BIG BAND BOOM; A NEW ARRANGEMENT FOR FORMER STRAY CAT.

Byline: Fred Shuster Daily News Music Writer

A big-band album reminiscent of '40s jump blues pioneers Cab Calloway and Louis Jordan in the top 30?

It happened for guitarist-singer Brian Setzer, the ex-Stray Cat whose 16-piece swing outfit is finally turning a profit after six years slogging around the country in two tour buses flying the Cocktail Nation flag.

``The Dirty Boogie,'' featuring the single ``Jump Jive an' Wail,'' the original 1958 version of which by Louis Prima currently fuels a Gap commercial, has climbed to No. 26 on the national album chart, just a few notches behind the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, whose theme song ``Zoot Suit Riot'' is a staple at rock radio.

``People told me I was crazy,'' Setzer said from his Santa Monica home. ``Club owners, managers, business people, record companies - all of them. But the fans kept coming, and that's what kept it alive all these years. And it just keeps growing.''

Setzer's orchestra, modeled on the big band sounds of Gene Krupa, Bobby Darin and Count Basie, features five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones and a rhythm section backing the leader's orange Eddie Cochran-style '59 Gretsch electric guitar.

``Back in '92, when we booked our first shows in Los Angeles, I didn't sell any advance tickets, and the clubs wanted to cancel the gigs,'' Setzer, 39, recalled. ``I told them, `No way. We'll play even if I have to pay the band out of my own pocket.' But somehow the shows sold out, and I was able to say, `See!' The band kept its head above water, and we got bigger and bigger. I guess we did it the old-fashioned way.''

Bigger and bigger

The orchestra started at the Roxy, moved up to the House of Blues and the Hollywood Palladium, and Saturday headlines the Greek Theatre for the second summer in a row.

``Even though we've been around six years, this is just the beginning,'' Setzer said. ``This is brand new.''

Other swing shows this week include Squirrel Nut Zippers tonight at the Palace and Royal Crown Revue opening for the Pretenders/B-52's bill at the Universal Amphitheatre tonight and Wednesday.

The 1996 cult film ``Swingers'' clearly set the stage for this retro revival. Part of the comedy was set at such lounges as the Derby in Los Feliz, long considered ground zero for the swing revival.

But despite the current popularity of the new big bands, some predict the trend will be fairly transient.

``It's something people really like at the moment,'' said Howard Krumholtz, music buyer for Tower in West Hollywood. ``The feeling I have is once the market gets flooded with bands doing this stuff, the sales will drop off. But the ones that were there first, the ones that made the initial impression, like Setzer's band and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, will probably do well for some time.''

In any case, there's still a hint of the Stray Cat about the Long Island-bred Setzer, who hasn't entirely turned his back on the popular '80s rockabilly band he fronted. He still wears the pompadour and even retools one of the trio's biggest hits, ``Rock This Town,'' on the new album.

``That song has turned into a classic,'' Setzer explained. ``It won't die, and I have to play it live. I figured since I'm gonna be playing it for the rest of my life, I'd get the best arrangement I could. It doesn't sound anything like the Stray Cats now. It's like I'm showing what I can do with the song.''

Setzer fan Terri Lindau caught the orchestra at the Greek last summer and calls it one of the most memorable shows she attended that year.

``It was totally exciting,'' said Lindau, 36, an administrative assistant who lives a few blocks from the Greek. ``He's a fabulous player, and the big band is just great. It was loads of fun. I hope he's able to develop the sound so he's not doing the same show year after year.''

For his part, Setzer says he would love to record a soundtrack next, possibly a remake of Duke Ellington's 1959 ``Anatomy of a Murder'' score, or a '50s film noir-style crime drama.

On the orchestra's third and current disc, ``The Dirty Boogie'' (Interscope), No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani duets with Setzer on the Leiber and Stoller-penned ``You're the Boss,'' originally sung by Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret for the ``Viva Las Vegas'' soundtrack.

``Americans like to throw things away,'' Setzer said. ``That's why all this American pop culture is thriving in Europe. They embrace it, and we throw it away. I mean, why is a '57 Chevy worth $40,000 today?''

Setzer, who co-arranges material with trombonist Mark Jones, said he constantly hears from fans who ask where this jump blues sound comes from.

``People hear it on the radio and ask, `What kind of music is this?' '' says Setzer, who has two kids. ``The guy on the job hears it and thinks it's great and goes out and buys it.''

Despite all the miles put on his silver tour buses, Setzer says he still gets a kick out of the road.

``I'm still kind of a road dog,'' he said. ``I really live for it. Especially with this band, because I can't tell you people's reactions when they hear this music. They just don't have big bands coming through their towns.''

THE FACTS

Who: Brian Setzer Orchestra.

Where: Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles.

When: 8 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets: $22.50 and $32.50.

Information: [phone].

Swinging sounds for the 1990s

Beside the Brian Setzer Orchestra, there are the groups making waves across the country with swing music.

SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS - The surprise hit of last year and the ones who landed swing music in MTV's Buzz Bin with their hit ``Hell,'' these seven North Carolinians play a quirky, Tin Pan Alley sort of swing that echoes Cab Calloway more than Glenn Miller. Their new album, ``Perennial Favorites,'' is in stores now.

ROYAL CROWN REVUE - This lively seven-piece is the hottest of the L.A. swing scene. Based on a classic, bluesy jump sound and Louis Armstrong-like gruffness, RCR has a new album coming out Aug. 24 to follow up their hit Warner Bros. debut, ``Mugzy's Move.''

CHERRY POPPIN' DADDIES - The band most responsible for bridging the gap between swing and ska music, this large Oregonian swing band relies heavily on horns, sped-up rhythms and pure machismo (hence the name). Young fans love them, which is why their independently released ``Zoot Suit Riot'' album has passed the 500,000 sales mark.

BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY - ``As seen in the movie `Swingers.' '' That's all that was needed to earn this L.A. outfit a major-label deal and large following. Its song ``You and Me and the Bottle Makes Three Tonight'' is right up there with Squirrel Nut Zippers' ``Hell'' as a '90s swing classic, and it exemplifies BBVD's boozy, loose, hepcat style.

- Cox News Service

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

Photo: (1--Cover--Color) SWING SHIFT

Brian Setzer leaves rock behind for success with the big-band sound

(2) no caption (Brian Setzer)

Box: Swinging sounds for the 1990s (See Text)