Eddie Erickson - I'm Old Fashioned (2009)

Eddie Erickson has been one of the most unsung heroes in traditional jazz for decades. A singer whose sound is much younger than his age, he's also an adept guitarist, mostly in the rhythmic sense, and occasionally picks up the banjo. This concert performance in Germany mines the deep well of American popular songs and early period jazz, is a fairly comprehensive look back to songs of the '30s and '40s, and showcases mostly sweet swinging sounds, a little blues, some dry humor, and some heat when needed to spice up the program. Though most of his bandmembers are relatively obscure, there is the veteran Finnish clarinetist/tenor saxophonist Antti Sarpila, the excellent rising star pianist Rossano Sportiello, and Euro-trad newcomers in drummer Moritz Gastreich, bassist Henning Gailing, and trumpeter Menno Daams. The star of every band he joins is trombonist Bill Allred, always a delight to hear, a true jazz master, and one who infuses kinetic energy with every note, solo, or ensemble contribution he plays. The instrumental numbers "Little White Lies" and "That's a Plenty" reflect the upbeat, good-time Dixieland style hot jazz where the instruments -- particularly Allred and Sarpila -- play battling counterpoint lines against each other. Erickson's singing, which lies somewhere between Jack Sheldon, Tom Saunders, and Harry Connick, Jr., is delightful, understated,. and endearing. The bouncy "Pick Yourself Up," the slower, bluesy "That's My Home," and the lighter "You're a Sweetheart" offer good contrast and consistency. Sportiello is featured during the solo medley "It's the Talk of the Town/Chinatown My Chinatown" with slight, laid-back stride inflections, Gailing gets the spotlight walking away during the old-time, midtempo "I'm Old Fashioned," and Sarpila's clarinet swings à la Benny Goodman for "Did I Remember?." While Erickson's instrumental guitar passages are mainly supportive, his banjo is upfront on his plucked and strummed solo effort "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise," and pulls it off easily, and proves both lyrical and funny on the doting "A Shine on Your Shoes." Arbors Records consistently produces very good trad jazz records from musicians dedicated to keeping this area alive, and Erickson's band does nothing to diminish those returns. ~Michael G. Nastos