Its Tight Like That
Long before Jeff Healey burst onto the '80s blues-rock scene with an unorthodox lap-steel-like approach to conventional guitar and a flair for radio-friendly pop songs like "See the Light" and "Angel Eyes," he had a deep jones for 1920s and '30s jazz. His first major release in that vein, a live recording with his eight-piece Wizards and British jazz revivalist/trombonist Chris Barber as his guest, takes Louis Armstrong's historic Hot Five recordings and Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club band as its swinging twin axis of influences. Sure, the results aren't groundbreaking, yet they're authentic and fun, thanks to spirited performances and a selection of mostly playful uptempo chestnuts, including "Sing You Sinners," Georgia Tom Dorsey's suggestive title track, and Bessie Smith's "Keep It to Yourself." Barber's trombone solos are hale and raucous, but Healey's his own ringer, fretting elegant, classic guitar lines and pulling boisterous double duty on ebulliently squawking trumpet.--Ted Drozdowski