Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Colin James: Little Big Band II

Colin James: Little Big Band II

By Ed Kopp
August 1, 1999
View read count

A fine blues guitarist and singer, Saskatchewan native Colin James dabbled in the swing thing long before it became the pop flavor of the month. His 1993 release Little Big Band featured a dazzling band that included Roomful of Blues, Chuck Leavell and Reese Winans. James revives that sound here by inviting blues and swing talents Kaz Kazanoff (saxophones), Greg Piccolo (saxophones), Winans (keys), Brian Casserly (trumpet) and many others to join him in the studio. This collection mixes blues with swing classics, and though it's similar to the stuff Brian Setzer's Orchestra delivered on their latest, this band is far less bombastic than Setzer's. Little Big Band II is one of the better collections of jump blues and swing I've heard since the swing craze took hold.

Personnel

Colin James

keyboards

Album information

Title: Little Big Band II | Year Released: 1999 | Record Label: Elektra Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

12-15-78
< Previous

Memphis Piano Convention
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.