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Ah—the
Year 2000. The beginning of the a new millennium and a new era
of retro music. Y2K didn't bring the colossal meltdowns that
were predicted worldwide, but it did bring the return of several
classic artists from years gone by. Old friends that you grew
up listening to on your parents' radio were suddenly back on
the scene with brand new record releases.
Legendary blues guitarist B.B. King returned to the airwaves
with Let The Good Times Roll. Bryan Ferry, who made the
ladies swoon as frontman for the group Roxy Music, made his
foray in to swing with As Time Goes By. The lovely Keely
Smith returned from oblivion in an amazing come back tour and
revisited her hits from the days when she sang with her husband,
Louis Prima.
Boxed
set collections and anthologies were also the choice form of
record releases. The year 2000 witnessed collective releases
from Duke Ellington, Sammy Davis Jr., Billie Holiday, Etta James
and Nat King Cole. But don't get me wrong, 2000 wasn't just
about the classics: Y2K began the filtering of the retro music
world. Modern swing bands were all around in the later part
of the 1990s, and in 2000, the cream truly floated to the top.
Those that rose above included the likes of Candye Kane, Hawaii's
Hula Joe and The Hutjumpers, New York's Josh Max's Outfit and
the late, great Peggy Cone.
Y2K
Proved to be an exciting year in many respects. Click any of
the reviews in the right column for a sample of what kicked
off a promising era of 21st Century Swing.
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