Jumpin Jive [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Joe Jackson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 12, 1999)
• Original Release Date: 1981
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: A&M
• ASIN: B00000HY5I
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,683 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #60 in Music > Jazz > Swing Jazz > Retro Swing

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Audio CD

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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The beginning of retro-swing, and still one jumpin' album!, June 3, 2004

By 

Claude Avary "West Coast Reader" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Jumpin Jive (Audio CD)

The "retro-swing" movement of the late 1990s really started in 1981 with this album, the first genuine piece of retro-swing. In the midst of the electronic 80s era, Joe Jackson's pure hard-swingin' album covering old jazz swing classics from the 1930s and 40s was both a complete anachronism and a jolt of musical energy. It never achieved huge mainstream popularity, but has been a consistent seller since it came out and helped revive swing the 1990s. Many of the popular 1990s swing bands performed the songs that Joe Jackson covered, often sounding very close to Jackson's versions. For example, the incredible San Francisco band Lee Press-On and the Nails perform "Jumpin' with Symphony Sid" and "How Long Must I Wait for You" in their live shows in renditions that sound like direct homages to Joe Jackson.

This album still rocks the house, and it has aged better than 90% of the music from the early 1980s. It still sounds fresh, fun, and energetic, and seems to leap out of the speakers and crash right into your living room (especially with the superb re-mastering; it sounds better than it ever has). Swing is timeless music that every generation discovers and re-discovers, and Joe Jackson knew exactly how to maintain that quality in his covers. These aren't "modernizations" of the music, but THE music, just as it was enjoyed in 1930s and 1940s.

On the back of the album cover is a brief blurb the Jackson wrote in 1998 about how he got together his band (seven pieces) and recorded the album. Jackson, a man who seems to have experimented with every musical genre imaginable, sings and plays the vibes. The band isn't quite as sharp as the musicians on the originals, but they're skilled and more than make up for it with enthusiasm. Jackson's voice fits the music well, and he has fun with different voices, especially on "You Run Your Mouth and I'll Run My Business."

The songs here principally come from the early jump blues tradition and from the novelty songs of Cab Calloway. The hardest swinging piece and the big stunner of the album is the opener, "Jumpin' with Symphony Sid." Legendary saxophonist Lester Young wrote this piece in 1940s (named after a popular New York DJ), and Jackson and Co. really tear into it with high speed fury. It's joyful, jazzy, high-energy...in other words, it's the essence of swing.

All the other tracks are great too. "San Francisco Fan" is a slow, gritty blues from the Cab Calloway camp that is similar to two of his most popular numbers, "St. James Infirmary" and "Minnie the Moocher." Jackson growls and snarls the lyrics in a menacing way. Two other Cab Calloway covers, "The Jumpin' Jive" and "We the Cats (Shall Hep You)," let the band rip into some of the most delightful bits of scat nonsense ever written ("Reap this Righteous Riff, mop! mop!" "The Jim Jam Jump is the Jumpin' Jive makes you dig your jive on the mellow side!"). Some of the numbers come from famous jump blues singer and saxman Louis Jordan: the bluesy "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby," "You Run Your Mouth and I'll Run My Business," and the very funny "Jack Your Dead." The Jordan numbers helped re-popularize the artist in the 1990s, and his songs became the most popular for retro-swingers to cover.

Finally, Jackson attacks a number that Glenn Miller made into a #1 hit, "Tuxedo Junction." However, Jackson goes back to the original performed by Erskine Hawkins and His Orchestra and makes it sassy and loud. It's one of the most inventive adaptations on the album.

On the back cover, Jackson mentions that people have always asked him if he plans to make another album like this one. His response is `no,' because if people want to have more of the same, they should go back to the source. Although I certainly wouldn't mind a "Jumpin' Jive 2," I agree with Jackson's sentiments: this is a great `gateway' album to introduce you to classic jazz swingers like Jordan, Young, Basie, Hawkins, and Calloway. Anyone who has enjoyed retro-swing will absolutely love this. Anyone who already loves old swing will appreciate Jackson's very respectful and high-energy covers. Heck, anyone who just loves rock or quality popular music will probably love this album. It helped revive a classic form of American music and has become a classic itself. Come on and Jump with Symphony Joe! Let it roll!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Believe me, this really swings, March 3, 2004

By 

Vranjo (Chicago, IL, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jumpin Jive (Audio CD)

Joe Jackson helped shape the sound of popular/punk music in the 1970s, and his first three albums are huge landmarks. But, as musical accomplishments go, even Jackson's early work pales in comparison to the much lesser-known "Jumpin' Jive," which was Jackson's fourth album (recorded in 1981). In a complete departure from anything Jackson did before (or after), this album erupts with interpretations of well-known jazz songs from the swing era of the 1940s.

"Jumpin' Jive" focuses primarily on songs made famous by two jazz artists - Cab Calloway and Louis Jordan. As Jackson emphasizes in the album's liner notes, this is NOT the intellectual, cool jazz that has come to dominate the modern jazz scene. Instead, "Jumpin' Jive" focuses on the witty, exuberant music that Calloway and Jordan helped to popularize.

Jackson claims that these songs were originally more likely to be heard in a whorehouse than in a concert hall, and I think this helps to emphasize the wild, unrestrained, and sometimes even bawdy quality of this album (well, bawdy by 1940s standards). But let's not forget that many of these songs were top-ten hits of their time (including a few number ones), so I suspect they had a listening audience beyond that era's dens of iniquity.

I'm a big fan of Calloway and Jordan, so it almost hurts me to say that on almost every cut from "Jumpin' Jive" Jackson out-swings the originals. Jackson didn't have to worry about creating music that people could actually dance to all night long, so he was able to record the songs at a much faster tempo than the original versions. As a result, the brass is really blowing steam, the drums are kicking like a bucking bronco, and the vocals are roaring around the track. Jackson throws himself with abandon into each song, and his ironic vocal delivery (a hallmark of his other work) somehow finds a way to complement the almost naïve humor of these songs.

This album is great not only for those who want a fun introduction to swing, but also for anyone who might enjoy a loving and energetic tribute to the genre.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic - just buy it!, December 13, 2003

By 

Andrew Delin (Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jumpin Jive (Audio CD)

I was introduced to this disk when I was at college and it's been a favorite for over 15 years! There aren't too many disks I can say that for.

They say, "it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing" and this disk certainly has plenty of great rhythm. You'll enjoy the uptempo drumming, cool bass lines, and lots of precise well-placed brass!

Jazz/swing/jive are big areas of music but this disk is a great way to get introduced. You'll hear several Louis Jordan numbers (as well as others), performed with all the fun and energy that Louis had in his originals.

This disk has a very live feel to it, despite being a studio work, and Joe really shines. I also feel that he respects the numbers as well as performing them to the max.

Jive isn't everybody's thing, but if you're reading this then you're probably interested! I don't think there's a bad track on this disk - you'll enjoy it.