Austin Lindy Hop
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Austin Lindy Hop
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Steve Forbert: "Any Old Time"(Songs of Jimmie Rogers)
Steve Forbert is not at all your traditional Swing Musician. He actually is a Rock musician who hit it big with a few pop hits in the late 70s, and has maintained a solid but less-popular Rock-and-Roll following ever since. Somewhat demonstrating the ubiquitousness of the Swing Rhythm, though, one or two songs per album of his has always had some "swing" to it, even if you might not call it "Swing Music." On this album released in the Spring of 2002, Little Stevie Forbert (as he was known in the 70s) declares and pays tribute to the inspiration and influence that made him swing through many of his Rock and Roll days: Old Western Swing music of the style popular on the roads between Texas and Tennessee years ago. Jimmie Rodgers was one of the most influential of these Western Swing-Country musicians who blended traditional American Country Folk music with the solid rhythm and harmonic structures of the Blues, creating and developing the genre of Western Swing music that linked Texas with the Honky Tonk crowd of Nashville, Tennesee, and would ultimately influence Western Swing-Rockabilly types (like Buddy Holly) to take it another step further and turn these Blues into Rock and Roll. As with most albums that Lindy Hoppers enjoy, not every song is danceable, but there are four or five gems on this CD, most notably the title track, that really make us want to get up and dance, even if it is with (just a bit of) a Honky Tonk flavor. So as not to scare the "city-folk" out there, this is NOT shit-kickin,' boot-stompin, pet-yer-hound-guuuud-cuz-he-done-killed-us-'nother-possom Country music. This album features fairly straight blues music with some Western flair to it. Like most tribute albums, Forbert does not ridiculously try to sound exactly like Jimmie Rogers, but instead pays tribute by playing Jimmie Rogers' songs in Stevie's own style. It is also recorded impeccably, bringing some audible richness to a genre of music that is famous for the tinny sound quality of its early recordings. The CD is widely available at most Tower outlets and other "normal" CD shops across the country. |
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This week's recommendation brings a little traditional Texas Swing flavor to the
Lindy Hop World, as featured during Lawrence's After-Hours set on Saturday night
of the 3rd Austin Lindy Exchange.