At the Olympia Theatre, Paris, France - Nov. 6, 1957

The French public's insatiable appetite for traditional jazz has been around for nearly as long as the music itself, and is extremely well documented; they even named streets after Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet. Sounds of Yesteryear's 2004 release of a concert recording made at the Olympia Theatre in Paris on November 6, 1957 added a valuable chip to an expanding mosaic of historic European jazz recordings that continue to be pulled out of the woodwork and offered up for global distribution. Here swing trombonist and singer Jack Teagarden shares the stage with pianist Earl Hines & His All-Stars, largely composed of elements drawn from the house band at Eddie Condon's nightclub back in New York City. Trumpeter Max Kaminsky and reedman Peanuts Hucko share the front line with Mr. T, while bassist Jack Lesberg and drummer Cozy Cole flank Fatha Hines, sharing the spotlight and strutting their stuff before an appreciative audience. This fine album includes ballads and Dixieland standards (two versions of the "Royal Garden Blues"), a knockout rendition of Hines' "Boogie Woogie on St. Louis Blues," and more than eight minutes of "Mop Mop." It is recommended for housework, food preparation, freeway driving, shirking responsibilities, and cutting loose.