Often times an artist will take a giant leap into unfamiliar territory and the results are less than satisfying, however, that is clearly not the case here with Swing!, the latest release from Canadian rock guitar legend Pat Travers. On his latest outing, Pat does a complete about-face and delivers killer renditions of '40s & '50s big band swing classics from the likes of Duke Ellington, Louis Prima, Glenn Miller, Woody Herman, and more. Featuring Travers' searing guitar licks alongside musicians Tommy Craig (drums), David Pastorious (bass), Michael Franklin (keyboards), Tim Franklin (stand up bass), Eddie Metz (drums), Brian Scanton (trumpet), Pat Gullotta (trombone), Douglas Spoonamore (tenor sax), and Brian Snappe (alto/baritone sax), Swing! is a rollicking, rocking good time that will get your toes tapping and hips moving, yet still scratch that itch for plenty of sizzling Pat Travers guitar work.
"In the Mood" is one of the many standout tracks here, a blistering take on this swing classic, Pat's guitar lines metallic yet melodic, while "Sing Sing Sing" is glorious, the whole band locked in, allowing for plenty of screaming Travers guitar licks. The horn & rhythm sections provide for some serious grooves and bombast on tracks such as "Opus One" and "Apple Honey", while "Let the Good Times Roll" is, quite simply, raucously delightful. "Tenderly caps out this fun album in style, majestic piano lines supporting some stellar emotional guitar work from Travers. And how about "Take the 'A' Train"? It cooks!!
Don't let the 'swing' tag steer you away from Swing!, as this is Pat Travers after all, and his sensational guitar fireworks are all over this wonderful homage to the big band jazz acts of yesteryear. Well done!
Track Listing
1. Sing Sing Sing
2. Opus One
3. Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby
4. In The Mood
5. Take The ‘A’ Train
6. Let The Good Times Roll
7. Apple Honey
8. Tenderly
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