Don't Walk Away From The Stove
reviewed by Scott Yanow
for L.A. Jazz Scene magazine, November, 2019

Back in the 1910s, string bands were popular. These units often played ragtime, folk songs, bluesy material, and pop songs. However due to the rise of jazz, the strings were mostly replaced by horns by the early 1920s. But what if that development did not happen and 1920s jazz used mandolins, banjos and guitars as lead instruments instead of cornet/trumpet, trombone and clarinet? 

It might have sounded a bit like the music on John Hasbrouck’s LP. Hasbrouck, who is mostly heard on mandolin but also occasionally plays guitar and banjo, utilizes several different units throughout the 15 songs on this album. Ranging from duets to a sextet but mostly using a trio or quartet, Hasbrouck is joined by other Chicago-based players on guitars, bass, banjo, and/or percussive instruments. They perform vintage standards (including Angry, Limehouse Blues, Mean To Me and If I Could Be With You along with a few lesser-known songs (Cold Mornin’ Shout, Chicago Tangle, Chinese Break Down and “Harrisburg Itch”). 

The quiet performances are gentle (even when taken up-tempo) and swing while often sounding unusual. How often does one hear a mandolin in jazz when it is not Gypsy Swing or touched by bluegrass? 

One can look at the enjoyable music on Don’t Walk Away From The Stove (a title that is not explained) as hints of a future that never arrived in jazz.