BED: Watch Out!

BED

Watch Out!

© 2006 BED (824171111057)

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Classic vocal and instrumental swing jazz performed with heart

notes

BED delves into music from many different eras in this, the group’s third CD. The band adds its special touch to compositions ranging from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century. Founded by vocalist Becky Kilgore, guitarist/banjo player Eddie Erickson and trombonist/cornetist (and sometime pianist) Dan Barrett, they specialize in uncovering hidden musical treasures.

BED’s unique chemistry blends Becky’s easygoing, melodic vocals with Eddie’s fluid guitar and Dan’s expressive trombone and bassist Joel Forbes’ swinging, solid rhythmic foundation. Each individual member of BED is comfortable playing a vast repertoire of standards, but as a group they prefer to bring new life to a variety of great songs: once popular, but now less frequently performed hits, or promising works that simply never achieved much notice.

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  • Four remarkable talents at their best!
    author: Aaron "Smokey" Arnold

    This quartet reaffirms the fact that it's made up of four cooks that make the broth four times better once again with WATCH OUT! If you've not heard the first two BED cds, this one would make a perfect introduction, and if you have, you can be sure you won't be let down. They don't need a seventeen piece big band to make a grand scale production out of classic songs, some of which you may be familiar with, and others that lovingly redefined. All tracks are qualify for selection as "stand outs." Just to name a few, it starts out with Steve Allen's "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big," and right away you can hear them accomplish on their own what you might be used to for the song with arrangements that otherwise were propped up by a wall of sound. Dan Barrett can do as much with one trombone as an entire section of an orchestra, and add to that Becky Kilgore's ability to act out every word she phrases, and it blows away all previous versions. Once we're in for a ride, the charming satirical "The Waiter and the Porter and the Upstairs Maid" by Johnny Mercer is both original in getting the BED treatment, and an homage to the classic recording with Eddie Erickson not so much trying to imitate Bing Crosby, while certainly proving him to be an influence, Becky having fun taking Mary Martin's part, and even Dan doing some vocalizing in Jack Teagarden's old part, and sounding once again like you would expect a singing horn player to go along. "A Hundred Years From Today" is always successful if it's done right, which takes a lot, and you can leave it to the charming and elegant style of Becky Kilgore to make this quite possibly one of the best renditions ever. Perhaps the most memorable and tear inducing track is "Canadian Sunset." Perhaps unintentionally in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the classic Eddie Heywood/Hugo Winterhalter instrumental, bassist Joel Forbes is given a chance to bring the sound of his instrument to the forefront, carrying along with it some beautiful trombone sounds of Dan's, while Eddie and Becky do an endearing recreation of the haunting melody, eschewing the generic lyrics of the Andy Williams recording and just emphasizing what Heywood had in mind when he came up with that song. Eddie has such a colorful personality on stage, it makes you believe that if everyone in the world were like him, the dictionary would lose about 95% of it's negative adjectives, and if you've not experienced it in person, his charm comes alive so strongly that you can almost feel his presence in your car or wherever you are listening to "Lazy River" and "In A Little Gypsy Tea Room." Johnny Mercer once again is celebrated with a lively recreation of "I'm An Old Cowhand" which swings like the Bing Crosby recording at an endearing mildly laid back tempo. Dan totally takes over on "There, I've Said It Again" and in the grand tradition of Harry James's trumpet and Tommy Dorsey's trombone, he actually sings with his brass instrument, putting so much into a song, it's even more multi-dimensional than Vaughan Monroe or Bobby Vinton's vocals. I recall first reading the track list of the second BED disc, and thinking the final cut would be a different "Bye Bye Baby" than it was, and as much as I loved it, I longed to hear what they could do with the Leo Robin/Jule Styne classic. I'm very glad to say I have now found out and my high expectations were more than satisfied. Same goes for this exquisite cd as a whole.

  • Fantastic
    author: Ed Goodstein

    This album is magic start to finish IMO. I like the other two BED albums too, but I think this one fully integrates the players, has some of Becky Kilgore's best recent singing (which is saying something), and nice singing as well as playing by Eddie Erickson too. Dan Barrett's trombone is always inventive and interesting-- memoires of Jack Teagarten aren't unwarranted. I think Jeff Forbes bass is finally woven here too, and he does a good job in his solo spots, adding just enough 'greasiness' to proceedings to keep things from being overly rarified. (Should add that Kilgore adds nice rhythm guitar too). The track selections are cool too, with my own favorites being I guess RK's great vocals on "I'm an Old Cowhand" (yes it DOES work for a woman); Eddie's singing/playing on "Rockin'Chair"; & the trio being delightful on Mercer's swing gem, "Waiter and the Porter and the Upstairs Maid." But all terrif. I suppose some might like more orchestral settings for these songs, but in small group intimate way, this is an absolute gem-- definitely one of my favorite albums of '06.

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