Arne Fogel and Maud
Hixson with the Wolverines Quintet – Let’s Not be Sensible!
2005 Arne Fogel and Maud Hixson
SQ Issue: Fall 2005, Volume 15, Issue 4
The Band:
Jazz!
Now we’re singin’ my tune! Small
combos rival my attention with big band and there is no better band than the Wolverines to
wet my dance appetite! The Twin Cities may
not know this but they have some of the best musicians in the country. And the best have been assemble for Let’s
Not be Sensible! Rick Carlson on piano is
the genuine spirit of Basie. Nothing is more
pleasurable than dancing to his solos, and you get that opportunity with CD. Not to be outdone, Doug Haining takes his turn
with the sax and clarinet and does not disappoint. The
rhythm section holds it all together with the exceptional time of drummer Jendeen Forberg,
the solid guitar of Kent Saunders and the most entertaining bass player, Steve Pikal. Pikal has the most danceable bass solos
you’ll find. It’s no wonder why. To see him live is to see a dancer wanting to
break out!
Take this wonderful band and add the
vocals of Fogel & Hixson and you get fantastic duets.
Both turn in great performances, blending their sounds to create pleasing
harmonies throughout. And each get their turn
taking the lead. Hixson gets to shine with a
nice tune called Rules of the Road. She
has a sweet, pleasing voice that gives you the feeling that she’s singing just to
you. Fogel takes on When I Take My Sugar
to Tea with an enthusiastic tempo, creating a fun, swingin’ version of this Nat
Cole tune.
This is a dancers CD. The beats per minute range from 106 to 218. They’ve done a great job of mixing popular
standards with lesser known songs. You’ll
recognize I Won’t Dance, Fascinating Rhythm, When I Take My Sugar to
Tea and at least part of the medley Let’s Not be Sensible/Call Me
Irresponsible. I really enjoy some of the
lesser known songs like How Do You Like Your Eggs in the Morning and How are You
Fixed for Love?.
It’s always a pleasure to review
a local CD of this caliber. It can stand up
with anything and it gives us a chance to boast, ’Yeah, I dance to them live all
the time.” If you don’t get
that chance, you need this CD in your library. If
you do get to dance to them live, you need to grab a copy of this at their next gig, so
you can pop it in your player anytime, anywhere!
Bottom
Line: To buy or not to buy….. BUY! Here’s how:
www.arnefogel.com or www.maudhixson.com.