BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY
''RATTLE THEM BONES''
SEPTEMBER 4 2012
43:49
1/The Adventures Of........
Joshua Levy / Scotty Morris/0:35
2/Diga Diga Do
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh/4:15
3/The Jitters
Tab Smith/3:14
4/Let It Roll Again
Lucky Millinder/3:20
5/It Only Took a Kiss/feat. Meaghan Smith
Scotty Morris/4:08
6/She's Always Right (I'm Never Wrong)
Scotty Morris/3:26
7/Why Me?
Scotty Morris/3:34
8/Devil's Dance
Scotty Morris/4:33
9/It's Lonely at the Top
Randy Newman/3:22
10/Still in the Mood
Scotty Morris/5:09
11/Gimme That Wine
Jon Hendricks/2:55
12/5-10-15 Times
Scotty Morris/5:18
Scotty Morris/Vocals, Guitar, Banjo
Joshua Levy/Piano
Kurt Sodergren/Drums
Dirk Shumaker/Acoustic Upright Bass & Vocals
Glen ''The Kid'' Marhevka/Trumpet
Karl Hunter/Soprano, Alto, Tenox Saxophones & Clarinet
Andy Rowley/Baritone Saxophone, Vocals
With
Alex Henderson
Anthony Bonsera Jr.
Ira Nepus
Tom Peterson
Lee Thornburg
Bernie Dresel
Kelly Corbin
Scheila GOnzalez
Jacques Voyemant
Robbie Hioki
Jim Fox
David Speltz
Connie Kupka
Jane Levy
Amanda Zidow
Steven Huber
Florence Titmus
Margaret Wooten
Rebecca Dulatre-Corbin
REVIEW
by Matt Collar
Since hitting it big in the '90s during the swing revival, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy have stuck to their retro-guns while finding ways to explore new ground. To these ends, 2003's Save My Soul found the band delving into New Orleans rhythms and R&B, while 2009's How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway featured the music of the legendary Hi-De-Ho man. That album brought them deeper into a hardcore jazz sound and most likely helped them in signing with the Savoy Jazz label for 2012's similarly jazz-inflected Rattle Them Bones. Once again centered around the sweet and lyrical lead vocals of guitarist/songwriter Scotty Morris, the album features a mix of new material, jazz covers, and even an unexpected take on Randy Newman's "It's Lonely at the Top." These are crisply produced, urbane, and always swinging tunes that often have an old-school big-band sound. This impressive large ensemble sound comes via the longtime core rhythm section of pianist Joshua Levy, bassist Dirk Shumaker, and drummer Kurt Sodergren, as well as such featured players as trumpeter Glen "The Kid" Marhevka, and saxophonists Karl Hunter and Andy Rowley. With all arrangements by Levy, the band is also complemented by a bevy of stellar studio musicians who round out several cuts here. Also featured here is vocalist Meaghan Smith, who duets with Morris on the romantic midtempo ballad "It Only Took a Kiss." Longtime fans of the group’s neo-crooner jazz sound, as well as anybody who digs solidly crafted and always swinging traditional jazz and pop, should find much to enjoy here.
BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Like Squirrel Nut Zippers and the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy revived big-band music for the '90s and beyond. BBVD concentrated on the swinging days of the '40s and '50s, borrowing some of the Rat Pack lingo in addition to the zoot suits that cloaked each bandmate. Formed in Los Angeles in 1992, the group built up a following with regular gigs on the local lounge circuit, playing to Gen-Xers enamored with the kitschy charm of the cocktail nation. This burgeoning lounge scene was captured in the hit 1996 indie comedy film Swingers, which featured a song by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on the soundtrack as well as an onscreen cameo by the band. By the end of 1997, the band had self-released two albums -- Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and What'chu Want for Christmas -- which were local hits and led to a major-label contract with Capitol Records.
In February 1998, Capitol released the group's major-label debut, Americana Deluxe (also known as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, although the album was different from the band's self-released debut). This Beautiful Life followed one year later. By the time the band came together for a follow-up, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy had sold over three million albums, performed at Super Bowl XXXIII with Stevie Wonder and Gloria Estefan, and had their music used in over 60 film and TV trailers. The swing revival had considerably died down, however, thus returning Big Bad Voodoo Daddy to their original status as an underground band.
The group's fifth album, Save My Soul, appeared in 2003, five years after their Interscope debut. Inspired by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Save My Soul found the band expanding its sound to include elements of the Big Easy's jazz, swamp funk, and Cajun traditions. A live CD/DVD and holiday-themed album appeared in 2004. In 2009, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy released How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway, which found the band digging even deeper into a hardcore jazz and swing sound. The band stuck with the more swing and jazz-oriented approach after signing with the Savoy Jazz label and releasing Rattle Them Bones in 2012.
''RATTLE THEM BONES''
SEPTEMBER 4 2012
43:49
1/The Adventures Of........
Joshua Levy / Scotty Morris/0:35
2/Diga Diga Do
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh/4:15
3/The Jitters
Tab Smith/3:14
4/Let It Roll Again
Lucky Millinder/3:20
5/It Only Took a Kiss/feat. Meaghan Smith
Scotty Morris/4:08
6/She's Always Right (I'm Never Wrong)
Scotty Morris/3:26
7/Why Me?
Scotty Morris/3:34
8/Devil's Dance
Scotty Morris/4:33
9/It's Lonely at the Top
Randy Newman/3:22
10/Still in the Mood
Scotty Morris/5:09
11/Gimme That Wine
Jon Hendricks/2:55
12/5-10-15 Times
Scotty Morris/5:18
Scotty Morris/Vocals, Guitar, Banjo
Joshua Levy/Piano
Kurt Sodergren/Drums
Dirk Shumaker/Acoustic Upright Bass & Vocals
Glen ''The Kid'' Marhevka/Trumpet
Karl Hunter/Soprano, Alto, Tenox Saxophones & Clarinet
Andy Rowley/Baritone Saxophone, Vocals
With
Alex Henderson
Anthony Bonsera Jr.
Ira Nepus
Tom Peterson
Lee Thornburg
Bernie Dresel
Kelly Corbin
Scheila GOnzalez
Jacques Voyemant
Robbie Hioki
Jim Fox
David Speltz
Connie Kupka
Jane Levy
Amanda Zidow
Steven Huber
Florence Titmus
Margaret Wooten
Rebecca Dulatre-Corbin
REVIEW
by Matt Collar
Since hitting it big in the '90s during the swing revival, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy have stuck to their retro-guns while finding ways to explore new ground. To these ends, 2003's Save My Soul found the band delving into New Orleans rhythms and R&B, while 2009's How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway featured the music of the legendary Hi-De-Ho man. That album brought them deeper into a hardcore jazz sound and most likely helped them in signing with the Savoy Jazz label for 2012's similarly jazz-inflected Rattle Them Bones. Once again centered around the sweet and lyrical lead vocals of guitarist/songwriter Scotty Morris, the album features a mix of new material, jazz covers, and even an unexpected take on Randy Newman's "It's Lonely at the Top." These are crisply produced, urbane, and always swinging tunes that often have an old-school big-band sound. This impressive large ensemble sound comes via the longtime core rhythm section of pianist Joshua Levy, bassist Dirk Shumaker, and drummer Kurt Sodergren, as well as such featured players as trumpeter Glen "The Kid" Marhevka, and saxophonists Karl Hunter and Andy Rowley. With all arrangements by Levy, the band is also complemented by a bevy of stellar studio musicians who round out several cuts here. Also featured here is vocalist Meaghan Smith, who duets with Morris on the romantic midtempo ballad "It Only Took a Kiss." Longtime fans of the group’s neo-crooner jazz sound, as well as anybody who digs solidly crafted and always swinging traditional jazz and pop, should find much to enjoy here.
BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Like Squirrel Nut Zippers and the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy revived big-band music for the '90s and beyond. BBVD concentrated on the swinging days of the '40s and '50s, borrowing some of the Rat Pack lingo in addition to the zoot suits that cloaked each bandmate. Formed in Los Angeles in 1992, the group built up a following with regular gigs on the local lounge circuit, playing to Gen-Xers enamored with the kitschy charm of the cocktail nation. This burgeoning lounge scene was captured in the hit 1996 indie comedy film Swingers, which featured a song by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on the soundtrack as well as an onscreen cameo by the band. By the end of 1997, the band had self-released two albums -- Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and What'chu Want for Christmas -- which were local hits and led to a major-label contract with Capitol Records.
In February 1998, Capitol released the group's major-label debut, Americana Deluxe (also known as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, although the album was different from the band's self-released debut). This Beautiful Life followed one year later. By the time the band came together for a follow-up, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy had sold over three million albums, performed at Super Bowl XXXIII with Stevie Wonder and Gloria Estefan, and had their music used in over 60 film and TV trailers. The swing revival had considerably died down, however, thus returning Big Bad Voodoo Daddy to their original status as an underground band.
The group's fifth album, Save My Soul, appeared in 2003, five years after their Interscope debut. Inspired by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Save My Soul found the band expanding its sound to include elements of the Big Easy's jazz, swamp funk, and Cajun traditions. A live CD/DVD and holiday-themed album appeared in 2004. In 2009, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy released How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway, which found the band digging even deeper into a hardcore jazz and swing sound. The band stuck with the more swing and jazz-oriented approach after signing with the Savoy Jazz label and releasing Rattle Them Bones in 2012.
