Search - Swing Session :: Swing Session

You Ain't Got a Thing If You Ain't Got This Swing

LuLu B | The Algonquin | 08/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I ordered a whole wad of neo-swing type music from Amazon within about 2 weeks & this was by far my favorite of the lot. It is very authentic sounding, yet still has its own flavor. The band does an excellent job with its cover material, my favorite being the "5 Months, 2 Weeks". I am a big Louie Prima fan & was hesitant to check out anyone else doing his material, but these boys do him proud. Their original stuff is just as good. I just ordered the Stompy Jones CD, which is this band's new incarnation, & it has 2 more Prima covers. This is an incredible, talented band & a treat to listen to. Buy this!! I enjoy them much more than hipster outfits like Royal Crown Revue (fun, but they try too hard with all that faux gangsterism) & Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (more fun, & a servicable cover of "Minnie the Moocher). Lavay Smith is wonderful; her voice is incredible & her band very very good, so buy both her CD's at once. She redlines the sass-o-meter & gets every gal in touch with her inner Miss Thing. I was lukewarm in my response to Lily Wilde, but that one's growing on me. She lacks Lavay's soulful range & flirts a bit with a Broadway musicalish delivery that turns me off a little. Keep it dirtier & you'll have it, Lily. By all means stay away from Johnny Favorite! He looks like his mobbed-up dad bought him a swing outfit to play with & while his voice is okay, his lyrics are extremely silly ("Rootbeer & licorice, 50 cents to spare, sometimes I swing all night, sometimes I wouldn't dare") and his arrangements are tired. He does have a cute cover of Led Zepplin's "Black Dog," but it doesn't touch Dread Zepplin nohow. There's a one-stop shopping list for y'all: Swing Session/Stompy Jones & Lavay Smith are at the top! Beyond that, go for the immortals like Billie, Ella, Ellington, & the big swing outfits. You won't be sorry."

Lindy Hopper's Delight!

T. Alexander | Seattle, WA USA | 10/03/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There's a great range of tempos here, with nothing incredibly fast. It's all danceable. And you can't help but move! Their authentic sound really rocks! My favorite songs aren't their covers, but their originals, like Baby's Boogie Woogie and Out West, written by their own Little David. Scotty's boogie woogie piano reminds me of the old greats, like Pete Johnson. I love going to see this band; whether I end up just hanging out and drinking with Pops & Scotty, or dancing the night away, they always make the evening memorable. I can't wait for their next album, Whispering Grass!"

Great music for dancing or listening! Everybody will love it

Ryan Harvey | Los Angeles, CA USA | 02/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Swing Session burst onto the swing scene right as one of the most popular of the small-group swing bands, Indigo Swing, was fading away. Swing Session quickly became THE band of choice for serious swing lovers and dancers, and they rocketed to the top of everybody's favorite band list. They deserve it. They play genuine swing of the 1940s, the kind of danceable, high-octane music performed by small groups during the big band era. This, their first album, is a great place to start in discovering this exciting group of superb musicians playing the most infectiously joyous music you will find anywhere.But this isn't just an album for swing dancers! Anyone who likes jazz and the roots of modern music, or just plain clean, old-fashioned peppy sounds, will absolutely adore this album. Please check it out-it just might turn you into a swing dancer as well.The back of the album advertises "EVERY CUT A GEM!" and for once, the advertising isn't kidding. These are twenty tracks of which everything is great. Many of the numbers are classics of the era, and the band fully does them justice: the instrumental "Spooks Holiday," the Louis Prima classic "5 months, 2 weeks, 2 days," a lesser-known but absolutely knock-out Prima piece called "Be Mine," the sexy but very danceable Louis Jordan tune, "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby," and the hard dancing instrumental "Drivin' & Jivin'."But the band also writes some great original tunes that perfectly fit the style of the classics: "Hardtack" (based on the noir movie "Out of the Past"), "Jump Little David" (named after the bass player), and one the real big gems of the album, "Last Night," a slow, fun, and soulful tale of an actual nightclub fire. Lead singer Pops really does a number of this one1The musicians all just stun with their abilities. Leader singer Peter "Pops" Walsh is a wonderful personality in his vocals (and he's a swell guy in person as well). He's backed up with drums, piano, trumpet, sax, and bass-and man, can Jeff "Erv" Ervin wail on the saxophone! These guys swing hard, and they love what they do, and you'll love what they do as well.(As a side note: the band recently changed their name to "Stompy Jones" for the release of their third album. Don't worry, though: it's still the exact same line-up of players playing the same wonderful 1940s swing!)If you love this-and you will-buy their equally great "Whispering Grass" and "Stompy Jones" albums. Look out for them in your town, especially if you live in California (they are a San Francisco-based outfit). They are party to see live! (And remember, they are now called "Stompy Jones.") SWING ON!"