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SONG STYLIST WHO KEPT EXCELLENT COMPANY

Barry McCanna | Normandy, France | 12/04/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Red McKenzie began in the early twenties as leader of a novelty trio, the Mound City Blowers, in which he played comb and paper. Despite the novelty nature of his playing (or perhaps because of it) he roped in some illustrious musicians for a number of sessions around the end of the decade, by which time he'd also progressed to supplying the vocals.



Things were fairly quiet during the depression years, but picked up in 1935, when this compilation begins. His Rhythm Kings then featured trumpeter Eddie Farley and trombonist Mike Riley, and his later backing groups included variously Bunny Berigan, Jonah Jones, Adrian Rollini, and Carmen Mastren. Their choice of material was popular songs of the day, which suited Red's singing style, which has been described as plummy, but which has prissy overtones in his enunciation of the lyrics.



His voice is not everyone's cup of tea, but that is to ignore the quality of his delivery. In other words, he was one of those song stylists whose work repays repeated listening. Just as a matter of interest, he takes the vocal on "I Can't Get Started", with Berigan's accompaniment, four months before the latter made that song his own."