Sunnyside Swing Revival
It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie, and I’m not about to sin on Sunday, much less Mothers Day. Mom would be dismayed. So I will admit to familiarity with almost every one of the songs performed Saturday night in Lake Worth by a combo called Sunnyside Swing Revival.
How many musical groups have a repertoire of tunes strictly from the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s? None, as far as I know. Oh, some jazz outfits do a tune now and then from that era – but the whole list? Huh-uh. There was a lot that was bad in the so-called good old days, but music wasn’t one of them.
Judging from the reaction of the audience on the outdoor patio of Havana Hideout, this trip down memory lane was pleasurable. All of the tables were taken, and what few were vacated quickly found replacements. The seats were by no means filled by over-60 folks, as the age group was diverse.
Diane Keaton in Annie Hall
Tom Regis, a stellar jazz pianist, and vocalist/percussionist Jill Lurie head this group, which is rounded out by guitarist Jon Zeeman and trumpeter Freddy Jacobs, two formidable jazz musicians. Drummer Karl Ott, a true pro who shines with groups all over South Florida, abandoned his spectator status and sat in. The lovely Lurie is reminiscent of Diane Keaton, physically and vocally, from her singing role in the Woody Allen film Annie Hall.
Lie was one in a string of songs from yesteryear – make that yester-century – that had big record sales and airplay in
their heyday. They were hits for two reasons: great melodies and great lyrics. Tunes such as Has Anybody Seen My Gal and Up a Lazy River, a staple of that smooth, understated, sophisticated black vocal quartet (later a trio) The Mills Brothers. And Pennies From Heaven, the 1936 song sung by Bing Crosby in the Academy Award-winning movie of the same name, and revived in a 1981 movie (same name) starring the inimitable Steve Martin, with a different storyline.
Steve Martin
Yes, I saw the ’80s movie. No, I didn’t see the Depression-era one. Sheesh!!