Are You Hep to the Jive?

Cab Calloway

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 9, 1994)
• Original Release Date: August 9, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000029FN
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #105,287 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The influence of Cab Calloway simply cannot be understated. He was present at the genesis of R&B, rock, hip-hop, swing, and jazz, and his contributions shaped the way the world hears pop music. Thankfully, this task fell upon the zoot-suited shoulders of an artist of wit, intelligence, energy, and the ability to connect one-on-one with his audience. This collection includes tracks from the late '30s up to the late '40s and offers listeners a taste of all Calloway's incredible talents. From his hepster raps like "Are You All Reet?" to his hits like "Minnie the Moocher," Calloway's performances are carefully orchestrated yet loose-limbed and sparkling with humor, and for recordings in mono, the sound is surprisingly good. Highly recommended. --S. Duda

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really Solid, Man!, March 7, 2002

By	Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Some critics dismiss Calloway as a mere pop artist, but it would be a mistake to underestimate his talent, influence, or the infectious joy of his high-style recordings with their superficially loose-sounding tone but musically meticulous construction. And ARE YOU HEP TO THE JIVE offers a superior collection of Calloway at the peak of his powers during the 1930s and 1940s.

Calloway lyrics are always full of fun hep-cat, zoot-suit jive and performed with such vigor that you'll catch yourself saying "Solid, Man!" before you know it--and the musicians that back him can really swing and then some. There may be a few quibbles about the selections in this collection, but ARE YOU HEP TO THE JIVE does a masterful job of assembling the best of Calloway on a single disk, all the way from such laugh-out-loud, up-tempo pieces as "Papa's In Bed With His Britches On" to the bluesy signature tune "Minne the Moocher." And the recordings are clean, sharp, and quality too. In my opinon this is THE best Calloway anthology going, a tremendous amount of fun, sure to please old fans and convert newcomers to the Calloway swinging, jazzy jive. Recommended!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just an amazing album to hear and have!, November 16, 2005

By	Bob Evans (USA) - See all my reviews

If you've never heard of Cab Calloway, or even if you are quite familiar with him; this CD is for you if you don't have it yet.

This CD collection is packed with some of the most toe-tapping, sing-along, swinging songs you could ever hope to find. If it doesn't get you out of your seat and dancing to the wonderful melodies, check your pulse because you might not be breathing.

I have quite a nice sized collection of different Cab Calloway CD's in my music collection, and this one has them all beat with a great song selection that I haven't seen elsewhere. Everyone should find a few songs here that they recognize. "Minnie the Moocher" from "The Blues Brothers" movie, "Everyone Eats When they Come to My House" was used a few years ago in a TV commercial.

I couldn't recommend this wonderful sounding CD more highly then I do!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Listen and learn how the big bands could swing, June 26, 1999

By	Robert C. Topper (Richardson, Texas) - See all my reviews

In all the years I have been listening to and collecting big band records, I have steered away from Cab Calloway, thinking that he wasn't "serious" enough and that everything he did sounded too much alike. Yes, he was more a showman than a jazz artist, and yes, his vocals do have a certain sameness to them, but I have discovered what an excellent band he had backing him up. He really did have a fine singing voice, too. This collection assembles many of his best sides, mostly done for OKeh, some for Vocalion (some released on both labels), a couple for Columbia, and a few previously unreleased. Liner notes (as they should) give recording dates, even matrix and catalogue numbers. It's wonderful that the revival of swing has brought this band back to prominence, so younger audiences can discover how great the big bands could be at their best, and also so that some of us big band fans could realize what we had been overlooking.