Uptown Bounce
David Carroll and his Orchestra
Cover Photo by Cynthia Maddox
Mercury MG 20649
1961
One good musical turn deserves (or more properly, demands) another-and another. LET'S DANCE, DANCE, DANCE should, momentarily at least, still the hue and cry of the steadily growing dance-geared coterie of David Carroll fanciers who were dance-floored by his previous pair of foot-tapping up-tempoed albums, LET'S DANCE (SR-60001-MG-20281) and LET'S DANCE AGAIN (SR-60152-MG-20470).
The Carroll contingent's formula for success is simple-deceptively so: take a batch of spirited, sprightly and sparkling variations on the terpsichorean themes that made the decades of the Thirties and Forties the Golden Age of the Dance Band – mix well with au courant up-beat items-drop in a dash of dashing originals. Deck them out in bright Carroll-colored arrangements, and you have the not-so- secret ingredients that have been artfully crafted to produce maximum mileage en the dance floor.
We take it as a healthy and happy sign that more and more people (if spiraling sales of Carroll's previous dance albums are any barometer) are hopping wholeheartedly on the burgeoning Back-to-the-Dance-Floor bandwagon.
The beauty of a David Carroll collection such as this – and it is a beauty – is that dancing is by no means de rigeur: you can get your kicks in large economy-size quantities just perched at a proper listening distance from your hi-fi, soaking up the dazzling assortment of sounds that are the music hallmarks of a Carroll recording session.
But there's no denying that the tunes on this go-round are eminently danceable. Ever since maestro Carroll first played the drums as a precocious eight-year-old percussionist in the family quartet, the beat has been an important factor in his musical outlook.
And it was just this sort of attentiveness to the beat that made the dance bands of the Thirties and Forties so contagiously popular. They played rhythms that were danceable no matter what the listeners' age, and packed the country's ballrooms and dance palaces. It's this infectious "Let's Dance" enthusiasm that Carroll has so successfully captured in this series.
Carrying forward the great tradition of the Dorseys, the Millers, the Goodmans, the Clintons, the Kemps, the Luncefords, Carroll, in his ten years with Mercury, has produced what the publie is again starting to clamber for – music to bolster what once was the Great American pastime of dancing. In each of the tunes on tap in LET'S DANCE, DANCE, DANCE, Carroll has excitingly varied the tempo and the approach, achieving into a well-rounded, "sole"-satisfying dance (or listen) session.
Mercury MG 20649
1961
From the back cover: Let's Dance, Dance, Dance
One good musical turn deserves (or more properly, demands) another-and another. LET'S DANCE, DANCE, DANCE should, momentarily at least, still the hue and cry of the steadily growing dance-geared coterie of David Carroll fanciers who were dance-floored by his previous pair of foot-tapping up-tempoed albums, LET'S DANCE (SR-60001-MG-20281) and LET'S DANCE AGAIN (SR-60152-MG-20470).
The Carroll contingent's formula for success is simple-deceptively so: take a batch of spirited, sprightly and sparkling variations on the terpsichorean themes that made the decades of the Thirties and Forties the Golden Age of the Dance Band – mix well with au courant up-beat items-drop in a dash of dashing originals. Deck them out in bright Carroll-colored arrangements, and you have the not-so- secret ingredients that have been artfully crafted to produce maximum mileage en the dance floor.
We take it as a healthy and happy sign that more and more people (if spiraling sales of Carroll's previous dance albums are any barometer) are hopping wholeheartedly on the burgeoning Back-to-the-Dance-Floor bandwagon.
The beauty of a David Carroll collection such as this – and it is a beauty – is that dancing is by no means de rigeur: you can get your kicks in large economy-size quantities just perched at a proper listening distance from your hi-fi, soaking up the dazzling assortment of sounds that are the music hallmarks of a Carroll recording session.
But there's no denying that the tunes on this go-round are eminently danceable. Ever since maestro Carroll first played the drums as a precocious eight-year-old percussionist in the family quartet, the beat has been an important factor in his musical outlook.
And it was just this sort of attentiveness to the beat that made the dance bands of the Thirties and Forties so contagiously popular. They played rhythms that were danceable no matter what the listeners' age, and packed the country's ballrooms and dance palaces. It's this infectious "Let's Dance" enthusiasm that Carroll has so successfully captured in this series.
Carrying forward the great tradition of the Dorseys, the Millers, the Goodmans, the Clintons, the Kemps, the Luncefords, Carroll, in his ten years with Mercury, has produced what the publie is again starting to clamber for – music to bolster what once was the Great American pastime of dancing. In each of the tunes on tap in LET'S DANCE, DANCE, DANCE, Carroll has excitingly varied the tempo and the approach, achieving into a well-rounded, "sole"-satisfying dance (or listen) session.
GOOD MORNIN'. A familiar standard, tied up in bright new wrappings, it features an insistent beat, and beautifully-voiced reed choruses setting off a lilting muted trumpet.
SWINGIN' ON A MOONBEAM. After an organ intro, Carroll reintroduces the captivating sand-dancing sound that scored such a hit in LET'S DANCE AGAIN. You can almost see an old vaudeville trouper soft-shoeing his way across a stage.
SWINGIN' ON A MOONBEAM. After an organ intro, Carroll reintroduces the captivating sand-dancing sound that scored such a hit in LET'S DANCE AGAIN. You can almost see an old vaudeville trouper soft-shoeing his way across a stage.
GADABOUT. Penned by Carroll and Milton Putnam, this sprightly air is a showcase for the reeds, with piano, xylophone and guitar sharing the solo spotlight.
COME CLOSER TO ME (ACERCATE MAS). Richly rhumba-tempoed, this Latin standard features a liquid and lush tenor lead which turns over the solo spot to a muted trombone, organ, marimba, and violin before coming back for the closer.
UPTOWN BOUNCE. A violin, echoed by muted trumpets, initially handles the melody of this uptempo Carroll carol. Check the engaging Henry Busse-like horn work herein.
LET'S DANCE, DANCE, DANCE. The title tune, authored by Carroll, is a spankingly-paced rhumba. It's sparked by a spate of outstanding uting that enhances matters musically as it soars majestically over the dynamically-building melodic line.
LET'S DANCE, DANCE, DANCE. The title tune, authored by Carroll, is a spankingly-paced rhumba. It's sparked by a spate of outstanding uting that enhances matters musically as it soars majestically over the dynamically-building melodic line.
HUCKLEBERRY DUCK. One of Raymond Scott's most popular compositions, a tune noted for its unusual musical patterns, is offered attractively upbeat with Carroll's taut charting accented by the swinging single voices of piano, xylophone and guitar.
RED TOP. Penned by Lionel Hampton, this is the most completely jazz-oriented offering in the group as it subtly but surely promotes an undeniable beat. Piano, trumpet, wailing guitar, trombone, and an alto-tenor exchange divide the pleasant solo chores.
MUSKRAT RAMBLE. Among the most venerable of Dixieland evergreens, the Ramble is given the respect it deserves as Carroll maintains a close-to-traditional approach highlighted by a fine clarinet override of the exuberant closing choruses.
RED TOP. Penned by Lionel Hampton, this is the most completely jazz-oriented offering in the group as it subtly but surely promotes an undeniable beat. Piano, trumpet, wailing guitar, trombone, and an alto-tenor exchange divide the pleasant solo chores.
MUSKRAT RAMBLE. Among the most venerable of Dixieland evergreens, the Ramble is given the respect it deserves as Carroll maintains a close-to-traditional approach highlighted by a fine clarinet override of the exuberant closing choruses.
IT'S A WONDERFUL WORLD. Possibly that old Top-Hatter Jan Savitt's best- remembered tune, this ditty typifies the pre-World War II melodies that prompted people to get out on the dance floor. The high points here are an unusually intriguing alto-tenor, piano-xylophone interplay.
NIGHT TRAIN. The Carroll rhythm section does itself proud reproducing the pulsatingly hypnotic boogie-woogie bass figures that made this a big, big hit. The finely-wrought alto work throughout is superlative-and dig that trumpet "train" whistle" closer.
CASTLE ROCK. A medium-tempo, just-right-for-dancing, semi-jump tune, is smartly sparked by a booming bass solo, a series of two-bar alto figures and a dandy eight-bar tenor stint which segues into an intriguing fade-out.
NIGHT TRAIN. The Carroll rhythm section does itself proud reproducing the pulsatingly hypnotic boogie-woogie bass figures that made this a big, big hit. The finely-wrought alto work throughout is superlative-and dig that trumpet "train" whistle" closer.
CASTLE ROCK. A medium-tempo, just-right-for-dancing, semi-jump tune, is smartly sparked by a booming bass solo, a series of two-bar alto figures and a dandy eight-bar tenor stint which segues into an intriguing fade-out.
Good Morning
Swingin' On A Moonbeam
Gadabout
Come Closer To Me (Acercate Mas)
Uptown Bounce
Let's Dance, Dance, Dance
Huckleberry Luck
Red Top
Muskrat Ramble
It's A Wonderful World
Night Train
Castle Rock
I love the cover and the track you have posted!
ReplyDeleteI found my fourth copy of that today, with the cellophane cover still on it. Marked 47cents in a cut out bin from years back. I get such a charge out of Cynthia Maddox and those needle heels. Our mom had a suit similar to the one she's wearing, and looked just as good in hers. As far as the music goes, it's a delightful slice of 1961, I was only seven when it came out. Cool site too!
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