What Is This Thing Called Love? is a first class recording by some of the finest musicians playing traditional jazz in New Orleans or anywhere else today, for that matter. Trumpeter and leader Duke Heitger, Bob Havens, trombone, Evan Christopher, reeds, Steve Pistorius, piano, Kerry Lewis, bass, and one very welcome young newcomer, drummer Michael Waskiewicz manage to achieve their own individual sounds within their familiar format.

The tunes are for the most part well-known. Along with the title number, they include such evergreens as “Somebody Stole My Gal,” “Indian Summer,” “Stars Fell on Alabama” and “These Foolish Things.” They also include three Jelly Roll Morton tunes: “King Porter Stomp,” “Jelly Roll Blues,” and the less often heard “Swingin’ the Elks.” They do a version of “Orange Blossom Rag” that gives Evan Christopher a chance to extend his well known versatility a bit further than usual.

Leader Duke Heitger and pianist Steve Pistorius are good examples of musicians who are usually associated with very familiar styles—Louis Armstrong for Heitger, Jelly Roll Morton for Pistorius—but who show us here how far they have advanced personally. Yes, there is a great deal of easily identifiable Louis influence in Duke Heitger’s playing, but this is no slavish imitation.

Armstrong phrases are the building blocks upon which Duke has fashioned a style of his own. He never dominates the ensembles as Armstrong would have done, and he is a superlative band musician as well as an exciting soloist. His hot ensemble playing is especially noteworthy on the opening cut, “Swingin’ the Elks,” and the closer, “Blues My Naughty Sweety Gives To Me.” Pistorius has chosen an obscure Fats Waller tune, “Where Were You On The Night of June Third?” as his major showcase offering but this is not Fats Waller or Jelly Roll Morton music—it’s pure Pistorius, as is most of his playing on this disc. Similarly, Bob Havens has never been accused of being anything but an original, and his performance here certainly deserves the extra billing that it gets. If as a trad fan you consider this CD and ask yourself if there’s a good reason to add still another example of these guys to your collection, the answer is definitely positive. Virtually all of the music here is too good to miss.