"Boys" is the reissue of a 1957 LP of the same name, from the end of the five-man Jazz quintet's long and illustrious career, beginning in 1934 at an Oklahoma university. The "Boys," in these all-accompanied, upbeat collection of 13 cuts, bring us a tasty mix of jazz/swing covers (the Gershwins' "'S Wonderful" and "It Ain't Necessarily So," Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies," Rogers and Hart's "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" and Cole Porter's "It's All Right With Me." With wonderful humor and poise, the guys will begin a standard, then feel free to riff it into a joyous, upbeat, funny romp. "Poor Boy" and "Saturday Night Fish Fry" follow the basic rockabilly theme of "How'd I Get Into this Ridiculous Mess?" "There'll Be Some Changes Made," "The Riddle Song" and "Side By Side" are bright, upbeat foot-tappers, while "Young Man with a Horn" and "Something I Dreamed Last Night" are creamy-smooth slow-dance tunes. A varied repertoire with one thing in common-it's all wonderful stuff from the legendary, pioneering DRB. |
