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The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Jump, Jive, an‘ Wail: The Very Best of
The Brian Setzer Orchestra
(Interscope)
First Appeared at The Music Box, August 2003, Volume 10, #8
Written by T.J. Simon
Brian Setzer has made a name for himself by living in the past. He gained
notoriety in the 1980s as the leader of the rockabilly revivalist band The Stray
Cats. Following a couple of moderately well received solo efforts, Setzer
reinvented himself as the front man of a jump blues orchestra bearing his name
and trademark guitar sound. The timing was perfect as his foray into big band
music coincided with the swing dance fad of the 1990s. For the better part of a
decade, The Brian Setzer Orchestra (BSO) released four albums, won two Grammys,
toured the world, and provided the soundtrack for a Gap commercial as a new
generation learned the Lindy Hop. Now, 23 of BSO’s best tracks have been culled
from these four outings to create a comprehensive and likable collection titled
Jump, Jive an‘ Wail: The Very Best of The Brian Setzer Orchestra (1994 –
2000).
The dichotomy of a Glenn Miller-styled jumpin’ jazz orchestra led by the
punky, tattooed Setzer always made for a great visual, and BSO is a talented
collective of musicians featuring a 13-man horn section that supports Setzer’s
distinctive guitar and vocals. The album begins with the campy Pennsylvania
6-5000 then segues into Setzer’s acclaimed take on Louis Prima’s Jump,
Jive, an‘ Wail. Cover songs share space with re-workings of Setzer originals
including mainstays like Mack the Knife and Americano as well as
big band versions of the Stray Cats’ classics Rock this Town and
Rumble in Brighton. Other highlights include revisions of Stevie Ray
Vaughan’s The House Is Rockin‘ and Queen’s Crazy Little Thing Called Love.
Overall, the collection is a polished and enjoyable affair that effectively
captures another chapter in Setzer’s backward-looking career. 
Jump, Jive, an‘ Wail is available from Amazon.com.
To order, Click Here!
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2006 The Music Box
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