Cab Calloway, Are You Hep To The Jive?

Cab Calloway Reviewed by mity This CD is nothing but dance tracks. It rangers from the 100 bpm cut of “Minnie The Moocher,” to the blazing 392 bpm “Chant of the Jungle.” Unlike some of the older recordings, the sound is very clean. Milwaukee dancers might be able to recognize the inspiration for Swingamatics and other similar bands. The only draw back to the CD is that it is so popular that some of the songs are a bit over played (“Are You All Reet?,” “Are You Hep To The Jive?,” and of course “Minnie The Moocher”) , but it could be a compliment as well.

Mr. Rhythmist Goes to Town

Mora's Modern Rhythmists Reviewed by David White The Rhythmists have got rhythm! 21 tracks of fabulous Hot Jazz/Swing! I hadn't heard the majority of these tunes and they really inspire me to explore the Jazz of the early 30's. This band is really fast and energetic. Some lindy hoppers may have a little trouble keeping up, but the music really swings, so they won't care too much! It would be great to hear originals from this band in the future, in the spirit of the tunes on their current playlist. Fantastic! -   Additional comment by CCKitty- This is my favorite band to dance to. Their sound is very authentic, and many of their numbers are hot jazz, perfect for Balboa. This is, so far, my favorite CD of theirs.

Live at the Hollywood Palladium

Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra Reviewed by Kevin VanMeter Bill Elliott and his marvelous Swing Orchestra has proven again why he is the leading swing band in this country today. He has been voted Southern California's favorite swing band and for good reason. In front of nearly two thousand lindy hoppers at the world famous Hollywood Palladium, Bill is at his best in playing and singing compositions of his own such as "Strutting With Kate" to the return of the darling Mildred with "Mildred, Won't You Behave?" Bill's singing group, the Lucky Stars are featured more this time around and Mike, Johnny and Royce have such a wonderful blend along with the oh-so-talented, oh-so-gorgeous Cassie Miller.

Snake Oil Remedies for the Modern Condition

Jump Jones Reviewed by Lars Oodles of Blues, this disc has all that and more. Very good send ups of what have become neo-swing standards. Highlights of the album include "It should've Been Me" and "Kansas City". The mix of tempos should keep Lindy-Hoppers and East-Coasters both happy.

Wild, Cool & Swingin

Louis Prima & Keely Smith Reviewed by GotBooty I can't say enough good things about this 2 CD set! I've literally had these CD's in my car's CD player for well over a year now and I'm still not sick of them. I also don't know of anyone who has heard them and didn't like 'em. For the most part, the tempo is pretty fast... toe-tappin' fast, which would make dancing to the songs quite a work-out. Dancing or not, I can guarantee you'll love listening to songs like "Three Handed Woman", "John Ping Pong", "Closer to the Bone", and many, many more! If you haven't heard Louis and Keely before, do yourself a favor and get addicted with the CD set for under $20 :)

Red Light

Indigo Swing Reviewed by Lars / with a side-order of CCKitty Every time I listen to this new disc from Indigo Swing, I find more to like. A bit more Rock-a-billy than swing but a good disc overall. Lots of danceable tunes. Lindy tunes include Another Day in LA, Big Hair Mama and Red Light. CCK: It is dancable in a medium slow lindy kinda way. A little bit of the chuga-chugginess goes a loooong way. I prefered this CD as a learning tool for slower lindy.

An Anthology of Big Band Swing

Decca Compilation of Artists Reviewed by mity I am usually wary of compilations. They tend to give you the same songs that are good, but are either overplayed or you already have them. This one is different. Yes, you do get “Savoy”, “One O'Clock Jump”, etc. However, the CD is also full of artists that I have not heard of before I bought this CD. Thus it accomplishes two things, a) the whole CD (actually its 2 CDs) is full of good old fashion swing music, b) it gives you a starting point from which you could explore the artists of the swing era.

Live at the 9:20 Special

Barbara Morrison Reviewed by mity This is another live CD. Is was recorded at a dance venue in SF. I have heard her sing in person and she sounds exactly like she does on this CD. As usually you get nice audience repartee on some of the songs. I highly recommend this one. My favorite tracks are: “Alright, OK, You Win/Everday (I Have the... “ , “I Love Being Here With You “ and “Going to Chicago “. However, all of the songs are very danceable and pleasant to listen to as well.

The Complete Decca Recordings, Count Basie

Count Basie Reviewed by mity This is a good sampling of the Count Basie’s music, and what lindy hopper doesn’t love Count Basie? You get 3 CDs full of his classics. So if you want to have the best of Basie, but don’t want to buy lots of CDs and burn compilations. This is the one you have been looking for. There are only 5 songs on this whole set that would be too slow to play! Buy, buy, buy!

The Blanton-Webster Band, Duke Ellington

The Blanton-Webster Band, Duke Ellington Reviewed by mity This 3 CD compilation has all of Duke’s records from his peak years ( 1939-1942). There are many slow blues numbers, but most are quite danceable. Included are “Take the A Train” (165 bpm), “In a Mellow tone” (130 bpm), “The C Jam Blues” (175), and many others. This is a good addition to any jazz lover collection, and for the dancers as well. If you do not want to spend a lot of time gathering best of Duke Ellington, then I would strongly recommend this one.

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