In Denmark Vol.1

This 1996 Storyville CD has eight previously unreleased numbers plus five that originally comprised part of the LP A Portrait of Louis Nelson. Kid Thomas Valentine's trumpet playing was always an acquired taste, even without his being 77 at the time; his technique was erratic, and he tended to play short, highly expressive notes in a wavering pitch. Trombonist Louis Nelson (71 on this set) was not on the same level as Jim Robinson, but occasionally came through well. They were matched in Denmark with energetic tenor saxophonist Soren Sorensen, whose use of early R&B-ish ideas sometimes recalls altoist Capt. John Handy. The rhythm section (Jon Marks or Erik Hansen on piano, bassist Derek Cook, drummer Keith Minter and sometimes banjoist Niels Hansen) is quite excellent and really pushes the frontline. The overall results, which include "Ciribiribin," "Moonlight and Roses," "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" and "Over the Waves," should please New Orleans revival collectors, but the playing of Valentine and Nelson is clearly not for all ears.