During the 1940s, bandleaders scaled down ensemble sizes, moving to smaller seven or eight-piece units. This was primarily a result of wartime economics. Smaller, more flexible groups such as Cab Calloway’s, Louis Jordan’s, Wynonie Harris’ and others played hep to the jump, jive and jitterbug dance craze. And, as more blues selections infused into that style, an early form of R’n’B emerged that peaked in the 1950s, crossing into the mainstream of popular music. Rob Dehlinger’s and the Alpha Rhythm Kings’ Party Time brings us back to those dance-hopping days with eleven tracks, including a number of creative originals, all superbly performed.
All
the Cats Join In lights the fire with
Dehlinger’s horn blasting away, the ensemble swinging tight, and the leader offering
a vocal that is right out of Cab Calloway. It’s a great opener. Rocker Prince’s
Party Man, a brilliant production choice, here is a killer shuffler.
It is hiply arranged (as the entire session is), and the ensemble shines. It’s
a highlight track. The Copycats is a straight-ahead swinger with a Louie
Prima vibe. The Evil of the Thriller, another great selection, is a
strutter with a take on Vincent Price’s spoken intro to Michael Jackson’s monster
hit, Thriller. There’s a hip sax solo from an uncredited tenor and
Dehlinger’s rap shines. Scatterbrain is where the leader’s scat chops reign
supreme. He and crew let all loose on this white-hot burner.
The
Alpha Kings, all first-rate player-stylists, are an especially tight, swinging ensemble.
They cover the material in perfect rendition of the hep-cat jump style. The
leader soars on vocals and trumpet and the Kings buy in throughout. The
arrangements across the board are outstanding, as are the production values.
That
Classic Sound lives up to its title - a shuffling Rhythm
and Blues groove. The track invokes all of the swing, stop-time, and drive of
the 50s spit-curl genre. La Vie en Rose, long associated with French
chanteuse, Edith Piaf gets a Louis Prima take with Dehlinger’s horn soloing the
iconic melody before his fine vocalizing. Earl Bostic’s That’s the Groovy
Thing is an upbeat call-and-band-response swinger that closes the date on an
optimistic note with outstanding sax, trombone, and trumpet solos.
Party
Time is a stone romp throughout. Dehlinger and
the Alpha Rhythm Kings have delivered a superior album all-around that lives up
to and exceeds it title. Grab your kicks for this one! Nick Mondello
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