Sidney Bechet is undoubtedly one of the inspirational players in jazz. He is also a man who had a no-nonsense approach to those wishing to control jazz music and was one of those who broke the US musicians' embargo in the 1940s so I have a lot of respect for him. His playing both of clarinet and straight soprano sax is technically superb and there is often a touch of humour, not only in the pieces he chooses but his interpretation of standards often feels like he is quietly playing with tongue firmly in cheek.  Mr Bechet was not one to mess with - he was convicted of assaulting a woman and deported from the UK in  1922. He played with many New Orleans Ensembles and used techniques such as varying melodies, using glisando and altering the syncopation and he played with Bunk Johnson and King Oliver, amongst others.  

Club du Vieux Colombier is released on Milan Records. Club Colombier was a jazz club  in St Germaine-des-praise, Paris and was open from 1949 until 1960. Here, the recordings are of Sidney with Claude Luter and his orchestra.

Most of the tracks are light and fluffy , typical of the music popular in France at the time. Easy on the ear and almost frivolous in their carefree delivery. Moulin a Cafe (Bechet) is dancy, slightly crazy with a  well honed textured delivery typical of Bechet - sudden thrusts of aggressive , decisive play interspersed with careful, almost pulled back interludes. This is followed by Sobbin' and Crying (Bechet) which is almost funereal in its rhythm and the delightful tremulo gives the distinct New Orleans feel to this track. The way Bechet arcs up to a note is quite distinctive and something he does almost to the point of annoyance.  

Les Ognions  is just too jolly for words, fast, slightly furious but never quite engaging, with its timed pauses and the piano solo almost disappears in this recording, which is a shame. The trumpet solo almost rescues it - but not quite. Buddy Bolden Story ( J.R.Morton) is respectfully reflective of the style of Bolden - and more poignant when you realise it was written by Mr (Jelly Roll) Morton who, whilst at one time putting himself forward as the first recording artist of jass ( later to become jazz) music, clearly acknowledges the debt to Bolden here. Bolden's life is surrounded by mystery and myths due to his behaviour as he was schizophrenic but before his illness his style was loud, brash and he used improvisation a lot. There are those who recorded they remember making cylinder recordings with Bolden but sadly none exist today. The track here is slightly dirgy but has that edge to it which, knowing Bolden's life, you can imagine him playing. A nice touch of using the cornet rather than a trumpet, as the cornet was Bolden's instrument.

Viper Map (Bechet) is dancy, and very NOLA in style. Frankie and Johnny (trad)  is slower, lilting and flows like silk from Bechet's illustrious hands. The track holds a particularly sweet piano solo. Dippermouth Blues ( Oliver, Armstrong, Melrose) is a really good track with lots of texture and strong structure, with trumpet highlighted, as you might expect when it was co-written by Louis Armstrong.  Au Clair Du La Lune (trad. Arranged by Bechet) is fine and dandy, delivered with flair and the main tune, familiar as it is, is packaged among some adroit solos form Christian Azi on trumpet and Bechet on soprano sax.

Porter's Love Song ((Johnson, Razaf) and Sydney's Wedding Day (Bechet) are both lovely little numbers with some great solo work and Francis Blues featuring Pierre Dervoux on trumpet is worth listening to simply for the slightly aggressive, forceful style of this underrated player. Bechet soars over the rest in the second half, making much of the blues lilt. 

I've Found a New Baby (Williams, Palmer) is a Charleston-esque number with flapping rhythms over which the soloists enter and take their leave. Fast, dextrous and the piano infuses a playful interlude. The speed is almost too much and the ear just keeps pace. What is interesting is how, even though the rhythm never actually slows, the use of glissando from both trumpet and soprano sax and clarinet mean at times the rhythm feels like it changes - yet it never does. Clever. Petit Fleur (Bechet) slows everything down and of course, was a track he made famous. Here it is delivered with clarity and the joy of this is that finally, there is real emotion in Bechet's expression. Each note is textured and grows, soars and fades as the song unfurls. Short but very sweet.

Dans Les Rues d'Antibes (Bechet) is marchy, starchy and delivered with a never-wavering rhythm. It is reminiscent of Bechet's grounding playing in marching bands and it is made to entertain, though not delight. There are moments when soloists emerge from the heavy structure to deliver just a few notes to lift the track but Old Fashioned Love ( Johnson, Mack) which is the final track on the album is made all the more sweet by the direness of this track. The closing track, however, is worth the wait. With the soaring soprano sax of Bechet over gentle, caressing undertones provided by the rest of the musicians, this is a lovely track. Changes in the rhythm and differing development of the notes create texture which is welcomed with open ears and as the track progresses the sheer genius of the player is revealed.     

This CD is interesting in that it captures an essential period of Bechet's playing and it also shows how many of his pieces were delivered in the same style. This CD perhaps does not show Bechet at his teetering on the genius side, slightly left of the field best. It shows him as a  superb player with technical brilliance and blisteringly fast fingering. There are definitely moments -moments when you hold your breath because the emotion in the delivery is wonderful and you cannot but be engaged but at other times, the delivery is slightly staid and just too technical. Very New Orleans, very classy, very Bechet but still something lacks, something which has maybe been lost in translation. Maybe due to the recording but I found it did not deliver the music I was expecting and hoped for from this  beautiful, complex and brilliant musician. He did however surround himself with great talent including Claude Luter - a trumpet player who switched to clarinet and soprano sax ( here he plays clarinet) and he played with Barney Biggard as well as Bechet,  and Pierre Dervaux who was a stalwart of Bechet's Blue Note Jazzmen along with the interesting scientist and trombone player Mowgli Jospin  who had played with Oscar Peterson and Duke Ellington and it is worth listening for their solos.

Personnel: 

Pierre Dervaux ( cornet)         

Claude Phillippe (banjo)

Mowgli Jospin ( trombone)

Claude Luter (clarinet)

Sidney Bechet (sop sax, clarinet)

Christian Azzi ( piano)

Roland Bianchini ( bass)

Fancois Galepides (drums)