pacificlectic : concert reviews & eclectic music news

Ok, I’m totally gonna “phone this in”… the snippet from the invite email I got covers what they played:

While Swing Shift has always based much of its style on the inspiration of Count Basie, this is the first time that we have offered a full evening of music in the classic Basie tradition. The band will perform standards such as “Moten Swing,” “Corner Pocket” and “Vine Street Rumble,” along with lesser-known gems, including Quincy Jones’ “Jessica’s Day.” Featured soloists for the evening will be trombonist Glenn Bonney, who will be heard on Benny Carter’s beautiful “Sunset Glow,” and trumpeter Warren Wellford, performing “Pensive Miss,” a gorgeous ballad by Neal Hefti. There will also (of course) be generous helpings of piano in the Count Basie tradition, ably essayed by pianist John Polese, as well as contributions from alto saxophonists Sean Flannery and Travis Wong and trumpeters Steve O’Brien and Dana Heitman.

The second half of the concert will showcase music that was performed by the remarkable pairing of singer Frank Sinatra and the Basie band. The three albums that they recorded in the early 1960’s still serve as the model for a singer working with a big band, and virtually every song from those collaborations are standards today. Aaron Anderson, Swing Shift’s regular vocalist, will be finally be heard as a featured artist, singing (among others) “Come Fly With Me,” “Nice And Easy,” “Fly Me To the Moon” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” Lead trumpeter Dana Heitman is responsible for the recreation of many of these arrangements, most of which have never been available for performance by other groups.

Great show… they played a 45 minute instrumental Count Basie set, and then came out with trombonist Aaron Anderson on vocals for a 45 minute Frank Sinatra / Count Basie set.  I was really impressed all around with the musicianship, the venue, and the vocals (and I usually don’t really prefer jazz with vocals).  It was a really, really good show… and not just because it was free.

Setlist:

• Step Right Up
• Corner Pocket
• In a Mellotone
• Jessica’s Day
• Pensive Miss
• 4-5-6
• Sunset Glow
• Every Tub
  Intermission
• Come Fly With Me
• I’ve Got You Under My Skin
• Fly Me to the Moon
• The Shadow of Your Smile
• One for My Baby
• Nice and Easy
• I Get a Kick Out of You
• That’s Life
• My Kind of Town
• Encore: Smack Dab in the Middle

The Appropriate Linkage:

• http://www.myspace.com/swingshifteugene
• http://www.willamalane.org/wildish/index.html

~Dan – np: Jerry Cantrell – Degradation Trip, Vols 1 & 2