Hot House West: Joy In Rhythm, Vol. I

The fourteen-member Hot House West Swing Orchestra, enabled by Salt Lake City, Utah's nonprofit Hot House West, makes its recorded debut with Joy in Rhythm, Vol. 1, an array of eleven danceable songs, most of which were popular during the Swing Era's golden age in the 1930s and '40s.

This is an album especially designed for dancing; it even includes a booklet that teaches the listener a number of simple dance moves tailored for beginners. In spite of the fact that there are several cursory solos along the way (the longest by violinist Curtis Woodbury), this is not a jazz album per se but one that borrows the rhythms of jazz—most notably swing—to press home its danceable message.

As a guide for dancers, Joy in Rhythm works fairly well. One can imagine a dance floor filled with men and women who are grooving to the music. Remove dancing from the equation, however, and the album reveals a number of flaws, not the least of which is the many liberties taken with the character and tempo of the original compositions—some or even all of which were no doubt deemed necessary to make the finished product more accessible to dancers.

The orchestra's vocalists, Hayley Kirkland and Nathan Royal (who doubles on lead guitar and whistling), are at least on a par with many Swing Era band singers, which can be taken as rather faint praise. As for the orchestra, in terms of power and consonance, it is somewhere below the norm when compared to working professional ensembles, which the Hot House West orchestra does not claim to be. To verify that impression, one need do no more than listen to the closing number, Count Basie's classic "One O'Clock Jump." Case closed.

As no one is likely to amass much wealth performing with this group, it is assuredly a labor of love. And that is perhaps how it should be appraised—as a heartfelt summons to dancers and would-be dancers to leave the couch, head for a ballroom and immerse themselves in the irrepressible Joy of Rhythm.