Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Sylvia Herold and the Rhythm Bugs: The Spider and the Fly

Sylvia Herold and the Rhythm Bugs: The Spider and the Fly

By C. Michael Bailey
August 6, 2012
View read count

Track review of "The Spider and the Fly"

Sylvia Herold and the Rhythm Bugs: The Spider and the Fly

The Spider and the Fly is a novelty jazz disc in the best sense of the word. Guitarist Sylvia Herold and her Rhythm Bugs prove intent on archiving Swing era vocal harmonies using the songs of the period. This disc may readily be categorized in the same genre as Karen Johns & Company's Peach (Self Produced, 2012). These are the harmonies that can be found on those Saturday reruns of The Lawrence Welk Show, circa 1972. This is seriously nostalgic.

The title tune was composed by Fats Waller in 1938, derived from the nursery rhyme of the same name. Herold and her group sing this song straight with ever the slightest hint of WEestern Swing à la Bob Wills, with Christian Tamburr's vibraphone, dampened almost to a marimba sound, replaces the steel guitar. This is soundtrack music to the American experience, easily understood and projected.

Personnel

Sylvia Herold

Sylvia Herold: vocals, guitar; Jennifer Scott: voice, piano; Jason Lewis: drums, percussion; Ed Johnson: voice, guitar; Cary Black: bass; Christian Tamburr: vibraphone.

Album information

Title: The Spider and the Fly | Year Released: 2012 | Record Label: Self Produced

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Light
< Previous

Sleeper
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.