When American musicians turn their hand to gypsy jazz, they often fall into one of two broad groups. There are those who strive to remove any trace of Le Rythme Américain from their playing, and there are those, like North Carolina’s One Leg Up, who unabashedly embrace their roots.
Their second recording, Père Lachaise, is infused with a swing as reminiscent of a town green gazebo as any café of Paris. From the opening chords of Daphne, with Daniel Coolik’s mandolin chunking out the rhythm, the mood is that of an era when friends and neighbors spent weekends making music together.
The sextet make their way through a collection of American standards (Them There Eyes, What Is This Thing Called Love?, I Can’t Give You Anything But Love), gypsy jazz classics (Anouman, Tchavolo Swing, Chez Jacquet-listed here as Chez Jacques), and one original (Coolik’s New Minor). High points include the wistful Anouman, with a wonderful clarinet lead from Mike Guzalak before the entrance of Jim Tanner’s stabbing electric guitar; Bud Powell’s Buster Rides Again (an ambitious and refreshing change of pace from the usual gypsy jazz repertoire); and Coolik’s New Minor, which finds the band pushing the beat in the best way-it seems as if doing a tune of their own frees the band from any inhibitions. Chez Jacques(t) is a fun take, featuring some nice unison work from guitarist John Stineman and mandolinist Coolik. Throughout, Steve Trismen’s violin keeps things anchored in the Hot Club tradition.
There are some less successful moments-Tchavolo Swing lacks the muscular attack the tune seems to call for, and the rhythm section lapses into stodginess now and again (as at the opening of the Kahn/Donaldson standard Clouds-things improve at the pickup); it isn’t helped by often being placed too high in the mix. Cary Fridley’s vocals, while not spectacular, get the job done. Her take on What Is This Thing-she turns it into something like a country holler-is a treat once you get past the surprise of it.
Like they say in their liner notes, the music they play is mostly “American jazz standards that were popularized in France. We now have them back, and the style’s popularity is growing in the US.” One Leg Up has indeed taken them back, and stamped them with their own American tinge.