From the archives
Geoffrey Smith revels in the trad jazz chutzpah and utter joy of Paul Barbarin’s Onward Brass Band
A Holiday Inn in Connecticut would seem the last place you’d expect to experience the full-blooded pulse of New Orleans jazz, but that improbable thrill is enshrined on a new Jazz Crusade CD. Paul Barbarin’s Onward Brass Band in Concert
1968 (Jazz Crusade JCCD3049) records the visit of a Crescent City institution, sponsored by a local club, and the freewheeling, joyous occasion it inspired.
From the magnetic, rolling drum cadence that kicks off the whole event, it’s as though jazz history has come alive. Indeed, the Onward Brass Band was present at the very source of that history. Founded in 1889 by Isadore Barbarin, father of Paul, its members strode the streets of New Orleans, laying down the irresistible, syncopated swing that gave jazz its essence and made the city immortal.
And here it is again, still thriving, 80 years on. Paul Barbarin’s line-up comprises nine Crescent City veterans, 50-or-60somethings in their prime, tackling their lifelong repertoire with evident relish and panache. Brass is the key: pairs of trumpets and trombones, plus a sousaphone, enhanced by the embroidery of a clarinet, while a banjo adds strummed chords to the magnificent beat of snare and bass drums.
Though brass is upfront, the programme is never overbearing, the tunes varied in mood and attack. Old favourites like ‘The Second Line’ and ‘Original Dixie Jass Band One-step’ certainly raise the roof, while ‘Tin Roof Blues’ and ‘Just a Closer Walk with Me’ bring the deliberate, pulsating groove of spirituals and blues. And every piece displays the individual styles of the players, all of whom have plenty to say, completely secure in their zest and art.
As a former drummer, I really must give special mention to the two-man percussion team of Paul Barbarin and Freddie Kohlman, bass and snare respectively, who drive everything along with unbelievable energy, precision and swing. Which is why, from the first beat, you can’t keep your feet still or a grin from spreading across your face.