Engaging CD Of Lesser Known Crescent City Piano Players

George Buck’s American Music label has issued an interesting compilation, Crescent City Piano Players, of three lesser known piano players associated with the City of New Orleans, Earl Roach, Duke Burrell and Louis Gallaud.

Roach was born in Maine but came to New Orleans at the early age. His nine selections open with the simple, firmly played instrumentals Blues and Boogie. There are a couple of simply delivered vocals as well as renditions of older songs Play Jack Carey and Bucket's Got a Hole In It. Plenty of charm by a player in an older style, as his stomping Whistling the Blues, would suggest.

Burrell is a bit better known to me as he was on a tour and record date with Louis Jordan shortly before Burrell passed away. He played on sessions in New Orleans in 1950 and 1953 backing other performers. A student of Burnell Santiago, Burrell incorporated a bunch of more modern influences in his piano style. He was a solid, sophisticated blues player, as his rendition of After Hours, as well as his Boogie Woogie indicates. Also of interest is his modernistic interpretation of the Duke Ellington classic, Caravan. On "Louisiana and Me," he displays a a definite charm as a vocalist. His repertoire was fairly wide and included the movie theme of Love Story and Indiana.

Pianist Louis Gallaud is heard on two vocals of very old pop numbers and was a simple,  functional pianist. His performances though are not up to the level of those by Roach and Burrell and ultimately serve as filler on an intriguing, and engaging, album of solo New Orleans piano.

I purchased my copy of this.