The other night we went into town to see the Adrian Cox trio, who are touring their album Club Croco. The music was great, entirely devoted to the early days of New Orleans jazz. It ain’t easy making a living as a clarinetist, or a jazzman more generally, but Adrian Cox manages somehow. He’s a virtuoso player, a music historian, and a good storyteller.

But it was the guitarist who stole the show for me. Alexander “Honey” Boulton is all in. He dressed in vintage clothes, slicked his hair back, sat bolt upright, and played beautifully all night long. Not yet 30, he could have been in the band 80 years ago when a fight broke out over which door the Negro performers could use. From what we found on the web, it seems he found this music as a high schooler in small town New Zealand, moved overseas to the big city, got a job in a juke joint to make ends meet and listen to all the old guys play, and hasn’t looked back.

The show was great , and it was nice to chat with the band at the merch table. If they come to your town… check them out!