John Skillman

John Skillman's Barb City Stompers - Dekalb Blues (Delmark)

Source: Master of a Small House
May 23, 2010

Based in DeKalb, Illinois, the birth-place of barbed wire, John Skillman's jazz quintet operates just a figurative hop, skip and jump from Delmark HQ That geographical proximity explains, in part, producer Bob Koester's close affinity for their efforts. The other, even more immediate, explanation rests in the ensemble's populist blend of Hot, Trad and Swing jazz styles. Clarinetist John Skillman, the leader of the crew, takes his instrumental cues directly from Crescent City doyens like Edmund Hall and Johnny Dodds. ...
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