Surrealistic Swing

Fast fun: Swingy straight jazz from a large group. Fast and fun, with a sense of humor, a lot of attitude, and some interesting composing. From the early days of the NYC "downtown" scene (John Zorn on A.9 and A.10!); you'll hear a skronky solo or two but nothing too abrasive. Really nice stuff, tightly played, packed with energy and youth. Infectious stuff -- if one track doesn't grab you, keep listening. And spin it all!

DISK ONE
1- Big, fast, swingy. Some crazy sax soloing later on.
2- Upbeat blues w/saloon piano, mid/fast, swingy
3- Monk tune, midtempo and lurching, w/some free chaos
4- Midtempo swaying, like a speedy "romantic" tune
5- Circus music, spinning. With late-night movie host intro!
6- Catchy swing, fast/madcap
7- Funky little step, fun. Goes kinda Latin later on.
8- Slowish intro, into fast swingy jumping
9- Gentle swing with a tiki break and John Zorn snippets
10- Innocuous chugging, lasts 1 minute

DISK TWO
1- Busy swing
2- Cocktail-loungy, then a 7/8 crime-jazz blaze and some general wackiness. Mid/fast to fast.
3- Slow, wistful. With fast soloing space.
4- Goofy stroll, jaunty and midtempo, w/fast middle
5- Warbly, tango-y waltz. Brash and a bit klezmer-y
6- Peppy R&B/boogie-woogie
7- Tongue-in-cheek atmosphere, mysterious. Listen for the "Get Smart" theme in the solo.
8- Upbeat easygoing. Party R&B crossed w/'70s TV themes.
9- Sinewy Klezmer feel, fast but restrained, a little sad?
10- Upbeat, bouncy
11- Old-time swingy, maybe a bit tango-esque. Fast.
12- A fun little stomp. Cute piano/drums solo.
13- Rockin' intro, into stern fast tempo w/some rap. Kinda cool.
14,15- Music for NPR's "Fresh Air"! Really! 14 is sad, 15 soulful and bouncy.