Squawk Radio
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Liz Does Some Swingin'
When my mom and dad met, circa 1950, he was playing saxophone in a swing band as his night job. It was that moment, I’m certain, that ensured my love of such music forever. I grew up hearing the big sound of big bands often in my house, and my mom used to sing all kinds of girl singer standards from the 40s and 50s when she did her housework or cooked dinner or performed just about any other task. I was familiar with the Dorseys and Artie Shaw and Les Brown and Duke Ellington and Count Basie when it was in no way cool to know about such guys. And I never told any of my friends that I could swing like a swingin’ hep cat should.
So I was delighted when big bands started to make a comeback in the nineties in the wake of the Brian Setzer Orchestra. (And how cool was that, that my fave rockabilly singer made the move to big bands?) But where bands like the BSO and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy stayed pretty true to the tradition of big bands, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies put a major contemporary spin on it.
While the music on “Zoot Suit Riot” is, without question, big band music, there’s a definite ska influence. And the subject matter of many of the songs is gritty and downright unpleasant. It makes for an uncomfortable mix, wanting to dance all over the house while hearing about domestic violence and alcoholism and misogyny. But I think that’s partly the point. Cherry Poppin’ Daddies are all over the map with their music, and over the course of several albums, they’ve used a variety of musical subgenres to voice their social commentary. We don't live in a world of absolutes. There is going to be ugliness and misery amid beauty and pleasure. Likewise, there will be beauty and pleasure amid ugliness and misery.
In spite of the harshness of some subject matter, however, the album as a whole is a delight. There are traditional big band songs, like “Brown Derby Jump” and “Come Back to Me.” But there’s also “Here Comes the Snake,” which is probably the sexiest, most erotic song I’ve ever heard. And it’s all wrapped up in Steve Perry’s smooth, sensual, throaty vocals that send a shudder of heat through the listener’s body.
Tommy Dorsey would be horrified by some of the lyrics, no doubt. But he’d swing like a swingin’ hepcat should the minute his feet hit the dance floor. And maybe that's not such a bad message to convey in one's songs. That even in the midst of unhappy circumstances, there are still avenues that can lead us to a dance.
So I was delighted when big bands started to make a comeback in the nineties in the wake of the Brian Setzer Orchestra. (And how cool was that, that my fave rockabilly singer made the move to big bands?) But where bands like the BSO and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy stayed pretty true to the tradition of big bands, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies put a major contemporary spin on it.
While the music on “Zoot Suit Riot” is, without question, big band music, there’s a definite ska influence. And the subject matter of many of the songs is gritty and downright unpleasant. It makes for an uncomfortable mix, wanting to dance all over the house while hearing about domestic violence and alcoholism and misogyny. But I think that’s partly the point. Cherry Poppin’ Daddies are all over the map with their music, and over the course of several albums, they’ve used a variety of musical subgenres to voice their social commentary. We don't live in a world of absolutes. There is going to be ugliness and misery amid beauty and pleasure. Likewise, there will be beauty and pleasure amid ugliness and misery.
In spite of the harshness of some subject matter, however, the album as a whole is a delight. There are traditional big band songs, like “Brown Derby Jump” and “Come Back to Me.” But there’s also “Here Comes the Snake,” which is probably the sexiest, most erotic song I’ve ever heard. And it’s all wrapped up in Steve Perry’s smooth, sensual, throaty vocals that send a shudder of heat through the listener’s body.
Tommy Dorsey would be horrified by some of the lyrics, no doubt. But he’d swing like a swingin’ hepcat should the minute his feet hit the dance floor. And maybe that's not such a bad message to convey in one's songs. That even in the midst of unhappy circumstances, there are still avenues that can lead us to a dance.
Elizabeth Bevarly, 1:05 PM
8 comments
