Search - Sweet Emma Barrett, Bell Gal & Her Dixieland Boys :: New Orleans: The Living Legends

Essential CD for all New Orleans jazz fans and collectors!!!

aaron | 10/10/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sweet Emma Barrett was little known until this LP was released in 1961, she previously played piano in Oscar "Papa" Celestin's Original Tuxedo Jazz Orchestra, and Sam Morgan's Jazz Band in the 20's in New Orleans. Sweet Emma played piano in many other various New Orleans and traditional jazz bands in new Orleans in the 20's. 30's, 40's, and 50's. She always played with garters on, with bells hanging on the garters, so when she palyed you could hear her jungle(that's how she picked up her nickname "The Ball Lady") Sweet Emma is in fine form(playing piano and singing) as well as her awesome backup group(consisting of the future members of The Preservation Hall Jazz Band). This music is hard swinging New Orleans jazz at it's best. After the release of this popular LP in 61, Sweet Emma went on a world tour and remained actine into the 70's with her new found popularity. This CD belongs in every New Orleans jazz collectors music library. Highly recomended!!!"

Best hall band of all time

R. Barics | SF Bay Area | 10/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"by far the best of any preserveation hall band that has ever been recorded. willie and percy humprey, jim robinson, mcneil breux, cie frazier, sweet emma, emmanuel sayles. i have the original record and am still buying the cd - and will probably buy a few copies to give out to those uniniated. this music is pure and the real deal - a true representation of the big easy."

The real deal

R. B. Wise | WV, formerly NOLA | 06/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I remember Sweet Emma from my first trip to Preservation Hall in the late 1960s. The beanie she wore kind of threw me off, but man, she could play piano with a band. Willie Humphrey on clarinet, another favorite, makes the ensemble even better for me. This is not slicked down, tailored for the commercial market, just a good trad jazz band of old-timers making music the way they always had."