Louis Jordan

Finally, something good has come from the lame swing revival deal — reissues of long-neglected material like this showing up in the shops. Jordan was the link between Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington and Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, and eventually Joe Jackson (whose 1981 release Jumpin’ Jive presaged the swing revival) and the Squirrel Nut Zippers, et. al. The 46 tracks were recorded between 1938 and 1953, and include classics like “Five Guys Named Moe,” “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens,” “Let The Good Times Roll,” “Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t (My Baby),” and “Saturday Night Fish Fry, Parts 1 & 2.” And it doesn’t get much hepper than “Caldonia.” Hell, he even influenced the Clash. The New Orleans strut of “Junco Partner” was rewritten (and credit taken for) on Sandinista!