The Jake Leg Jug Band – Hello Central
Green Bullet Records – 2023
12 tracks: 45 minutes
Hello Central is the eighth album from The Jake Leg Jug Band, a trio of UK musicians who, according to their website, play the authentic sounds of 1920s and 1930s America—jazz, blues, ragtime, and gospel—through songs of murder, betrayal, gambling, liquor, and redemption. All the songs on Hello Central are cover tunes, many easily recognizable even with the band’s unique arrangement twists.
The Jake Leg Jug Band’s current lineup includes: Duncan Wilcox, vocals and double bass; Liam Ward, vocals, harmonica, jug, washboard, kazoo, and saw; and the band’s newest recruit, Warren James, on vocals, guitar, and banjo. Joining the Jake Leg trio on Hello Central are: Alex Clarke on saxophone and clarinet, Andy Henderson on trumpet, and Richard Leach on trombone. All of these guys are outstanding musicians and their talent shines through on each and every track.
The album was recorded and produced by Richard Mason at RamBam Studios, located in Staffordshire. RamBam has worked closely with several artists under the Green Bullet label. According to Hello Central’s liner notes, the album is half a culmination of the new songs (they’ve) been playing live for a while, and half completely new songs to the set—including, for the first time, a harmonica instrumental tune and an a cappella gospel song.
Hello Central begins with a rousing rendition of W.C. Handy’s classic “St. Louis Blues,” which features a tango-style refrain midway through the song that’s fun and cool. The Mississippi Sheiks’ “Sales Tax” is another classic number that gets a fresh twist from the Jug Band. The brassy opening to “Someday You’ll Be Sorry” reminds you of all those great ragtime songs of the 1920s. The vocals on both “Someday…” and “Doctor Jazz” definitely take you back in time to the heyday of ragtime and bluesy jazz.
Originally written by Joe “King” Oliver in 1926, “Doctor Jazz” is one of the overall strongest songs on the album, and the band, with their guest artists, tear it up in a style reminiscent of Jelly Roll Morton, who popularized the song in the late 20s. The opening lyrics of “Doctor Jazz” are the basis for the album’s title, Hello Central.
Hello Central give me Doctor Jazz
He’s got what I need, I’ll say he has
When the world goes wrong and I’ve got the blues
He’s the guy who makes me put on both my dancin’ shoes
Mentioned in the liner notes, “Moses Smote the Water,” an a cappella gospel-influenced tune, and “Fox Chase,” with its masterful harmonica-only melody, are definitely worth a second, or third, listen. As is “Ella Speed,” the Lead Belly standard, a fast-tempo number with Warren James’s feverish banjo and Liam Ward’s equally mesmerizing kazoo that will keep your toes tapping long after the song ends.
Hello Central ends with “Gloryland,” a bluegrass-inspired gospel song highlighting what makes The Jake Leg Jug Band a truly unique and talented group of musicians.
And these gifted artists are just what the doctor ordered.
