This recording was issued in conjunction with an upcoming European tour by Lars Edegran’s Palm Court Jazz All Stars. Hello Dolly represents the third in a series of CDs released under that moniker and in similar fashion. The target audiences were naturally the loyal fans of New Orleans traditional jazz from “across the pond.”

Thus, there are no real surprises here though the cast of characters is stellar. It includes New Orleans residents and natives coming from several generations, with Edegran on piano and guitar, vocalist/trumpeter Gregg Stafford, trombonist/vocalist Robert Harris, vocalist Topsy Chapman, cornetist Kevin Louis, bassist Richard Moten and drummer Jason Marsalis. Clarinetist and saxophonist Sammy Rimington, a native of England and frequent visitor to New Orleans and especially to the Palm Court Jazz Cafe, is highly featured on both instruments throughout the program. His horn weaves well among the group.

Though Louis Armstrong’s version of “Hello, Dolly!” won a Grammy in 1965, among classic jazz aficionados it is considered a step away from his real art into commercialism. It’s not the best song here either. Chapman, who sings the album’s title cut, fares better on the bluesy “Trouble in Mind.” The slower songs like “Moonlight Bay,” on which Stafford vocally reaches deep into old-school, seem to fare the best in the repertoire.

It is unfortunate and surprising that no credits are given to the composers of any of the classic tunes that fill the album. It’s important that the writers’ names be remembered along with their music.