Al

By Charles Layton

Back in my New Orleans days — this would be the 1970s — a couple of our local musicians used to drive the tourists wild with their renditions of Dixieland-style tunes. New Orleans was really proud of these guys.

Al Hirt knew how to play the trumpet with screaming abandon, then soften it down to a mellow sweetness, and then blaze forth again. Even during the most restrained passages, you could feel the hot fire burning just under the surface, ready to bust loose at any moment. The anticipation of that was always delicious.

Pete

Pete Fountain on clarinet was a master of those same musical dynamics. He could deliver wailing high notes like the old Dixieland guys, but then, just as often, come in with a solo in the lower register, played in a rich, woody tone. (His version of “Just a Closer Walk With Thee,” played in that register, sounded like music straight from Heaven.)

A lot of serious jazz fans looked down on these musicians, considered them corny, and although a part of me shared that sentiment, I still enjoyed their music. They were crowd pleasers and virtuosos.

Here are Hirt and Fountain playing in the same band, having fun with a jazz march, “The South Rampart Street Parade.”