Bob Zurke - Honky Tonk Train Blues (CD)

All Music Guide

In 1939, pianist Bob Zurke formed a big band that recorded 30 selections during a ten-month period, and 28 songs (all but two vocals) are on this generous single CD. Although four veterans from the 1920s (trumpeters Chelsea Quealey and Sterling Bose, tenor saxophonist Larry Binyon, and drummer Stan King) were in the band, Zurke is the group's only significant soloist. Despite some excellent recordings (including "Southern Exposure," "Hobson Street Blues," "Honky Tonk Train Blues," "I've Found a New Baby," and a classic rendition of "Tea for Two"), the Bob Zurke Orchestra only lasted a year before breaking up, but its music still sounds swinging and lively today.

- Scott Yanow, All Music Guide