Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Chris Daniels & The Kings: Louie Louie

Chris Daniels & The Kings: Louie Louie

By Jim Santella
March 1, 1999
View read count

Singer Chris Daniels leads his small swing band in the re-creation of some of the music of Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima, and Louis Jordan. Recalling that and more, Louie Louie includes twelve classic vocal tunes and a surprise instrumental bonus track outtake. The arrangements are refreshing and include ample instrumental interludes from trumpet, saxophone, violin, piano, guitar, and harmonica. Although the album is under 40 minutes in length with tracks averaging three minutes, the horns are clean & tight, the singers are on target, and the result is enjoyable. Background information on Chris Daniels and The Kings may be found at http://www.chrisdaniels.com .

Chris Daniels has a smooth, relaxed, breathy vocal style unlike that of the three Louies. Along with pianist Dean Ledoux and guest singers, Daniels re-creates each arrangement accurately. The Kings capture Louis Jordan’s ensemble sound on "Ain’t Nobody Here but us Chickens" and Louis Prima’s swing rhythm on "Five Months, Two Weeks, Two Days." Forrest Means emulates Satchmo’s trumpet style accurately on "Shine" and offers an outstanding interlude on "Is You Is or Is You Ain’t my Baby." Sam Bush’s spirited violin interludes grace "Sure Had a Wonderful Time Last Night," "Penthouse in the Basement" and "Choo-Choo-Ch’ Boogie." Although the arrangements stand out as re-creations of the originals, Daniels has a unique vocal quality and spreads the fun among his many guests. Recommended.

Track Listing

If You

Personnel

Chris Daniels

Chris Daniels- vocals, guitar; Randy Amen- drums, vocals; Dean Ledoux- keyboards, vocals; Kevin Lege- acoustic and electric bass, vocals; Bones Jones- lead and rhythm guitars; Carlos Chavez- alto and tenor saxophones, vocals; Forrest Means- trumpet, vocals.

Guest Fly McClard- baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone; Jim Downey- trombone; Tony Klatka- trumpet on "I

Album information

Title: Louie Louie | Year Released: 1999 | Record Label: Moon Voyage Records

About Chris Daniels

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Can You Judge an Album By Its Label?
< Previous

Toots Sweet
Next >

Become a Sustaining Member

Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.

Help Build the Future of All About Jazz

Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.

Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.

Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.