Swing Fever

by Jools Holland, Rod Stewart, Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra

Overview

It's a pairing that, in retrospect, seems inevitable. Rod Stewart started to sing standards at the dawn of the 2000s, turning his excursion into the Great American Songbook into a regular standard. Jools Holland played barrelhouse piano from the outset of his career, sneaking some boogie woogie onto Squeeze albums as early as Cool for Cats, where he co-wrote and sang "Hop, Skip, and Jump." Holland later became a star in his own right as a television presenter, launching his long-running music show Later¿With Jools Holland in 1992. Later invited musicians of all stripes onto its stage, but one artist who never entered the studio was Stewart -- not out of animosity but circumstance. The singer put a halt to that situation in 2023. Attempting to return to standards after a decade singing original material, Stewart grew frustrated with his results, so he called Holland out of the blue, asking if he and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra might be interested in cutting a record together. Quickly recognizing a kindred spirit, Holland accepted and the pair made Swing Fever, a record steeped in jump blues, boogie woogie, and other manners of swinging R&B. In form, it's not far removed from Stewart's Great American Songbook albums, generally relying on songs written prior to the onset of rock & roll ("Good Rockin' Tonight," which was memorably covered by Elvis Presley, was a jump blues written by Roy Brown and popularized by Wynonie Harris in 1947). In execution, it's wildly different, thanks to Holland and his big band. Possessing a big, bawdy swagger, Holland and his band are an ideal match for a singer as playful as Stewart, giving him the freedom to swing, scat, and smile with glee. Where Rod often seemed a little mannered, even stuffy, on the Great American Songbook albums, he's singing with an evident grin here, with a cheerful sound matched by Holland's pounding piano and the band's big, bustling rhythms. There's a palpable sense of joy, all derived from the musicians working live in the studio: they're getting a kick out of their collaboration and it's hard for the listener not to get swept up in the excitement with them. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	02/23/2024
Label:	Rhino East West / Warner Bros. / Warner Records
UPC:	5054197801686

Tracks

1. Lullaby of Broadway
2. Oh Marie
3. Sentimental Journey
4. Pennies From Heaven
5. Night Train
6. Love Is the Sweetest Thing
7. Them There Eyes
8. Good Rockin' Tonight
9. Ain't Misbehavin'
10. Frankie and Johnny
11. Walkin' My Baby Back Home
12. Almost Like Being in Love
13. Tennessee Waltz

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Rod Stewart   Primary Artist,Vocals
Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra   Primary Artist
Jools Holland   Primary Artist,Piano
Oli Savill   Percussion
Enrico Tomasso   Trumpet
Gary Potter   Guitar
Phil Veacock   Saxophone
Jonathan Scott   Trumpet
Roger Goslyn   Trombone
Anna Brooks   Saxophone
Matt O'Connor   Congas,Tambourine
Nathan Bray   Trumpet
Joanne Harper   Vocals (Background)
Ollie Furness   Vocals (Background)
John H Jnr   Vocals (Background)
Richard Taylor   Vocals (Background)
Courtney Brown   Trombone
Gilson Lavis   Drums
Michael Rose   Saxophone
Holly Brewer   Vocals (Background)
Fayyaz Virji   Trombone
Karl Van Den Bossche   Percussion
Dave Swift   Bass
Chris Storr   Trumpet
Nick Lunt   Sax (Baritone)
Christopher Holland   Organ
Jason McDermid   Trumpet
Lisa Grahame   Saxophone
Derek Nash   Saxophone
Danny Marsden   Trumpet
Alistair White   Trombone
Mark Flanagan   Guitar
Gemma Mewse   Vocals (Background)
Amanda Miller   Vocals (Background)
Lya Reis Guerrero   Percussion
Peter Long   Saxophone
Winston Rollins   Trombone

Technical Credits

Maceo Pinkard   Composer,Lyricist
Alfredo Mazzucchi   Composer
Phil Veacock   Arranger
Jonathan Scott   Arranger
Arthur Johnson   Composer
Oscar Washington   Composer
Courtney Jackson   Dancer
Michael Burr   Dancer
Toria Ford   Dancer
Molly Goodman   Dancer
Lucy Parsons   Dancer
Lucy Mancinetti   Dancer
Liam Tistell   Dancer
Genevieve Bennett   Dancer
Pee Wee King   Composer
Jools Holland   Arranger
Louis Prima   Composer
Rod Stewart   Arranger
Roy Brown   Composer
Roy Turk   Composer
Jimmy Forrest   Composer
Redd Stewart   Composer
Nitin Sawhney   Producer
Les Brown   Composer
Harry Brooks   Composer
William Tracey   Composer,Lyricist
Bud Green   Composer
Al Dubin   Composer
Ben Homer   Composer
Fayyaz Virji   Arranger
Lewis Simpkins   Composer
Phil Manzanera   Producer
Harry Warren   Composer
Johnny Burke   Composer
Vincenzo Russo   Composer
Charles Wilmott   Composer
Eduardo di Capua   Composer
Derek Nash   Arranger
Harry Timson   Engineer
Amanda Miller   Dancer
Fred Ahlert   Composer
Frederick Loewe   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Ray Noble   Composer
Andy Razaf   Composer
Fats Waller   Composer
Jay Lerner   Composer
Doris Tauber   Composer,Lyricist