Swingadelic Bluesville

Swingadelic
Bluesville
Zoho Music ZM 202008

It has been about three years when I reviewed "Mercerville," by the swing little big band, Swingadelic. Swingadelic was formed in 1998 when the neo-swing movement was cresting. Bassist Dave Post gathered his jazz & blues playing friends together to play engagements at various New York City venues. About that recording, I concluded, "Dancers and listeners will find much to enjoy in this lively, appealing recording."

In his notes for "Bluesville," Dave Post observes, "'The blues' has a lot of different meanings to a lot of different folks. Are they the acoustic blues of Bukka White, the electric blues of Muddy Waters, or the sophisticated sounds of Count Basie, Duke Ellington or Ray Charles? It could be more like a state of mind, like the mood and atmosphere created by Red Garland's beautifully mellow LP 'Red In Bluesville.'"

He further states, "Here's a collection of tunes we do at concerts and dances, in bands both large and small, all of which evoke a blues attitude. Jazz people often call us a blues band, and Blues people will call us a jazz band. It's a mixed up, nebulous world we inhabit, and I wouldn't have it any other way." Post is the only person on every selection here. The collective personnel on this recording includes Dave Post, bass; Colby Inzer, drums; Jimmy Coleman, drums; John Bauers, piano & vocals; Mitch Woods, piano & vocals; Kyle Koehler, Hammond B3 organ; John Martin, trumpet; Bryan Davis, trumpet; Carlos Francis, trumpet; Robert Edwards, trombone; Alex Jeun, trombone; Neal Pawley, trombone & vocals; Audrey Welber, alto sax; Ken Robinson, alto sax & flute; Michael Weisberger, tenor sax; Bill Easley, tenor sax; John DiSanto, baritone sax & piccolo; Vanessa Perea, vocals; Andy Riedel, guitar & vocals; Boo Reiners, guitar; and Joe Taino, guitar. Most of the tracks have a little big band, one a piano quartet, and a few with a full big band.

Performances of "The Late, Late Show" from Basie's Atomic Basie band bookend twelve other performances. The opening performance has pianist Bauers very capable vocal along with Bryan Davis' blistering trumpet. At the same time, the closing instrumental version spotlights Bauers on the piano and Mike "The Iceberg" Weisberger on tenor sax. One of the best selections is trombonist Neal Pawley channeling Mose Allison on his vocal before a booting sax solo from former Ruth Brown saxophonist Bill Easley. Organist Kyle Koehler is outstanding here as an accompanist and soloist with the horns riffing in support. Johnny Otis' hit recording of "Harlem Nocturne" will be evoked by the performance here with Audrey Welber's vibrato lending her also sax a bluesy quality which is matched by Boo Reiners keen lap steel guitar.

Pianist Jon Bauers handles the vocals on a couple of Ray Charles classics, "Mary Ann,' and "Lonely Avenue." Alex Jeun is sensational on the trombone on the former song. There is a charming vocal by Vanessa Perea on the Mary Lou Williams' ballad, "What's Your Story, Morning Glory," that was initially recorded by Andy Kirk with Pha Terrell on vocal. Inspiration for this performance is an Ella Fitzgerald recording, with a terrific tenor sax solo from Michael Weisberger. Mitch Woods guests with his boogie inflected piano on a cover of Mose Allison's "Parchman Farm," with Andy Riedel adding his guitar.

Dave Post contributed an original, "El Blues Esa Muje," which he cites Cal Tjader and Quincy Jones as inspirations. There is some sparkling guitar from Joe Taino and robust trombone from Alex Jeun along with a bass break by the composer who contributed the arrangement with its infectious use of flute. Perea returns for a rendition of "I Don't Know," a Brook Benton composed blues that Ruth Brown first recorded. Against an arrangement with effective use of muted brass and braying saxophones, she delivers a superlative vocal. Carlos Francis takes an outstanding trumpet solo employing a plunger mute.

Among other pleasures is a cover of Charles Brown's "Fool Paradise," with vocalist Bauers with Ken Robinson's bluesy alto sax solo and Robert Edwards gutbucket trombone solo. The rendition of Duke Ellington's "The Mooche," includes more muted brass (including Carlos Francis channeling rubber Miley with the plunger mute) along with Boo Reiners intriguing steel guitar. With excellent playing, first-rate arrangements, and very capable singing, "Bluesville" is a terrific recording centered on the intersection of blues and jazz.

I received a review copy from a publicist. Here is an older video of Swingadelic performing "I Want a Little Girl."

Swingadelic Visits Mercerville

Swingadelic
Mercerville
Zoho Music

The self-described 'little big band' Swingadelic was formed in 1998 during the neo-swing movement was cresting when bassist Dave Post gathered his jazz & blues playing friends together to play engagements at various New York City venues, and when the swing scene waned the band stayed active playing swing dance groups, concerts, festivals, schools and private engagements and today plays 100 dates a year. This new album is a tribute to the legendary songwriter Johnny Mercer. Previously Swingadelic has recorded tributes to Duke Pearson and Allen Toussaint.

Pianist and vocalist Johnny Bauers traces the origin of the present recording to the work he did for a Mercer show during the 2009 centenary of him. Subsequently he brought this concept to Swingadelic's Dave Post, and enlisted Vanessa Perea, the sublime vocalist featured on this recording and we started doing shows all over the New York area. During these shows, they told the story of Johnny’s life and the stories of his songs, striking a chord with our audiences. According to Bauers, "[t]his CD is an attempt to recreate some of that magic we feel when we go onstage and perform this great music."

As my first exposure to Swingadelic, I was surprised and impressed by the band's solid musicianship and the focused performances of such familiar numbers as "Too Marvelous For Words," "Blues in the Night," "That Old Black Magic," "I Wanna Be Around," "Jeepers Creepers," "Moon River/The Days of Wine and Roses," "G.I. Jive," and "One For The Road." This set kicks off with "Too Marvelous For Words," where the band punchy, brassy playing grabs the listener. Johnny Bauers is a decent singer, but vocally the star here is Vanessa Perea whose timing, intonation and relaxed phrasing shines. He does shine in a Louis Prima manner with his growl on "That Old Black Magic," and does a credible job crooning on the Tony Bennett hit, "I Wanna Be Around."

The medley of two songs co-written with Henry Mancini, ""Moon River/The Days of Wine and Roses," opens with Panea's lovely, wistful treatment of the former number before Bauer's crooning of the latter number, but he cannot convey the humor present on Louis Jordan's hit on "G.I. Jive." Paul McCartney wanted to collaborate with Mercer in the 1970s but health issues prevented this from happening. The performance of "P.S I Love You" is a fascinating mash-up of the Beatles song with a Gordon Jenkins-Mercer collaboration of the same name.

A serviceable singer, Bauers' piano and his arrangements are first-rate and help account for the splendid playing throughout this recording. Also, there are a number of notable solos including those of guitarist George Naha on "Acc Cent Chu Ate the Positive" and "Blues in the Night," while John Disanto's baritone establishes the feel on "That Old Black Magic." Robert Edwards trombone enlivens "I Wanna Be Around" while Audrey Welber's clarinet is featured on "Goody Goody," and Michael Weisberger ably reprises Louis Jordan's alto sax solo on "G.I. Jive."

Dancers and listeners will find much to enjoy in this lively, appealing recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here Swingadelic perform a song that will be familiar from Bobby Darin.

swingadelic