Published on Nov 19, 1999
With the recent resurgence in interest in mambo, swing, and big
band sounds, it’s a shame Chicago released their
Night And Day CD four years ago. Were it released today, it
might get the venerable band back on the charts, and justifiably
so.
Night And Day is Chicago’s tribute to the big band and swing
era, and it’s a romp through thirty years of musical history that’s
well worth the price.
The sound is crisp and clear, surprisingly light given the
production of the late Bruce Fairbairn. The horns have a good deal
of punch, but the guitars still sound like rock guitar; this
dichotomy helps make these songs really Chicago’s, as opposed to a
stale tribute CD. The vocals are almost perfect — Robert Lamm,
Jason Scheff, and Bill Champlin seemed to really sit down and
figure which of their distinctive voices should handle a specific
cut, and that care shows.
The CD starts off with…what else?…”Chicago”, and it’s a fine
finesse on the 1957 Frank Sinatra hit. From there it’s a joyous
parade of classics — a bluesy version of “Goody Goody”, originally
recorded by Benny Goodman; Jimmy Lunceford’s “Blues In The Night”
(with special guest Joe Perry of Aerosmith); a flamenco take on
“Sing, Sing, Sing” courtesy of the Gipsy Kings; and the tribal
drumming on “Night And Day” adds a unique dimension to the Cole
Porter classic.
When most artists would start the CD off with the strongest
tracks, Chicago begins the CD’s close with the two best things in
their tribute repertoire. “In The Mood” is performed straight, that
brassy and bright Chicago horn section handling the Glenn Miller
classic with ease. The same horns, interwoven with Lamm’s powerful
vocals, do justice to Duke Ellington’s “Don’t Get Around Much
Anymore”.
Unfortunately,
Night And Day‘s close is marred by a few slight miscues on
the last song, “Take The A Train”. The closing vocals seem almost
flat, and the slight edge of jazz-style atonality in the horn line
doesn’t add anything, and in fact detracts from the simple beauty
of the melody.
The miscues are slight, though, and anyone who’s discovering the
joys of these musical forms should go out and pick up
Night And Day, both as a decent introduction to the big band
sound and as a faithful tribute by one of rock’s more competent
bands to music they love.