The Dixie Ticklers

“Standing Pat”

(Dom James Music DJM03)

The Dixie Ticklers are a young London based sextet led by clarinettist Dom James who specialise in giving a modern twist to classic trad jazz material. As the band’s press release puts it “they put today’s date on early jazz, placing it alongside groove-based shuffles and fresh modern treatments whilst constantly staying true to the polyphonic approach that shaped the music of the initial pioneers such as Louis Armstrong, King Oliver and Jelly Roll Morton”.

In the wake of of their successful 2012 London Jazz Festival appearance comes this début album featuring eleven well known trad and mainstream standards plus one Dom James original. Joining the clarinettist are William Rixon (trumpet), Nicholas Costley White (guitar), Tommy Antonio (double bass) Daoud Merchant (drums, percussion) and the mysteriously named Zands (percussion). The album title is a reference both to a poker term and to a resistance to change. According to Peter Bacon’s Jazz Breakfast blog it’s also a line from that trad staple “St. James Infirmary Blues”.   

The band have played at festivals across the UK, Europe and Australia and have supported the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Their music combines a love of traditional Dixieland jazz styles with the sophistication of modern musical ideas whilst retaining the essential joie de vivre of New Orleans music. Elsewhere the band members have worked with contemporary jazz artists such as pianist John Law and the group Empirical plus musicians from other genres ranging from blue eyed soulstress Joss Stone to contemporary classical composer Karl Jenkins (the latter once a member of Soft Machine).

The album kicks off with Louis Armstrong’s “My Heart” with the rich blend of James’ clarinet and Rixon’s trumpet nimbly supported by the rhythm section. Rixon’s solo above Costley White’s rhythmic chording eventually leads to a brief guitar solo. The percussive work of Merchant and Zands is playfully exotic throughout, a real delight.

James Black’s “Monkey Puzzle” offers a more contemporary mainstream sound with James excelling on a subtly bluesy clarinet solo. Rixon and Costley-White also impress and Merchant’s brushed drum sounds are consistently interesting.

Rixon shines on Jelly Roll Morton’s “Wild Man Blues” his opening bluesy, subtly vocalised solo followed by the excellent James on clarinet before the trumpeter returns for a second, even gutsier blast finally coalescing with James before handing over to Costley-White, the whole driven by Merchant’s idiosyncratic drumming.

The drummer is in his Washboard Merch guise on a lively romp through Sidney Bechet’s “Suey”, starring alongside Costley-Whites nimble guitar picking and the twin front-line of James and Rixon.

Duke Ellington’s “Purple Gazelle” represents a further excursion into more mainstream territory with bassist Antonio making a strong contribution alongside the now familiar blend of horns and guitar.

“Bougis” is a Dom James original which adds a dash of samba to the list of references albeit with a New Orleans twist, it’s the kind of thing Evan Christopher might attempt. Solo honours go to Rixon James and Costley-White but the rhythm section is also worthy of mention, consistently bright and inventive.

The band romp joyfully through W.C. Handy’s “St.Louis Blues” adding a Latin American twist along the way. There’s some magnificently fiery playing from all members of the group led off by James’ clarinet and followed by Rixon and Costley White as Antonio’s propulsive bass and the exotic twin percussive attack of Merchant and Zands drives the piece along at a terrific pace. It’s wonderfully exhilarating stuff. 

Antonio sings on Jelly Roll Morton’s “Ballin’ The Jack” and also adds a brief bowed bass solo. It’s not the most profound vocal you’ll ever hear but it’s out of the “British trad” tradition and the piece is probably a great live favourite.

Tom Spinosa’s “Swing A Lullaby” is a breezy showcase for James’ clarinet skills and Rixon’s muted, vocalised trumpet sound. Both deliver splendid, if very different, solos.

Johnny Green’s “I Cover The Waterfront” is given a New Orleans arrangement that works surprisingly well with features for Rixon and Costley-White.

Kid Ory’s “Oh Didn’t He Ramble” is treated to a spirited clap along as Rixon’s trumpet initially takes the lead followed by James’ clarinet. Again I can envisage this being another live favourite with the audience invited to join in. The same applies to the official album closer, a sing along version of “L’il Liza Jane”.

There’s also a “secret track”, a rousing chant of “Our Friends” above a backdrop of insistent percussion and economical horns. There’s a pleasing sense of spirituality about it. 

Ordinarily I’m no great lover of traditional jazz although I’ll admit that some of the early stuff by the pioneers like Morton, Armstrong and Ory is pretty impressive. I think it was the sub standard British imitators of the sixties trad boom that really put me off. Nevertheless I’m surprised at just how much I enjoyed this record. The members of The Dixie Ticklers are twenty something, music college educated Londoners but they still bring a youthful enthusiasm and exuberance to this music with sophisticated arrangements that draw on their institutionally acquired knowledge. Recorded by Nostalgia 77’s Ben Lamdin at the increasingly popular Fish Factory studio using two inch tape the group have produced a warm analogue type sound that suits their music perfectly. All the musicians play well with the two horn men taking many of the plaudits but it’s the consistently inventive use of drums and percussion that makes The Dixie Ticklers’ updating of the New Orleans sound so distinctive.

The band are currently touring, dates shown below;

30th March 2013 The Nightjar, City Road
5th April 2013 Sage, Gateshead Festival, Newcastle
7th April The Brunswick, Brighton
9th April 2013 The Stables, Milton Keynes
16th April 2013 The Corrie Tap, Bristol
17th April 2013 Jika Jika, Bath
18th April 2013 Mama Stones, Exeter
17th May Matt and Phredds, Manchester
21st May PARRJAZZ, studio2, 33-45 Parr Street, Liverpool: http://www.parrjazz.co.uk
25th May Solihull Festival
21st June 2013 The Forge, London
4th - 7th December 2013 Caveau de la Huchette, Paris

http://www.dixieticklers.co.uk

 

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