CD Review: Brian Setzer Orchestra plays it old school

More than a decade after “Jump, Jive an’ Wail,” the iconic Brian
Setzer Orchestra still brings home the bacon.

While chock full of rockabilly and witty horn lines, Setzer’s new
album, “Wolfgang’s Big Night Out,” also pays homage to some of
history’s greatest composers.

On the CD, Setzer’s band consists of the standard big-band assortment
of saxes, trombones and trumpets, as well as a rhythm section
sans piano. Setzer does well to incorporate a competent violinist and
saxophonists who have great technique on clarinet and flute, and the
added colors effectively revive the spirits of old.

The album kicks off with Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5.” And it
kicks: The guitar solo kills, and the horns swing with a vengeance
while keeping the sinister essence of the timeless work alive.
The typical rockabilly guitar strum and brisk cymbal chimes are all
there, along with some annoying dialogue among the female vocalists
and horns in “Honey Man,” the adaptation of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s
“Flight of the Bumblebee.”

Setzer also sings original lyrics and plays banjo on “One More
Night With You,” the new-age version of Edvard Grieg’s “Hall of the
Mountain King.”

Adaptations range from the classical period, Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart’s marvelously restored “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,” to the
romantic era, Felix Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Against a classical backdrop, the arranging is interesting to think
about, but some of the phrasing becomes redundant, and the lack of
dynamic contrast on most songs quickly becomes stale. As another
downside, it seems as though every other song is
going to be played incessantly at a mall near you
as we near the holidays.

However, there is some clever song quoting
in the solos and improvisations, showcasing
the repertoire of the individual composer and
creativity of arrangers Setzer, Frank Comstock
and Mark Jones.

Several Tchaikovsky classics from the “Nutcracker
Suite” can be heard in the grooving swing
tune, “1812 Overdrive,” an obvious adaptation
of his “1812 Overture.” It even features a nice
Latin intro.

Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” also makes the cut.
Setzer’s playing on this one, although superb,
takes a backseat to the clever violinist, Sid Page.
The chunky twos and fours from the rhythm section make this tune
swing the hardest out of any on the album, and the song’s efficient
instrumentation takes the listener back to the early Count Basie

The song features acoustic guitar,
violin, clarinet, double bass and a
brush-wielding drummer.

But the song that stands out from
the rest is easily “Some River in
Europe,” a modern take on Johann
Sebastian Strauss’ “Blue Danube.”
The song features softer violin, flute
and clarinet timbres, as well as some
phrases that reflect an Ellingtonian
influence on the arrangers.

Although the enjoyment of this
CD eluded me for the first few
listens, the creativity of Setzer’s
cadre of musicians is perfect for
any jazz or classical aficionado who
craves something fresh.

Grade: B+
Download (don’t steal): “Some
River in Europe” by the Brian Setzer
Orchestra