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Bloodest Saxophone Featuring Crystal Thomas—Extreme
Heat—Continental Records Services / Dialtone DT CD 0033

Bloodest Saxophone is a five piece Japanese swing and jump-
blues band led by tenor player Koda “Young Corn” Shintaro and
originally inspired by the music of people like Illinois Jacquet and
Arnett Cobb. They have a formidable reputation among those in
the know, and they have worked with Texas singer Crystal

Thomas both in the USA and in Japan. The two are certainly a
wonderful match.

Although a few of the earliest numbers on the set suggest an out-
and out- jumping set, there are plenty of blues and early Rhythm
and blues styled numbers – try the ballad ‘Let’s Love In The Moonlight’ or the particularly fine
‘Johnny Taylor Medley’. There’s no sense of jump revivalism though – even though a track like
‘Somebody Else’s Man’ is a classic early 50s flavoured blues in many respects, a number like ‘Good
Morning’ (with strings) is a contemporary sounding soul ballad – it is admittedly slightly the odd
one out – and some of the blues here are more soul-blues in style.

That’s no bad thing at all, given the quality of the band and Crystal’s vocals. It all makes for a
notable release. It may be Bloodest Saxophone’s twelfth album, but it is the first I’ve heard and as
you can tell, I am mightily impressed.

Norman Darwen

The Jake Leg Jug Band—One Glad Morning—Green Bullet
(wwwthejakelegjugband.com)

Sacred Jug Band? Well, gospel music of the 20s especially included
some weird and wonderful sounds, so maybe we shouldn’t be too
surprised at the content of this latest album from the always
listenable Jake Leg Jug Band. Rather neatly though, the band don’t
stray too far from their usual style(s) and make it work.

They do this by recreating some of these venerable songs - all
twelve tracks are standards of spirituals and gospel music - in a
Dixieland style, as would have been familiar to jazz lovers in the
50s - Mike Owens’ tailgate trombone playing is very effective in
these numbers, as too is the trumpet playing of Gabriel Garrick and sax and clarinet of Phil Shotton.
Others like the opening ‘Just A Closer Walk With Thee’ and ‘I Want Jesus To Walk With Me’ fall

into an Americana bag, whilst there are skiffle treatments for ‘They Hung Him On A Cross’ and
others. ‘I’ll Fly Away’ is very much in an old-timey style, with banjo, some very fine fiddle, and
vocals by Bryony Rose and Helen Hart.

As just mentioned, several guests help out as required. Duncan Wilcox on vocals, bass, and
mandolin, Liam Ward on a variety of instruments (mainly harmonica and jug of course, but also
musical saw, comb and paper, and others!) and guitarist, banjoist and singer Warren James have
carved out a very strong reputation for their good-timing knockabout music. This may be a little
different subject-matter-wise from its predecessors, but it is just as good.

Norman Darwen