The Firecracker Jazz Band from Asheville, North Carolina, bears a remarkable resemblance to the Hollywood bunch that used to call themselves the Firehouse Five. What’s unsettling is the feeling that they really want to sound this way. They go so far as to actually use a fire alarm on one of their numbers, “Sweet Georgia Brown.” This provides the salutary function of drowning out the band for a few seconds, but unfortunately the terrible vocal on this cut is heard in its entirety.

After listening to these guys rickety tick their way through a dozen numbers, it soon becomes clear that they actually do know how to play, don’t take themselves seriously, and are enjoying themselves thoroughly. That doesn’t mean though, that as a listener I always share in the fun. I don’t mind them fooling around with such warhorses as “That’s A Plenty,” “Happy Feet,” “Sweet Sue” or a couple of originals that don’t do too much harm, but to take a genuine classic like Jelly Roll Morton’s “Black Bottom Stomp” and turn it into an object of ridicule is a bit much for a dedicated New Orleans jazz fan.

One stand out track is their performance of a trad tune called “Sleepy Head” that just doesn’t get played enough, but I couldn’t help but think of a marvelous version of this tune by our local Steamboat Willie and the Firecrackers’ charms once again paled.

If I happened to be in Asheville, a pretty nice town, I’d be sure to look up the Firecracker Jazz Band. I might not be carried away by their brilliance if I went to hear them play, but I’m willing to bet I’d have a good time. Who knows? If I tell them I’m from New Orleans and they don’t know about this review, they might even buy me a drink.