Music Hound Swing!
The Essential Album Guide
Edited by Steve Knopper (Visible Ink)
by Lex Marburger
I’m in a few states of mind about this book. As a jazz appreciator (different from an aficionado or connoisseur), I appreciate the time, effort, and accuracy that this “Jazz Encyclopedia” demonstrates. The albums are graded, an overview is given, and cross references are supplied. But the criteria to be included seems to’ve been, does it make you want to dance? So people like Chet Baker, Mingus, and Coltrane are not included. Nor Sun Ra.
Which is a shame, because they could use the exposure (especially Coltrane’s later group works, which are still difficult to listen to, even thirty years later). It also includes later “luminaries,” like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, bands that were also influenced by musical styles that came after Swing (Punk, Ska, etc.). Noble, and again accurate, as the editors realize that while first-time listeners may find the sounds fresh and exciting, when held up to candles like Basie, Goodman, or Buddy Rich, the “neo-swing” begins to falter. In my opinion, the only band that stays fresh are the Squirrel Nut Zippers, because the sound they emulate is closer to Dixieland, which was founded by people who didn’t really know how to play (see my SNZ article two issues ago). The Swing that came later was so chock full of genius players and arrangers, the only way to describe it is to imagine five Lennon/McCartneys, four Hendrix’s, fifteen Tori Amos’s, twenty-five Keith Moons, all within two decades. And no Kenny G’s. It’s hard to match.
My other frame of mind is that the “neo-swing” movement is more or less dead. It only took a few months, and if this book was trying to cash in, they missed by half a year. Also, if you don’t know the terminology, and can’t tell “jump blues” from “hot jazz,” or “be bop” from “big band,” you won’t really know what the music they’re listing sounds like. Much like a dictionary, if you don’t know the language, you won’t get the descriptions.
Still, in the end (this is my third frame of mind), Swing! doesn’t seem like it’s going for the novice, or neophyte, or faddish fan. It’s aiming for the stout of heart, the hardcore swing lover. And those’ll find more than a few artists listed that they’ve never heard of who have influenced, or have been influenced by, their favorites. Hell, I’m hankerin’ to get me some raw Country Swing based solely on what I’ve read.
Hmm, two against one. I must like it.
