May 1997

Jim Beebe
A Sultry Serenade
Delmark Records

By Chuck Berg

Trombonist Jim Beebe is a Windy City mainstay whose "Chicago Jazz" band serves a deliciously traditional menu where ingredients from both New Orleans and Chicago mingle and merge. With cornetist Connie Jones, clarinetist John Otto, pianist Paul Asaro, bassist John Bany and drummer Johnie Faren, Beebe and friends jump start classics ranging from "This Joint Is Jumpin'" and "Canal St. Blues" to "Night Train." Adding to the foot-tapping fun is chanteuse Judi K who warms up the likes of "Blue Prelude." In all, a spirited outing delivered, as the old stock arrangements put it, "with feeling."