Album Notes

Lesley Byers & The Jazz Cats are an inspiring six-piece group from Chicago that embodies swingin' jazz at its finest. Their type of music has been called 'Ella with Attitude.'

Lesley & The Cats perform all throughout the country. Check out their performance schedule at www.lesleybyers.com ____

Dec 2001 - All About Jazz Review (www.allaboutjazz.com)

By Jack Bowers

From the name of the album and group, I was expecting to hear from Lesley Byers & The Jazz Cats something along the lines of Keely Smith with Louis Prima and Sam Butera's Witnesses, but Byers and her quintet of capable Windy City sidemen offer a more straight-ahead brand of jazz that's as well-crafted as it is pleasurable. Byers is a bright, amiable singer who must be even more charming to see than mearly to hear. One can readily sense her remarkable vitality and enthusiasm for what she does, and there's no doubt that Byers knows how to sell a lyric. As a bonus, her articulation is so clear and precise that almost every syllable is sharply defined and comprehensible, which isn't always true of contemporary singers, some of whom, it must be said, seem more interested in showing off than in telling a story, which is what a singer should do (for a splendid example of how to narrate one properly, listen to Byers on Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies"). For her third album as leader, she has chosen five popular works from the Great American Song Book to complement such swing-oriented fare as "Hit That Jive Jack," "A Slick Chick" and "Mama (He Treats Your Daughter Mean)." Byers is persuasively forlorn on "Black Coffee" and scats with assurance on the Ellington novelty tune "Bli-Blip." Another highlight is the clever "rise-to-stardom" opus, "Big Time." There's one instrumental track, Lester Young's peppery "Lester Leaps In." Tenor Ed Enright, whose name I'd seen before as a writer for (I think) Down Beat magazine, solos on that one with guitarist Zvonimir Tot and drummer Deric Perry. Elsewhere, the main soloists are Enright (on tenor or baritone) and pianist John Proulx. Even though the playing time is a modest forty minutes and change, almost all of them are rewarding. In sum, an ultra-classy caper by a super-hip (and slick) chick."
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Strutters Quarterly Spring 2002
CD Review by Charleston Hepston

Stop the presses! Get this CD in your library right now! The CD is packed with great versions of your favorite songs and will keep your toes tappin' and you hummin' along throughout the twelve songs on it! Well, eleven, one is Latin!

Swing dancers are going to rave about the music they will find on this CD. Byers and her boys take on the dance favorites including 'Love Me or Leave Me' and 'Bli-Blip.' The former is a very nice version but Byers vocals don't recapture the Nina Simone attitude. That doesn't make it bad, just another good version to dance to. 'Bli-Blip' was done very well. It's a very playful and melodic with great scatting by Byers.

There are numerous songs "in the pocket" for dancers like 'Perdido,' 'Mean to Me,' 'Mama (He Treats Your Daughter Mean),' and 'Blue Skies.'There is also a fantastic bluesy 'Black Coffee,' where Byers excels with her sexy vocals and excellent phasing. Byers also lets it go with 'Mama,' breaking away from her comfort zone and getting growly and adding great vocal inflections that you don't hear in the bulk of these tunes.

Faster tunes include 'Hit That Jive Jack,' 'Lester Leaps In' and 'Big Time.' Balboa, Shag and fast Lindy dancers will love these high energy, blazing fats tempos.

The band. WOW! These guys swing hard. There are great solos by all throughout but I should point out great piano work in 'Mean To Me' and 'Blues Skies.' The sax shines in 'Lester Leaps In' and guitar excels in 'A Slick Chick.'

This is definately a CD for dancers. Seven of twelve tunes are totally in the pocket and the rest you will have fun with either listening to or dancing outside the pocket. Lesley Byers & The Jazz Cats have one solid, swingin' CD for you.

Bottom Line: To buy or not to buy...Oh yeah, BUY THIS ONE!
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