SQ Issue:
Winter 2002/3, Volume 13, Issue 1The Classic Big Band is: Saxes: Bob Dean, Dave Marvin, Bill Kotrba, Tom Conlon, Dave Magnuson;
Trumpets: Dan Odegaard, Dan Tetzlaff, Bab Hallquist, Cindy Stille; Trombones:
Steve Sopoci, Al Sweet, Dave Bray, Dave Dahlgren; Drums: Dic Reimer; Bass:
Donna Furst; Guitar: Al Closmore; Piano: Norm Herzog. The
Nostalgics (vocals): Pame Parker, Judy Olson, Reeves Cary, Joel Kleschold.This Twin Cities based big band covers
a lot of the more well known big band era songs as well as some lesser known gems.
You are going to find some really good songs and some very unmemorable ones when you put
this in your player.Let's start out with the good.
Claearly and by a wide margin, my favorite song on this CD is Take It. I
was not as familiar with this tune as several of the others on this CD and it is quite
good. The band is tight and really swings. Other songs I liked were the
vocal-less Mack the Knife, a nice take on a song usually reserved for the
crooners; On a Clear Day and Why Don't You Do Right, both nice covers of
more well known songs. The latter has Pam Parker on vocals.My second favorite tune is Dippermouth
Blues. It has the early hot jazz feel, with a quick tempo that really gets your
feet movin'. Speakin' of fast feet, Balboa and Shag dancers will tune it to Traffic
Jam which burns the floor at a ballistic 258 beats a minute.There are some lowlights to this CD,
though, that warrant mentioning. A lot of the vocals are very syrupy. It
really gives the collection a ballroom-style dance feel rather than swingin' tunes that we
all enjoy dancing to.The singers are capable but don't
swing. It is especially apparent on Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. The
Andrews Sisters (AS) should have been the last singers to ever record this because nobody
will duplicate what they've done and everybody will always be compared to this trio of
singers. The Nostalgics version is very straightforward (which seems to be typical
on recordings other than AS) and syrupy, and doesn't capture the spirit of the song with
the growls, swingin' accents and exceptional phrasing of the AS. However, if you are
just sitting back and listening to the songs rather than dancing, you may find you like
them more. But from a dance standpoint, which is where I'm coming from in my
reviews, ix-nay on the ocals-vay.Other tracks on the CD are Juke Box
Saturday Night, Elmer's Tune, I've Got You Under My Skin, Perfidia, Sleepy Lagoon,
Chattanooga Choo Choo, Just a Little Bit South of North Carolina, A Nightingale Sang in
Berkeley Square, All the Way, and a latiny version of Over the Rainbow.Overall, I'd change the title of the CD
to: "Swing It, Don't Sing It". Stick with the
instrumentals, they swing; the band is tight and the songs they picked are good.
Forutnately, there are enough instrumentals on this CD to make it worthwhile for your
library. I suggest picking this one up if only for the fabulous version of Take
It, which is now in regular rotation when I DJ events.
Bottom Line: To
buy or not to buy….. BUY THIS ONE!If
you do, here’s how: rcary82547@aol.com
