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Turk Murphy's vigorous, Kid Ory-influenced trombone was one of the brightest components of the traditional jazz revival that began in California in the 1940s. Murphy played regularly in Lu Watter's Yerba Buena Band and continued his devotion to the tradition when he started his own group. This CD documents the first three years of that band's existence, from 1949 to 1952, with regulars including the precise trumpeter Bob Scobey and clarinetist Bill Napier. Together they pump some fresh blood into faithful renditions of traditional repertoire associated with Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton and Kid Oliver, as well as playing Murphy's own contributions to the idiom such as the spirited "Trombone Rag," which itself is now a staple of traditional bands.--Stuart Broomer