Hardly known outside of a small Jazz coterie, this small band contrived to create an ensemble effect much like the Fletcher Henderson outfit. Charlie Johnson played at Small's Paradise Club in Harlem on and off from approximately the mid-twenties to mid-thirties. The Boy In The Boat shows some beautifully-controlled muted work by Sidney de Paris; Walk That Thing gives a representative trombone solo from Jimmy Harrison. Ben Whittet (clarinet) and George Washington produce some delightfully lazy solo work on Hot Bones and Rice, whilst Sidney de Paris creates an Ellingtonian Cootie Williams growl solo which might be mistaken for the great trumpet man. Throughout there is a Clarence Williams overall sound which is probably due in part to the presence of that fine tuba player Cyrus St. Clair in the first two titles, and Billy Taylor in the second. This might be cited as some of the best recorded Harlem Jazz of the late twenties.
Taken from the book Recorded Jazz: A Critical Guide by Rex Harris and Brian Rust.