The Dapper Dandies
Between St. Roch & the Channel
Total Riot Records This album by a septet of young men and a young woman exemplifi es my personal favorite style of jazz: prominent clarinet, throaty saxophone, and raggy piano are included among the instruments. The music is slow and boozy, yet lighthearted and romantic. The album begins whimsically, with clarinet backed by guitar and dramatic piano. “Bei Mir Bistu Shein” is a dirgy jazz piece that schleps down the street of an overcast Quarter day. Vocalist Caroline Fourmy leisurely belts out the tunes in a classic, nasal high pitch, but with enough energy and soul to overtake the animated music all around her. The album includes some covers of beloved local jazz staples like “Buddy Bolden Blues” and “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down,” and the Dapper Dandies certainly do them justice. In “Buddy Bolden Blues,” each instrumentalist is able to perform a slow solo. The bass sax by Adrian Seward sounds nearly human; it’s throaty and soulfully wailing its sentiments. Jason Cash’s clarinet has a major place in the opening of “I’ve Found a New Baby” as he plays a winding tune before Aaron Lind on the guitar plays a jaunty backing to Fourmy’s melody. During the bridge, Sean Dawnson’s trumpet growls above everything else. Dawson’s horn has just a bit of a tinny echo throughout the album, which adds a nostalgic layer, as though you heard this on an original record. This band could easily be from the period that they are replicating. I can already see happy couples dancing closely to their grandparents’ music.
