Royal Crown Revue

You've got the legend Larry Taylor on bass, one of the most respected rhythm players in modern blues.

You've got the Royal Crown Revue horns bringing that punchy, vintage jump blues flavor.

And you've got the great Italian Hammond organist, Alberto Marsico, whose playing adds warmth and drama and a touch of European elegance.

Yeah [laughs], it's a dream lineup.

Sorry, got a little interruption here.

That was calling for tenor saxophone.

And at that same time, I had been working with these guys from this, uh, sort of one of the retro swing bands called Royal Crown Revue.

Oh, yes.

The news dubbed it, as they will, Summer of Swing.

And you have Royal Crown Revue, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and Indigo Swing, and Squirrel Nut Zippers, even the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, and so many more, following on the heels of the success of Swingers and the rise of the cocktail nation.

Those things went hand-in-hand, the cocktail nation's revival of mid-century lounge, surf, and exotica, and a big dose of swing.

Anyhow, Royal Crown Revue rode that wave right into the charts, and, uh, that song, Zip Gun Bop, from their 1996 release, Mugsy's Move album, which hit number 11 on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart.

All right.

That is our first set of shuffled songs.