You've Got to Hear It To Believe It, Vol. 1

AMG Review of You've Got to Hear It To Believe It, Vol. 1

Scott Yanow
All Music Guide

The Dukes of Dixieland recorded many albums for Audio Fidelity during 1956-60; this was their first for the label. Oddly enough, the exact same album title and lineup of songs was used for a 1958 "remake" album recorded in stereo, but the music is completely different. The 1956 version of the Dukes had trumpeter Frank Assunto, his brother Fred on trombone, his father Jac on second trombone and banjo, clarinetist Harold Cooper, pianist Stanley Mendelson, Bill Porter on tuba and bass, and drummer John Edwards. Unlike most of the Dukes' Audio Fidelity releases, this LP does not have a particular subject or gimmick tying together the repertoire. The band simply plays a set of Dixieland standards, with the only obscurities being "Down Yonder" and "Alabama Jubilee." The leader's trumpet solos are, as usual, the strongest aspect of the spirited Dixieland set, which includes such numbers as "South Rampart Street Parade," "Farewell Blues," "Clarinet Marmalade" and "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street."