Customer Reviews

Katharine Whalen's Jazz Squad

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The bar closed an hour ago... as the broom sweeps up sorrows, a soothing voice from the stage gives warmth to the last soul around. Or maybe the scene involves sitting on the porch viewing the last light of the sun on a hot summer day. Perhaps its laying on the couch after a long day with the kids. Or lastly, you want a slow romantic groove for your special companion to sway with by candle light. At any case, Katharine Whalen's Jazz Squad is the perfect solution for any background music occasion. Yet "background music" may seem insulting. Perhaps that is the very magic behind this x-Zippers jem. Whalen's soothing tones manage to stay in the back, but pierce your soul with emotion. With songs dating back from the 1920s ("Deed I do") even up to modern times (Mathus-written tune "Badisma"), there is a cohesiveness of passion that is spelled J-A-Z-Z! Whalen's voice, even from the Squirrel Nut days captures an era for old-timers and newcomers to enjoy. If you liked the Zippers, yes, you'll like Katharine's Jazz squad. However this album puts the lid on it a bit more, having a slightly moodier, reserved feel than raising "Hell."

Sample the tracks on line if you can & be the judge, I certainly have NO regrets purchasing the album!

I fell in love with Katharine Whalen's vocal style after hearing her sweet voice on the Squirrel Nut Zipper albums "The Inevitable"and "Hot". And reading the history of how she started singing with that band was amazing. So when I heard she was releasing a solo album I immediately purchased it. A very smart buy on my part. Personally I think Ms. Whalen is a virtual energy bar for the jazz scene, revitalizing the old style that made Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald household names. Bottom line is that if you call yourself a fan of swing/traditional jazz pick this album up, pop it in your cd player and allow yourself to become immersed in the sexy and sincere world of Katharine Whalen!

If you enjoy the Squirrel Nut Zippers for their fast paced radio hits (i.e. Hell), this album may not be to your liking. However, if you are like me and take greater pleasure in their slower songs, particularly those sung by Katharine Whalen, then this album will more than satiate you appetite for her mellow voice and soothing tunes.
Whalen makes the right decision to create her own sound on this album, rather than re-create the sounds from the Squirrel Nut Zippers records. The banjo is put away and the dixie land tones take a back seat to smoky Bourbon Street style jazz, the kind you might listen to late at night when the bar is empty and the partying is over.
I thoroughly enjoy the Squirrel Nut Zippers, and my favorite songs are the ones sung by Katharine. This album provides a double treat: a sound different enough from the Zippers to not sound like another Zippers album, and a full catalog of nothing but Katherine.

...because Katharine Whalen has a voice that makes you remember, and that you'll never forget. This really is a unique album, not to be compared to her quirky vocals to Mathus's sometimes strange songs. In this collection, she really gives us the spirit of jazz, and reminds listeners of the glorious voices of Ella and Billie. My fave has to be the last cut.

A voice that leaves you feeling so soft and smooth, you won't believe you're soaking in it! Katharine's soulful sounds open the doorway to another dimension; one that transports us to the bygone days of hot jazz gin joints and smokey, sultry sirens.

In a break from the tradional and unique sound of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, that of which she has helped to personify, Katharine slips into something a little more comfortable by slowing things down a bit. Her butter-cream voice, along with the funky and stylish sounds of her Jazz Squad, are unmatched by any other popular musicians today. This album is a welcome break from the drone of what seems to be the same song played over and over on MTV and popular radio stations across the U.S.

Her exquisite vocal style, and her faithfulness to the genre, make every second of this album a joy to listen to. So, turn down the lights, grab a bottle of bathtub gin, and be ready to travel back in time to the cool sounds of modern hot music.

Oh sure, there are stronger, cleaner, wider ranging voices out there among jazz vocalists. More perfect back-up bands? Easily. But there is nothing I own -- by musicians still alive, anyway -- that radiates this much joy in the material, this much warmth. Miss Whalen has made these old standards fresh and swinging again. There is no CD I own that gets the same workout. I push it on friends. I give it as gifts. I don't understand why nobody seems to have heard about it.

Man, I gotta tell you. I love her voice. It's the thing that adds the most flavor to the group, which would be good, if not all that interesting, in itself. But the previews thing leaves out the best song on there: "After You've Gone" rocks. But besides that, the rest of the record is good stylistically, and you can relate to it, too. If you like the sweet side of the Squirrel Nut Zippers then you'll like this, probably.

I picked this gem at a sale, little knowing what it contained. Katharine Whalen of the Squirrel Nut Zippers madness does a joyful rendition of this swing material without playing it for laughs. Some of the tracks like "Sugar" pop and bubble with syncopation. "Yesterdays" is a blue slow baker that might inspire those who still spin Billie Holiday's sides faithfully. Mike Minguez's clarinet spruces up "Just You, Just Me" from 1929. Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Linda Ronstadt & Sarah Vaughn have recorded "My Old Flame" among numerous others. Whalen brings a lovely glow to her small combo arrangement. "After You've Gone" has a distinctly New Orleans feel, despite the fact the CD was recorded in Durham, North Carolina. The CD concludes with "My Baby Just Cares for Me" as Whalen teases demurely. This set by the Jazz Squad may have tunes that have been heard before, but it's sure to put a smile on your face. This is a CD that wears well. Seek & you shall find! Enjoy!

This CD does not suck. From the openning notes of "Deed I Do" to the playful rendition of "My Baby Just Cares For Me" (which is so different from the pining, slow but lovely Indigo Swing version), I had so much fun, it's been on constant rotation for days. One favorite cuts is "Now or Never" because it's got a hip shaking threat to its ultimatum, even though the music is so understated. For people that want more of the cool, melancholy mood that Katherine Whalen set in "Low Down Man" and "Evening at Lafitte's", this CD's it. I wish I had time to write more but my boss is coming around the corner.

Wow! Forget the Billie Holiday comparisons; this disc is proof that Katharine has her own voice! Every number is pure sugar with Jimbo playing those chops in the background too. I bought this on a whim after hearing "Low Down Man" on "Perennial Favorites" and my girlfriend and I can't stop playing it. Buy a copy and you'll have the best music to pitch woo with your sweetie!