It is nearly as much of a challenge to review a recording like this as it is for George Buck to issue it and expect to get his money back. This is music played and enjoyed by a small but fiercely loyal set of traditionalists: Musicians and fans for whom the New Orleans jazz revival of the ’40s, ’50s and’60s was truly the golden age.

That it is an international coterie is no surprise. A number of recent books and articles have pointed out that the most ardent fans at the time this music was most popular were not Americans, but Europeans and Asians who came to New Orleans and places such as Preservation Hall to literally sit at the feet of the masters. The band here, as its name, indicates is basically French, under the leadership of tenor sax player Jean Pierre Alessi, but the real stars on this recording are an American, cornetist Fred Vigorito from Connecticut, and the well known British clarinet and reed man Sammy Rimington.

None of these musicians are slavish imitators, but there is considerable variation in the degree of originality they can provide. Band leader Alessi is a devoted fan of a genuinely primitive New Orleans tenor sax man named Emanuel Paul. As the liner notes tell us, Alessi has worked hard to master his idol’s style. He has taken this road about as far as it can go, but sadly, that is really not very far at all. At the opposite end of the spectrum is cornetist Fred Vigorito. He may have started out as a Kid Thomas imitator, but he is anything but that now. He has added a good deal of Harlem style growl to his New Orleans interpretation, and the result is some of the best music to be heard here, both in his solos and what he brings to the ensembles. Sammy Rimington was the foremost George Lewis sound-alike when he started playing many decades ago and probably still is today, but he has added a lot more grace and color to his repertoire. He is largely in his George Lewis mode on this CD, but it is not because he is confined stylistically. It simply seems appropriate to this group.

The results are highly enjoyable interpretations of grand old favorites including “Ice Cream,” “Algiers Strut,” “Hindustan” and “Bill Bailey”—no attempt to break any new ground there—but with some genuine swinging that can take you by surprise when things get hot.