"Dennis Gruenling and Jump Time"
Jump and swing music is supposed to get people to jump and swing. It’s no wonder Dennis Gruenling and Jump Time were surprised last Saturday night with a quiet audience of forty at Bethlehem’s Godfrey Daniels.
It was hard to resist the singing of Gina Fox on high-octane numbers like “Keep It Up” and “Your Cash Ain’t Nothin’ But Trash”. The guitar solos of her brother Chris Vitarello were high points of the evening, with their effortless mix of jazz, blues, and jive.
Gruenling mixed blues into the show with T-Bone Walker’s “Blues Is a Woman” and Junior Wells’ “Little By Little”, which gave him the chance to show off his considerable harp skills. Gruenling also played chromatic harmonica on many jump tunes, often weaving in and around the solos of tenor saxophonist Tom Buckelew.
Jump Time became looser and more swinging as their two and a half hour show progressed. Buckelew remained a little stiff, though, and looked as if he wished he were someplace else.
Steve Geller on standup bass and Felipe Torres on drums were a superior rhythm section, although Torres was a bit loud with miked drums in a venue as small as Godfrey’s.
There’s no doubt that the band won over the spectators, so word should get around about Jump Time for their next visit. There should be a bigger crowd ready to move, and there might even be a few people slipping shots into their chamomile tea.
--Dave Howell, 9/03
(This article first appeared in The Morning Call newspaper.)
It was hard to resist the singing of Gina Fox on high-octane numbers like “Keep It Up” and “Your Cash Ain’t Nothin’ But Trash”. The guitar solos of her brother Chris Vitarello were high points of the evening, with their effortless mix of jazz, blues, and jive.
Gruenling mixed blues into the show with T-Bone Walker’s “Blues Is a Woman” and Junior Wells’ “Little By Little”, which gave him the chance to show off his considerable harp skills. Gruenling also played chromatic harmonica on many jump tunes, often weaving in and around the solos of tenor saxophonist Tom Buckelew.
Jump Time became looser and more swinging as their two and a half hour show progressed. Buckelew remained a little stiff, though, and looked as if he wished he were someplace else.
Steve Geller on standup bass and Felipe Torres on drums were a superior rhythm section, although Torres was a bit loud with miked drums in a venue as small as Godfrey’s.
There’s no doubt that the band won over the spectators, so word should get around about Jump Time for their next visit. There should be a bigger crowd ready to move, and there might even be a few people slipping shots into their chamomile tea.
--Dave Howell, 9/03
(This article first appeared in The Morning Call newspaper.)