Muskrat Ramble - Carling Family 1984 video free download

Muskrat Ramble - Carling Family 1984

During the Summer of 1984 this is one of the first recordings of The Carling family. Father Hans on cornet, Mother Aina on banjo with son Max (14) on clarinet, and with daughters Gerd (12) on piano and Gunhild (9) on trombone. The baritonplayer is Anders Holmberg from Malmö. He played with Hans back in the sixties in Coolings Jazzmen.

It would take another few months before youngest son Ulf (5) would be ready to play drums in public.

Hans is a fine cornetplayer but most amazing is how he had managed to learn his youngsters the New Orleans jazz approach at such an early age. Max has already obtained the skills to play a totally mature and interesting solo where Gunhild plays the basics of early trombone jazz.

Gerd is pumping the chords in a very effective way and together with mom Aina's banjo the rhythm becomes powerful and swinging

Muskrat Ramble, a composition by trombonist Kid Ory was recorded by Louis Armstrong's Hot Five on February 26 1926 in Chicago. This tune is probably the most representative tune of the Hot Five. I remember it to be the signature tune of the weekly French jazz radio show hosted by Hugh Panassie in the early fifties. Kid Ory's part of this recording became the standard for all trombonists who followed playing in this tradition. and... of course....Gunhild performed this as well...with great certainty and power.

All together, totally amazing. I'm glad I met veteran trombonist Spiegle Wilcox who introduced me to the music of the Carling family