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Contemporary Masters

With the advantage of that crisp CD sound, as well as the possibility of a live concert, here are some folks still playing some smashing tunes.

Mora's Modern Rhythmists

These chaps are the band when it comes to modern bands playin pre-swing-era music. Their first CD focuses on the 20's and 30's, while the third gets into the late 30's and 40's. I'd personally recommend the second which is a mix of the two, "Mr. Rhythmists Goes To Town" - the band plays well, and the vocalist are excellent. "My Favorite Band" has a a larger orchestra for a full authentic sound that I enjoy, but the few songs with vocals by Mr. Mora himself leave a little to be desired.

The band has an excellent website with all sorts of fun goodies. They play regular shows in the Southern California area but tour the West Coast and event the Northeast occassionally.

The Pasadena Roof Orchestra

Playing music in the tradition of the great British dance bands and novelty songs, these fellows have been playing since the 1970's. They have a great bounce to them and play some remarkably silly tunes that Mr. Wooster would love, including "If I had a Talking Picture of You," "My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes," and "I Like A Little Girl Like That" mixed in with classics ("Pennies from Heaven", "As Time Goes By") but will throw you a loop every now and then with something unexpected ("Honey Pie" by the Beatles and others). But don't expect serious jazz here, this is pure fluff from the 20's and 30's.

They tour the UK with their lively shows, and come to the US as well. Visit their website to learn more.

Rob Fisher and the Coffee Club Orchestra

The Royal Society Jazz Orchestra

Performing largely in the San Francisco Bay area, this 11 piece group does dance tunes and smooth romantic ballads with a very authentic sound. They've even got an album entitled "Sunny Disposish." See their website for more.

Ian Whitcomb and His Bungalow Boys

Following his hit single in the 1960s, Ian Whitcomb turned his ukelele towards vintage music - frequently very silly vintage music. His latest project is the enjoyable soundtrack to "The Cat's Meow" but he has other recordings including ballads played on the ukelele, novelty songs that would send shivers up Jeeves spine, and even a grammy-winning CD of songs played aboard the Titanic. Take a look through his website for lots more on the interesting man.

Classics

Where to begin? The music of the 20's and 30's comes in lots of varieties, but when I think of Wodehouse I tend to go for the dance bands of England and the USA. The soundtrack to the granada series also has lots of great violin jazz which also brings to mind the work of Stephane Grapelli with Django Reinhardt. Worth checking out is the company, Past Perfect which uses computers to bring the original recordings back to hi-fi glory. It's definitely worth checking out, since they have some great music from the era in the dance band section, as well as their smooth "Sophistication" series from the thirties and some real jazz too.

Anyhow, here are some names to drop your way:

• Fletcher Henderson - King of dance bands
• Frank Crumit - Great novelty songs
• Artie Shaw - Big band leader
• Stephane Grappelli - Violin jazz pioneer with Django Reinhardt
• Bix Beiderbeck - Some good rags
• Jack Hylton - British Dance Band leader

More later...