Search - Will Bradley :: It's Square But It Rocks

JUST PLAIN FUN - ANOTHER GREAT WILL BRADLEY CD

Arthur B. Cramer | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | 07/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you have been searching Amazon for CDs featuring Will Bradley and his orchestra, you may have come across my previous review of "Five O'clock Whistle" (Label: Aerospace Catalog: 7101). I thought that CD was just great and anxiously awaited the arrival of this new one.I was very, very happy with my decision. This CD features Will Bradley the Ballad Player. His effortless trombone is heard in "I Thought About You, Gotta Get Home", and "I Should Have Known You Years Ago". As you listen to Bradley, you get a real feeling for the musicianship and sensitive approach he took in playing a listenable and exciting ballad line. His sound is gentle and a little understated, and he soars above a band that knew how to play off of their leader's enjoyable and very danceable apporach to ballad playing. As a trombone player, I really like listening to a pretty sound, played by a polished, accomplished and inspired player. Bradley delivers here in spades.As for the rest of the album, there is plenty for Big Band Lovers. More great clarinet work from Jo-Jo Huffman, "Peanuts" Hucko on Tenor, the great trumpet work of Joe Weidman, Freddy Slack's masterful piano playing, and the always entertaining, but very, very quirky drumming of Ray McKinnley. Of course, there is plenty of fine Will Bradley jazz trombone work too!There are lots of really great arrangements that feature the band and its vocalists really well. Speaking of vocalists, this recording has just some great singing by Carlotta Dale, Louise Tobin and Lynn Gardner. Each singer had a fabulous voice, and really knew how to deliver a lyric. Quit oftern I find listening to "girl vocalists" tedious; they often seem to be more in love with their own voices, then the lyric they are singing. This is not something that happens at all this time though. They were all great musicians and each vocal delivers satisfaction.Something I also really liked was the great job that the CD releaser, Hep Records did in providing some genuinely interesting album notes. There is nothing half-hearted about the job, and you get the feeling that they really wanted to put together something carefully thought out that would be of real value to CD purchasers. The notes are a very satisfying read.The remaining cuts on this CD are very good. There is a bit of repetition from other CDs available, but more than enough new material to make getting this and adding it to your collection very worthwhile regardless of what other Bradley CDs you may have. Lots of swing and boogie-woggie as well as some of the most listenable "novelty tunes" (for example "Dearest Darest I") that I have ever really heard. It is rare that you hear musicians take the same professional polished approach to novelty numbers that they do on other types of numbers. Bradley and his group maintained the same high musical level with these numbers and as a result, you walk away feeling quit satisisfied that they didn't just throw this off for commercial reasons.So, if you are already a Will Bradley fan, get ready for some more great sounds; if you haven't heard Will Bradley, this is a great introduction. As a matter of fact, if you haven't ever heard Big Band music before, and are considering trying it, you will find this to be a great first choice. This was one of the top bands, and gives a really good idea of just how much great music was produced during this wonderful musical era.As the title of my review says, this CD is just plain fun. I listen to it often and just never feel anything but joy. Old or new, this one is for you."