Texas Swing

Subject: Texas Swing
From:
Date: 12 Aug 98 - 05:40 PM

Well, although it hasn't hit my little Duckburg yet, I read in the newspapers that in the cool places like New York and Toronto swing has made a comeback. Apparently it is called New Swing because although it is based on the "old" swing it isn't quite the same. By the looks of the pictures I saw of the bands it is unlikely Benny Goodman would have hired any of them.:)

I'm wondering if Texas Swing has made a comeback at the same time, and if so, if anyone can recommend any New Texas Swing bands?

Subject: RE: Texas Swing
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 Aug 98 - 06:14 PM

Hi, Tim - go through our Help the Mudcat page to one of the online CD vendors, and take a listen to clips from Don Walser. I saw him when Tish Hinojosa took him along on tour a couple of years ago, and he was excellent. Looks like other poeple think so, too - he was on a Texas label called Watermelon records, and now he's on Warner. I think you'll like him. Click here to get to Don's Web site.
Would you call Asleep at the Wheel's recordings Texas Swing? I think they do some great stuff.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Texas Swing
From: Roger Himler
Date: 12 Aug 98 - 06:23 PM

Tim,

If you check through CDNow, you can listen to several cuts by Squirrel Nut Zippers (that's the name of the band). That may be the swing you have heard about. Targeted at GenX.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Texas Swing
From: BSeed
Date: 12 Aug 98 - 07:06 PM

Asleep at the Wheel is most definitely western swing, very much in the Bob Wills mode. But they've been around a long time: I first heard them in Berkeley about 20 years ago. They had been brought to town by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, who played a bit of swing, too.
--seed

Subject: RE: Texas Swing
From: Jon W.
Date: 12 Aug 98 - 07:15 PM

I've heard on the listener-supported local radio station a group called "Tom Morrell and The Timewarp Tophands" that are pretty good - they have several CD's out. One cut in particular, "Rollie Pollie", I've heard several times as well as an old version (possibly Bob Wills?) and they compare favorably. Since they're so faithful to the original I don't know that you'd classify them as new, but the recordings are modern at least.

Subject: RE: Texas Swing
From: Chet W.
Date: 12 Aug 98 - 08:47 PM

I'm all for young people trying the old styles, (as we all did) but I'll have to say I've been highly unimpressed by the recordings I've heard by the Squirrel Nut Zippers. I'd probably go see them if they came to town, but when it comes to buying CD's, I get a lot more out of the old swing string bands, like Martin, Bogan, and Armstrong, like a lot of Charlie Poole, like a lot of the novelty Hawaiian-type groups, and even later stuff like Leon Redbone and some of Ry Cooder. I hope that the Zippers encourage their fans to look into the roots of what they're doing. (CAB CALLOWAY!)

Not being negative, Chet W.