1. In Case You Didn't Know
2. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
3. Get Happy
4. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
5. The Bounce Of The Sugar Plum Fairy
6. Blue Skies
7. Skyliner
8. A Blues Serenade
9. Caravan
10. On A Slow Boat To China
11. Ingin' The Ooh
12. 'Swonderful
13. Wanderlust
14. I've Got The World On A String
15. Empty Ballroom Blues
Simon Thorpe - Bass
Lizzie Scott - Vocals
Simon Finch – Trumpet (tracks 4, 7, 10-13)
Bruce Adams – Trumpet (tracks 1-3, 5, 6, 8,
9, 14, 15
Malcolm Earle Smith – Trombone and vocals
Luke Annesley – Clarinet, alto and tenor saxes
Alex Garnett - Tenor and baritone saxes
James Pearson - Piano
Colin Oxley - Guitar
Matt Skelton – Drums (tracks 4, 7, 10-13)
Tom Gordon – Drums (tracks 1-3, 5, 6, 8, 9,
14, 15)
Bassist
Simon Thorpe has selected some of Britain’s
top musicians for Jivin’ Miss Daisy – his
exercise in nostalgia. There’s no attempt
at creating an authentic period style but
the emphasis is on swing and that’s where
the band scores highly. Simon Thorpe’s tight,
imaginative arrangements conjure up memories
of the John Kirby Sextet with The Bounce
of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Charlie Barnet
with Skyliner, and Duke Ellington with
Wanderlust (this last with a some gutsy
baritone sax from Alex Garnett).
The
ensemble togetherness is seasoned with some
splendid solos – especially from the rousingly
extrovert Bruce Adams, Luke Annesley with
his multiple reeds, and the ever-impeccable
James Pearson. It’s nice to hear guitarist
Colin Oxley soloing (however briefly) on My
Heart Belongs to Daddy and Get Happy.
In fact, most of the solos are short, which
means that no track outstays its welcome.
Vocalist
Lizzie Scott makes up in enthusiasm for the
occasional flaws in her technique (I Got
It Bad uncovers some uncertainties in
intonation) – and the same applies to Malcolm
Earle Smith’s vocals. The repertoire is a
well-judged mixture of familiar standards
and little-known rarities, all swinging along
cheerfully. This will be a popular album with
the jiving set – but it can also be enjoyed
by sedate stay-at-homes.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
Mainstem
MSTCD 0042
