Katharine Whalen's Jazz Squad
With theSquirrel Nut Zippers, banjo diva Katharine Whalen specializes in new songs you'd swear you've heard before. Her first solo album,Jazz Squadflips that formula on its head, dressing up old favorites in fancy new duds. Records like this invariably stand or fall on their vibe and feel, so the key question is: Does it swing? Would it sound right after-hours in a bar, after the mice have scattered for home and the jazz cats have come in to play? The answer is an emphatic yes. Though not an overpowering vocalist, Whalen demonstrates impeccable taste and timing. She's playful on the bouncy "Deed I Do," sultry on "There Is No Greater Love," sassy on "Now or Never," and crafty all over, gliding from song to song with an elegance that appears almost effortless. Most of the selections date from between the World Wars, with one new ringer ("Badisma," an instrumental penned by husband and Zippers guitarist Jimbo Mathus). The backup, a fine quintet featuring three other moonlighting Zippers, is executed as flawlessly as the musicology.Jazz Squadcertainly doesn't discourage comparisons toBillie Holiday; it also conjures up memories ofChet Baker's languid vocals andBlossom Dearie's cabaret croon. YetJazz Squadis less musty revivalism than the best kind of nostalgia. Death may start in your record collection, but you'd never know it from this.--David Menconi