 This is a band whose history merits a tribute of its own. It was started in 1949 by the two sons of Jac Assunto, one of the first New Orleans Jazzmen. It recorded with Louis Armstrong on several occasions in the late 1950s and early 1960s when Dixieland was a more popular style than it presently is, and since then it has remained a regular attraction on Bourbon Street. The Dukes are the oldest continually performing Jazz ensemble from New Orleans, yet they are hardly a nostalgia group, situated slightly closer to Lester Bowie's New Orleans-heavy ensembles than Pete Fountain's drivel. While some of this album's cuts sound like only minor revisions of Beiderbecke's music, songs like "Borneo Bay" owe as much to the rhythmic second line tradition of Professor Longhair's New Orleans. The same tune also showcases how Beiderbecke helped move Jazz from being flashy street music toward a more cognitive, intimate form of expression. It's rare to hear Dixieland bands reach beyond their golden era, as this group does. No doubt such openness to post-Bix developments accounts for the band's longevity. Jazz novices who can't get past the tinny sound and scratches of original Bix recordings might want to snag this disc for an idea of what was important in his--and his era's--music.
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