Search - Louis Jordan & the Tympany Five :: Louis Jordan 1947-1949

Fun CD with an old-school sound.

Mark Savary | Seattle, WA | 09/22/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album has many things to recommend it. If you like old-school R&B Big Band Jazz, then Louis Jordan is your man. The song selection on this disc is both comprehensive of Jordan's recordings between 1947 and 1949, and of the time period. "Don't Burn the Candle at Both Ends" is a fun song with elements of proto-rap, in which Jordan warns against the ills of frivolous living. On the standard "Baby, It's Cold Outside" we are trated to a duet with Jordan and Ella Fitzgerald. Although I like Dean Martin's version of the song a bit better, this effort is still fun to listen to.Included here is the infectious "Beans & Cornbread", the adopted theme song for the "Dinner and a Movie" feature on TBS, and both part one and two of Jordan's "Saturday Night Fish Fry". "School Days" is another fun song, this one incorporating nursery rhymes. You'll also get a grin from "Safe, Sane and Single" and the fun "Hungry Man".In fact, fun is the word that best sums up this CD. Jordan sings with a wink and a smile in his voice. You know he's having fun playing, and so we have fun listening.The sound quality is very good for the age of the recordings, and you can tell that some care was taken in the processing. I'm looking forward to obtaining more of the CDs in the "Chronological Classics" set by Melodie Jazz Classics, and especially more of the offerings of Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five from this label."