The Brian Setzer Orchestra (sometimes known by its initials BSO) is a swing and

jump blues Jump blues is an uptempo style of blues, jazz, and boogie woogie usually played by small groups and featuring horn instruments. It was popular in the 1940s and was a precursor of rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Appreciation of jump blues wa ...

band formed in 1992 by

Stray Cats Stray Cats are an American rockabilly band formed in 1979 by guitarist and vocalist Brian Setzer, double bassist Lee Rocker, and drummer Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, New York. The group had numerous hit singles in ...

frontman

Brian Setzer Brian Robert Setzer (born April 10, 1959) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly group Stray Cats, and returned to the music scene in the early 1990s with ...

.Partridge, Kenneth (2021)
Hell of a Hat The Rise of ’90s Ska and Swing
Penn State University Press, ISBN 9780271090535. In 1998, for their breakout album '' The Dirty Boogie'', the group covered

Louis Prima Louis Leo Prima (; December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American trumpeter, singer, entertainer, and bandleader. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he ...

's "

Jump, Jive an' Wail "Jump, Jive an' Wail" is a 1956 jazz swing music, swing song by Louis Prima.Stark, Karl (September 7, 2007). Louis Prima; Jump, Jive An' Wail: The Essential Louis Prima (review). ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''Hillburn, Robert (July 24, 2007). Prim ...

", which originally appeared on Prima's 1957 album '' The Wildest!''. The BSO's follow up single, appearing on the album '' Vavoom!'', was "Gettin' in the Mood."

History

Setzer grew up in Long Island, New York. In his youth, he played the

euphonium The euphonium ( ; ; ) is a tenor- and baritone-voiced valved brass instrument. The euphonium is a member of the large family of valved bugles, along with the tuba and flugelhorn, characterised by a wide conical bore. Most instruments have thr ...

and other brass instruments in school jazz bands. In the 1970s, he found ways to hear jazz and big band music at the

Village Vanguard The Village Vanguard is a jazz club at Seventh Avenue South in Greenwich Village, New York City. The club was opened on February 22, 1935, by Max Gordon. Originally, the club presented folk music and beat poetry, but it became primarily a jaz ...

, but he was also drawn to blues, rock, punk, and

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

. He admired the jump blues of

and

Big Joe Turner Joseph Vernon "Big Joe" Turner Jr. (May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985) was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him". Turner's greatest fa ...

, but also the rock and roll of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

Eddie Cochran Ray Edward Cochran ( ; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. His songs, such as " Twenty Flight Rock", " Summertime Blues", " C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desire in ...

Gene Vincent Vincent Eugene Craddock (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971), known as Gene Vincent, was an American rock and roll musician who pioneered the style of rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-a-Lula", is ...

, and

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...

. During the early 1980s, he led the rockabilly trio

the Stray Cats Stray Cats are an American rockabilly band formed in 1979 by guitarist and vocalist Brian Setzer, double bassist Lee Rocker, and drummer Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, New York. The group had numerous hit singles in t ...

and found popular and commercial success. After the band broke up, Setzer worked as a side man and on a solo career. In 1994, he released the debut album of the Brian Setzer Orchestra, which combined his rockabilly style with swing, big band, and jump blues. The orchestra had a hit on the ''Billboard'' singles chart with its cover version of "

" by Louis Prima.

Activities

The BSO often plays during the December holidays covering Christmas songs, and plays the

Rockefeller Center Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commerce, commercial buildings covering between 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street and 51st Street (Manhattan), 51st Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The 14 original Art De ...

tree-lighting ceremony. Setzer tunes have been used in commercials. The Brian Setzer Orchestra performed 36 concerts on their "Christmas Rocks! 2017" tour which ran from November to December 2017.

Discography

* ''

The Brian Setzer Orchestra The Brian Setzer Orchestra (sometimes known by its initials BSO) is a swing music, swing and jump blues band formed in 1992 by Stray Cats frontman Brian Setzer.Partridge, Kenneth (2021)Hell of a Hat The Rise of ’90s Ska and Swing Penn State U ...

'' (1994) * '' Guitar Slinger'' (1996) * '' The Dirty Boogie'' (1998) * '' Vavoom!'' (2000) * '' Boogie Woogie Christmas'' (2002) * '' Dig That Crazy Christmas'' (2005) * '' Wolfgang's Big Night Out'' (2007) * '' Songs from Lonely Avenue'' (2009) * '' Rockin' Rudolph'' (2015)

Compilations and live albums

* '' Jumpin' East of Java'' (2001) * ''Best of The Big Band'' (2002) * ''Jump, Jive an' Wail: The Best of the Brian Setzer Orchestra 1994-2000'' (2003) * '' The Ultimate Collection'' (2004) * ''The Best of Collection – Christmas Rocks!'' (2008) * ''Ultimate Christmas Collection'' (2008) * '' Don't Mess With a Big Band (Live!)'' (2010) * ''Christmas Comes Alive!'' (2010) * ''It's Gonna Rock 'Cause That's What I Do'' (2010)

DVDs

* ''Brian Setzer Orchestra live In Japan'' (2001) * ''Brian Setzer Orchestra Live: Christmas Extravaganza'' (2005) * ''One Rockin' Night'' (2007) – recorded in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

in 1995 * ''Brian Setzer Orchestra Live: Christmas Rocks!'' (2018)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brian Setzer Orchestra Brian Setzer Brian Setzer Orchestra, The Swing revival ensembles Big bands Jazz ensembles from New York (state) Grammy Award winners