Marie Laveau

by Oscar "Papa" Celestin

Overview

Papa Celestin and New Orleans Band was one of the most popular jazz groups for a short while in the early '50s. The veteran trumpeter (who was in his mid-sixties but seemed older) performed spirited versions of New Orleans standards, even getting to play once at the White House in the Eisenhower years (a rare event during that era for a jazz band). This CD from GHB combines together two former LPs. Celestin is heard mostly singing on four numbers from 1954 (his final recordings are highlighted by the atmospheric title cut and an emotional "Down by the Riverside") and jamming with his sextet (a group including the ancient, but still viable, clarinetist Alphonse Picou) on ten Dixieland standards in 1950-1951. The liner notes may be a bit irrelevant (not even giving the recording dates), pianist Octave Crosby gets lost now and then, and the ensembles sometimes slip out of tune, but the spirit and the joy of the music make this definitive Oscar Celestin CD a must for New Orleans jazz fans. ~ Scott Yanow

Product Details

Release Date:	12/02/1995
Label:	Ghb Records
UPC:	0762247510628
Rank:	114853

Tracks

1. Intro and Dialogue
2. Down by the Riverside
3. Oh! Didn't He Ramble
4. Marie Laveau
5. When the Saints Go Marching In
6. High Society
7. Closer Walk With Thee
8. Panama
9. Old Time Religion
10. Fidgety Feet
11. Sheik of Araby
12. St. Louis Blues
13. Ballin' the Jack
14. Muskrat Ramble
15. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Oscar "Papa" Celestin   Primary Artist,Trumpet
Papa Celestin & New Orleans Band   Primary Artist
Joe Thomas   Clarinet
Richard Alexis   Bass
Albert French   Banjo
Alphonse Picou   Clarinet
Adolphe Alexander   Sax (Alto)
Louis Barbarin   Drums
Bill Matthews   Trombone
Octave Crosby   Piano
Edward Pierson   Trombone
Jeanette Kimball   Piano
Christopher "Black Happy" Goldston   Drums
Sidney Brown   Bass

Technical Credits

Barry Martyn   Producer
Duke Ellington   Composer
Larry Shields   Composer
Eddie Edwards   Composer
Francis Wheeler   Composer
W.C. Handy   Composer
Nick LaRocca   Composer
Henry W. Ragas   Composer
Ted Snyder   Composer
Tony Sbarbaro   Composer
Harry Beasley Smith   Composer
Jon P. Pult   Liner Notes
Papa Celestin & New Orleans Band   Performer
Irving Mills   Composer
Traditional   Composer