A LOT OF BRASS; BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY STILL IN THE SWIM AFTER SWING-REVIVAL TIDE GOES OUT.Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer The swing revival The Swing Revival was a 1990s and early 2000s-era period of renewed popular interest in swing and jump blues music from the 1930s and 1940s as exemplified by Louis Prima. Influential swing revival groups included Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, and The Brian almost buried Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is a contemporary swing band from southern California. Their notable singles include "Go Daddy-O" and "You and Me and the Bottle Makes Three Tonight". The band went from a regular Wednesday night gig at the Derby in Hollywood, playing for a few hundred people, . About four years ago, when the cult movie classic ``Swingers'' kicked off a frenzy for all things swing, the Ventura-based jump-jive band had already produced two homemade albums. Nevertheless, when the swing backlash inevitably began, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (BBVD BBVD Big Bad Voodoo Daddy ) was accused of bandwagon jumping, even though the seven-piece outfit had been honing its craft since 1989. ``We knew the backlash was coming,'' recalls BBVD founder Scotty Morris. ``Swing as a genre was getting bashed badly. We knew no matter what we did - whether our new album was going to be great or just typical - it would get pulverized pul·ver·ize v. pul·ver·ized, pul·ver·iz·ing, pul·ver·iz·es v.tr. 1. To pound, crush, or grind to a powder or dust. 2. To demolish. v.intr. . Only our true fans would stick with us.'' Actually, singer-songwriter Morris and company did a credible job of keeping the flame burning while moving the music forward on ``This Beautiful Life'' (Coolsville/Interscope), the follow-up to BBVD's million-selling self-titled Grammy-nominated debut. On the new disc, BBVD adds Latin rhythms (``I Wanna wan·na Informal 1. Contraction of want to: You wanna go now? 2. Contraction of want a: You wanna slice of pie? Be Like You),'' a lush ballad (``Sleep Tight'') and even a bluesy reading of the rarity ``Ol' MacDonald'' as popularized by Frank Sinatra. ``The buzz is building again,'' Morris said. ``But we never felt totally part of the whole new swing thing anyway. It was a little hard to swallow. I mean, you never imagine yourself being thrown into a position where your first (major label) record attracts so much attention. Looking back, the entire experience was bittersweet bittersweet, name for two unrelated plants, belonging to different families, both fall-fruiting woody vines sometimes cultivated for their decorative scarlet berries. . We'd been on the road six years, and our big breakthrough was actually our third album. ``Yeah, we hit the highest peaks. But when we got there, it was chicks on stilts This article is about the poles. For the type of bird, see stilt. For other uses, see Stilts (disambiguation). Stilts are poles, posts or pillars used to allow a person or structure to stand at a certain distance above the ground. wearing zoot suits zoot suits bizarre outfits with the “reet pleats” (1940s). [Am. Hist.: Sann, 275] See : Fads . When something is running out of control like that, there's nothing you can do about it.'' BBVD appears Dec. 20 at the House of Blues House of Blues (HOB) is a chain of music halls and restaurants founded in 1992 by Hard Rock Cafe founder Isaac Tigrett and his friend and investor Dan Aykroyd. It is a home for live music and southern-inspired cuisine, whose clubs celebrate African-American culture, specifically in West Hollywood West Hollywood A community of southern California northeast of Beverly Hills. It is mainly residential. Population: 36,600. and on New Year's Eve at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium's Fantasia fantasia (făntā`zhə) [Ital.,=fancy], musical composition not restricted to a formal design, but constructed freely in the manner of an improvisation. In the 16th and 17th cent. 2000 event with the London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre. History and Chicago. The foundation for the band that was to become BBVD was built by Morris 10 years ago. Soon after discovering he and drummer Kurt Sodergren shared similar musical tastes, both a friendship and a band were formed. The two then recruited charismatic string bassist Dirk Shumaker and baritone saxophonist Andy Rowley and immediately began gigging along the coast. Over time, the band evolved into the current seven-piece lineup, which also features Glen ``The Kid'' Marhevka on trumpet, Karl Hunter on tenor saxophone and Joshua Levy on piano. The band continued its relentless tour schedule, gradually building what was to become a fiercely loyal fan base for its swinging Cab Calloway/Louis Jordan sound. They launched a weekly residency in Hollywood at the Derby, which was immortalized in Doug Liman's hip ``Swingers.'' The low-budget art-house favorite earned a huge buzz, catapulting BBVD to national attention. The band appeared on the popular ``Swingers'' soundtrack, which featured tunes from Dean Martin, Tony Bennett and Bobby Darin along with three BBVD cuts. After completing their self-titled major label debut for Coolsville, BBVD hit the road, eventually seeing that high-spirited album take up residency in the Billboard chart for more than a year. Not only did the band play for President Clinton, they were the first group ever to play both the Orange Bowl and Super Bowl half-time telecasts after the release of just one major label record. ``What bugs me is, now that we've finally reached a night-after-night consistency, the press decides to be cruel,'' Morris said. ``And when it's time for the music awards, I wonder if they're going to give the Grammy to Britney Spears' choreographer or makeup person.'' On the new ``Beautiful Life'' album, BBVD recorded ``I Wanna Be Like You'' from the 1966 classic, ``The Jungle Book.'' Morris says the tune has been part of the band's live show for years. ``We originally thought it would make a cool B-side, but it came out so well, it made its way onto the record front and center,'' he said. ``It just makes you smile every time you hear it.'' Another new tune, ``Some Things,'' is a nod to the cool jazz sound of Gerry Mulligan and Dexter Gordon in the '50s and '60s. ``I had a very specific idea about this song,'' Morris says. ``I imagined Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers on one bandstand, the Count Basie Orchestra The Count Basie Orchestra was usually a big band of at least sixteen pieces. Sometimes, as in 1950, it shrank to an eight-piece orchestra. The orchestra, founded by William "Count" Basie, was really a series of bands that had many members come and go over a span of many years, from on the other and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in between. I'm very fond of this track.'' And the swinging Sinatra number closes the album. ``We were on the road when we lost Frank, and we were all very shaken,'' Morris said. ``We felt this tribute would be our small gesture of thanks for the lifetime of inspiration he provided us.'' The facts Who: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Blue Hawaiians. Where: House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. When: 9 p.m. Dec. 20. Tickets: $26. Information: (323) 848-5100. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: no caption (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy) |
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