The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Vavoom

THE REVIEW

Who has seen the movie "Grease"!?!? Well, I think many of you have, and do you remember the protagonists?! They were TeddyBoys, if I'm not mistaken, it was the America of "Happy Days" and the Rockabilly. Today we are in 2005 (actually, almost 2006... by the way, best wishes) and there are still people who are passionate about and play (and listen to how they play!!!) rock'n'roll, boogie, jive, and bebop.

Brian Setzer is completely crazy, but I think he is driven by a healthy and good kind of madness. It is he who, accompanied by his Orchestra that includes no less than 14 brass instruments and a couple of percussionists, (re)introduces us to a genre that has long been dead and buried or has become extremely niche and, in any case, fundamentally different. The great merit of the former Stray Cats is precisely that of bringing back a genre and perhaps more broadly a conception of Rock'n'Roll which today is (almost) only business instead of rhythm and freshness. In terms of content, in my opinion, the rediscovery and juxtaposition of Swing-Jazz to Rockabilly is absolutely spot-on and present in this "Vavoom".

Now add to this that there's a bit for everyone: the rock'n'roll reinterpretation of Carosone's "Tù vò fà l'americano" which is refreshed and thrown back there like "...See, I'm a bit of a punk too?!!?" or the classic "Mack the Knife" by Sinatra, the wonderful Hip-Hop arrangement of "Gettin' in the Mood," the irresistibly upbeat jive of "Jumpin' East of Java," Duke Ellington's instrumental "Caravan," or the modern yet simultaneously '50s style of "Drive Like Lightning" which boasts a passage that with more distortion could be Metal!!! I'll tell you right away, you're not facing anything epic or legendary, but simply good music, played with feeling and skill that does nothing more than entertain and make you dance... and then I see you breaking open the tube of gel and sculpting your hair to bring out the best of the Bananas and then, having put on your party outfit, everyone takes their partners to make them jump, shake, slide, and dance to these tunes.

If you don't know what to play between 11 PM and midnight on the upcoming December 31st, here you go, a great appetizer to arrive full of energy, joy, and dance as you approach the new year. Ah... be careful not to overdo it with the gel!