Customer Reviews

When the Jitterbug Bites

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Joe Turley in performance is a study in passionate, at times furious, yet focused concentration. Whether he is doing a lively Jerry Lee Lewis on the piano or "Take the A Train" on the saxophone, he puts himself completely into the playing. At times, he plays two instruments simultaneously: the harmonica and the piano, or the saxophone and the piano (one hand each!). He has yet to be seen playing the sax and the harmonica together, though one sometimes suspects that he is trying to figure out a way to do it. He never just goes through the motions on stage; he looks as though he is pouring his whole body and soul into what he is playing. His performance is always as fresh as the first time he ever played.

Joe Turley offstage is a different man. He is soft-spoken and mild-mannered, friendly and thoughtful. Even in casual conversation, he is careful in his choice of words. This may be a characteristic of the songwriter whose creative attention is always directed to finding just the right word. The two Joe Turleys come together in his new album, "When the Jitterbug Bites...". The album "hangs together" in every way: the music, orchestration, words, voice, instruments in each of the numbers and all of them taken together. Everything is clean; the sound is honest, there are, literally and figuratively, no false notes; it is all authentic and true. Every part of it, every note and every word, carries its weight, and contributes to the whole effect. The words are clever but not just for effect; the words don't call attention to themselves but to what they are saying. There is great energy in the whole album and the tone of it is set right from the opening song. Every single song has its own appeal: the songs about the music itself (Ging Ginga Ding, Boogietime and the title song), the love songs (Sea of Miracles, Ring That Bell, Like-I-Doo, Tango...[the Latin quality of which is just breathtaking]), and-for want of a better expression-the "concept" songs: every line in 35 Cents captures the helplessness and frustration; ...Santa's Knee takes an experience every child has had so we know how great the world can be; Don't Dawg This Cat hits eerily close to home. Then, there is the idea of sickness carried through Jitterbug: Saint Vitis, boogieitis; itchin', fever, Hep-a-demic. The poetic touches are marvelous; the rhythms and the rhymes (itchin'-bewitchin', hive-jive, tracks-cracks, shoe-do, agenda-surrender, groove-move) including the internal rhymes in the same line: chill...thrill, tantalize...mesmerize, slammin'-jammin', screamin'...steamin'. The rhymes make their contribution and they are not the stock, boilerplate rhymes (June-moon, etc.). Joe Turley has an enviable poetic gift, in words and in music. And the musicians who play and sing with him have given it marvelous expression. This is a gem of an album.