Dardanella Jim Cullum
  • 17 years ago
Dardanella played by the fabulous Jim Cullum Band from San Antonio Texas. I consider Jim and his band the very best in its field. Today, some 21 years later, in 2007 with almost completely changed personnel (Howard Elkins, I think, is still with Jim) Jim is still on top of the scene.
Check his website ( http://www.riverwalkjazz.org/ ) and you’ll find out soon why that is.

In 1986 our Climax Jazz Band was invited to a jazz festival in Friday Harbor, the small town on one of the San Juan Islands, just off the coast of Washington State. In one of our sets we were preceded by Jim Cullum's Jazz Band from San Antonio, Texas. I had heard this band before but this was the first time I had a chance to enjoy the full impact of Jim and his superb band.
I also had just bought one of these (then) big Sony video8 cameras and was able to record most of Jim's set. I remember to be really taken by the band's skills, talent, jazz feeling, a band totally honest, nothing phony, a band that just played very hot and in the idiom.
These cassettes have been on the shelf for more than 20 years.
In an email exchange I recently had with Don Mopsick, Jim's bassist and webmaster, he mentioned that Jim would like me to put some of the band's music on Youtube and Dailymotion..
Although not perfect in video quality, as a team of camera men/sound men could have managed, I feel that the spirit that comes through in this session prevails over anything that is planned and organized beforehand.
Jim Cullum cornet, Allan Vache clarinet, Randy Reinhart trombone, John Sheridan piano, Howard Elkins banjo. Jack Wyatt bass ad Ed Torres drums.