An excellent trad jazz trumpeter influenced by Louis Armstrong but having a sound of his own, Rod Mason has recorded quite a few worthwhile albums although little of his work is readily available in the United States. Mason, who has played dixieland-oriented music throughout his career, is the son of Frank "Pop" Mason who played drums with the Savannah Orchestra in England during 1928-31. Mason has performed with the who's who of British trad including Cy Laurie (1959), Monty Sunshine (1962-66), Acker Bilk (1970-71), the Dutch Swing College Band (mid-1980's) and Chris Barber (who appeared as a guest on one of Mason's records) but he is most notable as a bandleader. Phil Mason, who has headed a sextet called his Hot Five along with a new Savannah Orchestra, has worked extensively in Holland and Germany in addition to England and recorded as a leader (starting in 1974) for WAM, Black Lion, Jeton and Timeless. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi