We're proud to say we've just received another excellent review of our CD "Some Sunny Day", this time in the August issue of the Mississippi, the premier newspaper for fans of
Traditional Jazz.
COMBO DE LUXE: SOME SUNNY DAY (No label or number), 55:03 min.
Undecided; I'll Be a Friend (with Pleasure); Some Sunny Day; About a Quarter to Nine; My Heart; I've Got My Fingers Crossed; Georgia Cabin; My Monday Date; Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams; Love Me or Leave Me; My Bucket's Got a Hole in It; It's Been So Long; St. Louis Blues; My Blue Heaven.
Reviewed by Bill Mitchell
Combo de Luxe is a quartet consisting of cornet, clarinet/soprano sax, guitar/banjo, and string bass, featuring, respectively, Chris Tyle, "Gentleman Jim" Buchmann, Candace Brown, and Dave Brown. This isn't your usual chamber jazz instrumentation by any means, but on the other hand, it isn't quite unique in the history of jazz. You may recall the Bechet-Spanier Big Four with Sidney, Muggsy, Carmen Mastren and Wellman Braud. They recorded some noteworthy sides with the same unorthodox line-up back in 1940. To mention this precedent is not to imply that Combo de Luxe is attempting to recreate or emulate the Big Four, however, because they are not. They have their own sound, style, and repertoire.
Combo de Luxe (L-R): Candace Brown, Chris Tyle, Dave Brown. Steve Wright is reedman for the group here, but Jim Buchmann fills that role on "Some Sunny Day." (www.combodeluxe.net/photos.html)
Chris Tyle (cornet, clarinet, and vocals) is well known in the jazz world as a multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, scholar/historian, and instructor at jazz camps. He began his career in Portland, Ore., where his father, Axel Tyle, was a member of the Castle Jazz Band, a trad outfit contemporaneous with San Francisco's Yerba Buena Jazz Band. Young Chris got his start in Portland with Don Kinch's band, The Conductors, in the late 1970s. Later, he moved to New Orleans, where for a number of years he led his Silver Leaf Jazz Band. He has been recorded extensively (50 sessions at a recent count). After returning to the Pacific Northwest, he has been busy on the festival/jazz party circuit, recording, instructing, and leading Combo de Luxe.
The reed man, "Gentleman Jim" Buchmann, also has an illustrious resumé, having worked as a member the Climax Jazz Band, the Black Dogs, and several other bands. He has been a guest star at festivals and, like Tyle, an instructor at jazz camps. Some Sunny Day is his 39th recording.
The rhythm section consists of Dave Brown and his wife, Candace. Based in the Seattle area, they work as a duo called Jazzstrings, with Dave on string bass and Candace on banjo and guitar. Each one has also worked independently in various festivals and on cruises.
Combo de Luxe offers us an eclectic spread, including several gems from the Great American Songbook and a few classic jazz and blues items. The program is admirable. Here are some highlights: "Some Sunny Day' is a delightful Irving Berlin song, and it is surprising that so few musicians are familiar with it. Tyle takes a vocal on this one, as he does on three other numbers. Dave Brown vocalizes on Jimmy McHugh's "I've Got My Fingers Crossed," which appeared in the 1936 movie musical, King of Burlesque. "My Heart" is, of course, the tune Lil Hardin Armstrong wrote for the Hot Five. "My Monday Date," the Earl Hines tune recorded by Jimmy Noone's Apex Club Orchestra, features a two-clarinet frolic by Tyle and Buchmann. "Georgia Cabin" is a melodically appealing number composed and recorded by Sidney Bechet in 1941.
In short, this CD displays tasteful playing with a high order of musicianship. The music swings and provides easy, rewarding listening. To order, send check or money order for $15 payable to Candace J. Brown, P.O. Box 6887, Tacoma, WA 98406. Website; www.combodeluxe.net
Bill Mitchell - Mississippi Rag
(Aug 29, 2008)