Album Review: Live at Birdland from the High Society New Orleans Jazz Band

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Album:  Live at Birdland 
Artist:  High Society New Orleans Jazz Band
Label:  Turtle Bay Records
Release Date:  September 18, 2025
Website:  https://www.conalfowkes.com

Invoking merriment and laughter from beginning to end, the High Society New Orleans Jazz Band poured it on thick and steadfast during their live shows at Birdland Jazz Club in Manhattan.  Recorded during their performances on August 22 and 29, 2024 for Live at Birdland, their production is released by Turtle Bay Records.  From Dixieland jazz to ragtime, and from Tin Pan Alley swing to vaudeville showtunes, the band demonstrates the high octane of Jelly Roll Morton, the crisp synchronicity of Bix Beiderbecke, and the buoyancy and vigorous improvising on a melody reflective of Louis Armstrong.  Co-led by  Conal Fowkes on piano and Simon Wettenhall on trumpet and occasional vocals, the band is filled out by Kevin Dorn on drums, Josh Dunn on banjo and guitar, Harvey Tibbs on trombone, Tom Abbott on clarinet, and Brian Nalepka on bass and occasional vocals.   

The septet keeps the party jumping with their keen sense of timing and sprightly harmonies from the Charleston-driving rhythm of "Here Comes the Hot Tamale Man," enticing revelry with Dunn’s jamming banjo, to the smoky Creole-soul-blues atmosphere of "Dallas Blues," shaped by the acrobatic solos of Tibbs's trombone and Abbott's clarinet.  “Shreveport Stomp” showcases the band's youthful shuffle, suspended up by swirling horns, Nalepka's strutting bass, and Dorn’s pumping drumbeats, as Fowkes's pulsating keys and Dunn's trembling ukulele strings spruce up the festive mood.   Flexing a Latin swagger in "“Say Si Si,” the band soaks up the balmy influence, finessing the element into their jangling fare, and then wrapping up the set with the zinger “When I Leave The World Behind,” an Irving Berlin gem. The tune is sung by Nalepka with his grit-rich vocals coasting comfortably across the flashy banter among the musicians, protracting a fun, frolicking atmosphere. 

Though their sound and energy honors the music played by New Orleans musicians back in the 1920's, High Society New Orleans Jazz Band offers much more than note-for-note recreations.  They input their own imaginative impulses and spontaneous fervor, creating a collective immersed in the stimulating interplay and banter.

Musicians:
Conal Fowkes - piano
Simon Wettenhall - trumpet and vocals 
Kevin Dorn - drums
Josh Dunn - banjo and guitar
Harvey Tibbs - trombone 
Tom Abbott - clarinet 
Brian Nalepka - bass and vocals 

Social Media Links:
IG: @highsocietynojb
IG: @conalfowkes
YouTube: @turtlebayrecords9686
IG: @turtlebayrecords 
WATCH: Live at Birdland: https://bit.ly/BirdlandLive-June25

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