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Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - How Big Can You Get? : The Music of Cab Calloway
- “How Big Can You Get?” is the eighth Big Bad Voodoo Daddy album. For this album they pay tribute to the late, great Cab Calloway and released it on the year of what would have been his 100th birthday. They are a swinging big band who had hit singles in the past with their song, “You & Me & The Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby)” and “I Wanna Be Like You.”
The band was started in 1989 by singer and guitarist Scotty Morris. Current members are- Kurt Sodergren, drums; Dirk Shumaker, acoustic bass and vocals; Andy Rowley, baritone saxophone and vocals; Glen “The Kid” Marhevka, trumpet; Karl Hunter, saxophones and clarinet; and Joshua Levy on piano.
This album has an even bigger band sound than usual for the 11 tracks of Cab Calloway homage. Every song on the album was either composed by Cab Calloway or was a staple in his act, and the band does a good job of capturing his essence.
Listening to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy you can hear that these guys know how to play their instruments with confidence, ease and fun. “Come On With The ‘Come On’” is the opening song and contains a hopping rhythm. At first it was odd to hear Scotty Morris’s voice. He is no Cab Calloway but then again who is? He does however have his own style and take on the music that pulls the listener into all the song's stories like “The Ghost of Smokey Joe.”
“Hey Now, Hey Now,” makes the listener want to help Andy and Dirk out with the back up vocals and sing along. “The Jumpin’ Jive” is smooth with the vocals of Scotty and the backup from the band. “How Big Can You Get?” is a song about greed and the boys show how the songs of old still have relevance today.
I can’t help but love Levy’s jitter of the piano and Kurt’s big bang beat of the drums. They bring new life to an old swing with flare and pop. The Kid knows how to growl the trumpet, Scotty can sing the Hi-de-hos, and the band show they can play the tight rhythm sections. The charm of the album had me looking up places to learn the Lindy Hop and the Jitterbug. The only place this album may wane is in its swing, jazz content where some closed-minded music people might pass this gem by. If you want get up and go with a pulse then this is the album.
Reviewer: Marjorie Quinn
new
Reviewer's Rating: 9
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
Added: 24-Sep-2009
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