Adrian Cox - Club Croco (2025)

Having heard this self-same trio in fervent form at Swanage this year and with this album long mooted for release and now eventually here, it looked to be one to relish. But minus essential basic information (eg, no composer credits or explanatory notes), and with a playing time of only 33’46”, plus a striking cover design which bears no relation to its contents, this really is, yes, a case of less meaning less.

Cox, now resident in Sweden, has taken his mastery of the classic New Orleans Creole clarinet style all around the world. Indeed, he's presently underway on an extended European tour and will doubtless wow audiences over there much as he did at Swanage. He opens here with King Oliver's ‘New Orleans Stomp’ taken at a terrific lick, the playing impassioned, complex yet foot-tappingly attractive. His tone and attack evoke that of the great Albert Nicholas, his accompanists ‘in the pocket’ as they used to say.

This strong performance should have augured well for the rest of the album but not so; for the remaining interpretations, some like ‘The Pearls’ taken from Jelly Roll Morton's repertoire, are largely damped down, sedately melodic and tantalisingly short. Cox vocalises on two numbers and that's one more than I needed and New Zealander Boulton sings on another one. More like a taster than a definitive album, Cox's superior artistry needs a rather more comprehensive showcase than this.~By Peter Vacher