Search - Lilette Jenkins :: Music of Lil Hardin Armstrong

Lillette Jenkins' tip of the hat to Lil Armstrong

Bomojaz | South Central PA, USA | 08/15/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Lillette Jenkins is an old-time piano player, playing in a barrelhouse style on up-tempo numbers and in a rolling blues style on the downhome tunes. One tune, LIL'S BOOGIE, is a solo feature and she takes this boogie way up and tears it up with her pounding left hand - real nice! On the last half-dozen titles she sings; she has a deep, somewhat nasal voice and has a special affinity for downhome blues such as EVERYTHING'S WRONG, NOTHING'S RIGHT and BROWN GAL. She's okay on quicker tunes, but Lil Armstrong sang much more smoothly (and sexily) than Ms. Jenkins. Buddy Tate is in the band and his playing is especially good, particularly on BORN TO SWING and BROWN GAL. Bob Wilber is present on just about all the selections and plays great soprano sax on MY HEART and HI DE HO MAN among others. Other band members who add greatly to the proceedings include Glenn Zottola, Doc Cheatham, Dan Barrett, Howard Alden, and reedman Andy Sarpilla. The music, of course, is all associated with Lil Armstrong, and Lillette and the band really do it up well. It's swinging, happy music for the most part - great fun for everyone."