I don't watch MTV anymore but I did see a music video which
was picked up by the local video store.

It was a version of "In The Mood" by The Brian Setzer Orchestra.
I stopped in my tracks to watch the thing with my neck bent out of
shape to look at the store monitors.

BSO is prob'ly my favorite band of all time next to Ted Heath
in the Golden Age period. (British readers will understand this
reference-- maybe .)

The video reminded me of an old tv show called The Lively Set
which featured acts of the early 60's in the same sort of
Southern California hot cars and fast women-- or fast women
and hot cars video as was put together for BSO. The Lively Set was MTV before it's day: Oscar Petersen playing at a tiki bar in Hawaii, Mel Torme doing Don't Get Around Much Anymore from behind bars-- I wonder of the kinescopes of that are around anyplace?

I've seen BSO live and it is a great show. And a great
test of speaks to play some big band music fronted by a
lead guitarist. This is the unique thing that Setzer did.
All the cds have that big power sound and the originals
like "Switchblade 327" and "Rumble In Brighton" are every
bit as good as the standards the band plays.

Currently Setzer has returned to a smaller format and
doing pretty much a retro rock thing in the "Drive Like
Lightening, Crash Like Thunder" vein.

But the big band, the classic hot rods and the jitterbugs
gave a hint of what the retro swing fad could have been.

For the rest of the time, there's Low Rider magazine at the
supermarket.

Yes Wayne, the title they actually use for this is called
"Gettin In The Mood" it includes a 'rap' verse done by
one of the band members and is an extended track.

I have a problem myself with these pushing 40 and older
folk trying to fein youth but I excuse it in Setzer's case
because the band cooks so hard.

Can't say the same about some piece of dreck I saw
with David Bowie and Mick Jagger. I saw the two of them in
some video clip (once again at the store) and I told
the clerk on the way out it made me want to puke. The
young clerk said, after looking around not to be overheard,
"Me too."

BSO does a number of covers including the old Ernie Ford
favorite "This Old House" and the first cd released had
some Al Jolson on it. But the originals and production by
Phil Ramone are all first rate.

Not long ago, I also got a chance to see LaVay Smith
and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers live at a local performance
theatre (The Meyer which I've mentioned here before.)

It's too bad that the revival of this music only has
a niche audience. While I was out on the net looking
for video clips, I saw a piece on Setzer interviewed in
which he says what he does with the band is a Kustom Lifestyle
like the hot rods used in his videos: combining a stock form
with a new and revved up presentation. I was glad I saw that
because I wondered how the unique combination of lead
guitar and singer fronting a big band could be expressed.

Apparently the original concept came about as a happenstance
and then Phil Ramone wrote and arranged the Guitar Slinger
album.

I go into all this detail because the big sound of the
music hold up over time. Some (or most of) the swing bands
of the post-Gap ad retro fad have faded from view. Some
have gone into film scores like The Bill Elliot Swing
Orchestra. Others play clubs like Lavay Smith.

But here's the knockout: The Kit McClure Band is an
all-girl ensemble that plays the songbook of the mixed
race all girl band of the forties called The International
Sweethearts of Rhythm. This was the only female band that toured
with the USO during World War II. There was a commemorative for the Sweethearts on the NPR program Riverwalk Jazz.

Kit Mclure and Redhot records is here:

http://www.redhotrecords.com/

• more about BSO

Thanks for the Brian Setzer link!

• Other Setzer mentions