Green for Danger
Blue Turning Grey Over You
Orange Blossom (really "St Philip's Street Breakdown" by George Lewis)
Yellow Dog Blues
Red Wing
The Old Grey Mare
Burgundy Street Blues
Black Diamond Rag
Mood Indigo
My Blue Heaven
Black and Blue
Terry Lightfoot * clarinet
Colin Smith * trumpet
John Bennett * trombone
Wayne Chandler * banjo
Bill Reid * bass
Ginger Baker * drums
The British Trad Jazz movement of the 1950s and ‘60s,
when acknowledged by jazz historians at all, is generally footnoted among the
various revivals of early New Orleans style, beginning with Bechet’s Blue Note
recordings and the various renewals of interest driven by Louis Armstrong’s
extended career. While there is certainly truth to this categorization, such a
pigeon hole can also be misleading and devaluing when we really consider the
achievement of the actual music: “Creative Resurgence” would be my choice as a
better way of understanding what actually happened. Of the many masterful, and
deceptively innovative, albums to be released in a very short period of time,
Terry Lightfoot’s Tradition in Colour
remains a strong example.
The title of each tune makes a nod to the visible spectrum,
and leading off with “Green for Danger” we’re thrown right into the Trad Jazz
aesthetic—more modal and streamlined than most revival jazz, Wayne Chandler’s
banjo standing out more prominently as an organizational influence, the drums
(played by a young Ginger Baker) taking a less dominant, more timbral role.
Lightfoot’s clarinet, from beginning to end of the album, is excellent—rich,
powerful in all registers, layered, and shot through with meaning. At moments
the influences of Albert Nicholas and Edmond Hall seem evident, but any and all
role models have been fully integrated into a new voice in the jazz clarinet
world—confident, relaxed, commanding without being overbearing, ruminative
(especially George Lewis’s “Burgundy Street Blues”).
While Lightfoot is the focus, taking the spotlight
on the majority of solo numbers, he gives Colin Smith a chance to show off his strong
trumpet in Fats Waller’s “Blue Turning Grey Over You.” Later in the album, he
features John Bennett’s trombone on “My Blue Heaven.” Bennett in particular
seems to have a sound indebted to the English Brass Band tradition, unique in
windplaying for its mellow, round, shimmering quality. This is one of the great
treats of British Trad Jazz, by the way: the British brass tradition is less
buzzy and directional than many others, and the warmth that they bring can
change the repertoire immediately, offering different angles on each tune.
Terry Lightfoot himself, however, must be singled
out for high praise. His soloing style, while owing a debt to American
forefathers, is likewise a product of a specifically British style of
clarinetistry, fused to the New Orleans tradition. The richness of his
chalumeau, which seamlessly glides into the clarion register, is unique. He is
less impetuous and more methodical in his soloing ideas, opting to use motivic
cells throughout distinct choruses. That type of playing, more emotionally
circumspect, would seem to be antithetical to blues playing, but in Lightfoot’s
case it is not: he impresses by being ruminative and contemplative rather than
disengaged or cerebral. His blues are deep and strong, even in their detached
quality. Most gratifying is that he managed to play the full rich New Orleans
style chalumeau without falling into the trap of so many revival
clarinetists—going flat. Lightfoot’s execution of the music and the clarinet
itself are therefore of importance. Interestingly, “Orange Blossom”, is attributed
to Lightfoot himself (at least on the edition of the album I own), yet it's a copy of George Lewis's “St. Philip Street Breakdown”, which in turn was almost a direct lift from Benny Goodman's solo choruses on 'Gone With What Wind.' Ain't that jazz for you...
