland Jazz Band of Cologne is a fine traditional New Orleans-style band from Germany. For many years they were led by trombonist Gerhard "Doggy" Hund (1943-2015). (His nickname is a nice bilingual pun!) They have made a practice of inviting guest musicians from New Orleans to tour with them in Europe. Willie Humphrey was such a guest, touring with them in 1982, 1990, 1992, and 1993.

"Doggy" Hund

That last visit produced Humphrey's last issued recording, as far as I know. The band and their guest played at the Breda Jazz Festival in The Netherlands on May 21, 1993. A sampler album from each year's festival is generally issued, and the 1993 CD includes the Maryland Jazz Band's  spirited performance of "Quand Moi Etais Petit." 

Willie plays well in the style of his final years - by which I mean that he sounds like a 92-year-old clarinetist: but a good 92-year-old clarinetist! In his last years his sound became somewhat gnarled, and his fingering was sometimes a little uncertain. But these flaws end up being minor, considering that his imagination and musicianship remained intact until the end. He even joins trumpet Joris De Cock for a vocal chorus, resorting to some pretty funny fake French, since he doesn't really know the words. (I think I heard "Rice-a-Roni" in there.)

I'm including this recording because of its rarity - I searched for my copy for a long time. But if requested by the copyright owner, I will gladly remove it.

Personnel is: Willie Humphrey - clarinet & vocal; Joris De Cock - trumpet & vocal; Gerhard "Doggy" Hund - trombone; Hans-Martin "Buli" Schöning - banjo; Rowan Smith - piano; Benny Dombrowe - bass; Peter Wechlin - drums.

Quand Moi Etais Petit