Oct.'06 is the 25th anniversary of the release of Almost Blue. It introduced me to acceptable country music, as opposed to country 'n Irish and mainstream Nashville fare.
Around the same time Joe Jackson released Jumpin' Jive , an album of covers of big band / swing songs. Just as with Elvis, Joe used his (then) record selling clout to force his record company to indulge him in exploring an unfashionable musical genre. As with ‘Blue, I found myself discovering a whole new area of music. Back in those pre 'net/CD days it was a real task to find the originals of the songs and more material by the artists in question. Whole sections of my record/CD collection can be traced back to those two albums.
Does anyone else here have memories of a similar experience?
Jumpin' Jive proved to be one of Joe Jackson's most adventurous projects as he tries his hand at covering a bunch of Louis Jordan and Cab Calloway tunes, ranging from the extravagance of big band to bop to vibrant swing music. The album broke the Top 50 in the U.S. and made it to number 14 in England, with the title track peaking at number 43 over there as well. Jackson sounds extremely fresh and vivacious throughout all of the tracks, with Calloway's "We the Cats" and "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" demonstrating how easily his persona adapts to this particular style of music. Jackson doesn't just sing the music here, he actually role-plays to some extent to make the songs sound that much more genuine and timeless, giving tunes like "Tuxedo Junction," "What's the Use of Getting Sober," and the hip-cat composure of "Jumpin' Jive" some modern flash and color. The horn work is dazzling as well, especially Dave Bitelli's alto sax and Pete Thomas' clarinet contributions. Not only was Jumpin' Jive a novel idea, but it reveals Jackson's musical dexterity and desire to further his interests into other avenues aside from pop and mainstream ballads. Although he touched on reggae with 1980's Beat Crazy, Jumpin' Jive fully uncovers his musical astuteness and remains one of his best albums. ~ Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide
I really like Joe Jackson as well as Elvis and I really enjoyed this album as well as Almost Blue. Even though I grew up in Nashville and don't particularly like most country music, any Country Elvis is good to listen to. I saw Elvis at the Grand Ole Opry on the AB tour and Spooky has posted a picture of the T-shirt in the past.
I remember also buying Joe Jackson's Beat Crazy and liking it very much on first listen.
They are both very sarcastic and musically broad. It is a shame they have never crossed paths musically.
