Ken colyer cornet, sammy rimington clarinet, mike pointon trombone, bill stotesbury banjo, annie hawkins string bass and colin bowden drums the strong line up on this cd together with the live enthusiastic audience has inspired ken colyer to be on to smoulderingly understated and melodically creative. As one of england's leading trad jazz exponents, ken colyer's influence would have been confined to his own country were it not for a spin off that would inadvertently lead to great changes in the music world at large. Self taught on trumpet and guitar, colyer was a founding member of the crane river jazz band 1949 1953, a new orleans styled band that he left in late 1951 in order to join the merchant marines with the intention of shipping out to new orleans itself and jamming with local legends. Upon his return to england in march 1953, colyer joined a group founded by monty sunshine and chris barber that soon became ken colyer's jazzmen. As in the crane river group, colyer's shows included a band within a band segment that purported to educate audiences about the roots of jazz, playing a guitar based, highly rhythmic mutation of american folk music that became known as skiffle. Review the music on this cd is very good. The sound is uplifting. And listening to it creates for me a wave of nostalgia for the period from 1956 to 1961 when colyer had his classic bands and i heard the band playing live. This 1973 band is playing with the same essential elements of feeling and warmth and simplicity as in 1957, contained in the distinctive colyer ensemble sound. We need music like this music that has artistry and emotion, and will lift spirits. The quality of the recording is not as if it were done in studio conditions. Nevertheless it is acceptable, and there is the freshness and spontaneity of a live session.the musicians are playing to an audience.to the people on the riverboat the musicians are saying,we are enjoying playing our jazz, please join us and share in our love of this music you are very welcome. John keen just jazz release date n a