Album Notes

JUST IN - SECOND PRESSING!

Los Angeles' hottest new swing band, Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five featuring Hilary Alexander, have released their debut CD, "Jammin' the Blues," to rave reviews. The album features the best of the signature Campus Five sound, classic small group swing ala the Benny Goodman Sextet, or Count Basie's Kansas City Six and Seven.

The band covers several nonstandard swing tunes, such as Coleman Hawkins' "Stuffy", and the 1945 Benny Goodman Sextet Tune "Oomph Fa Fa," as well as several straight-ahead tunes like "Cottontail", "Flying Home", and "Lester Leaps In". Vocalist and Co-leader Hilary Alexander shines on 40's gems such as "Shoo Fly Pie," "Mister 5x5," and "Down the Road a Piece," while Leader and Guitarist Jonathan Stout burns on tracks such as Django Reinhardt's "Minor Swing," and Charlie Christian's "Seven Come Eleven."

Of course, the peak of album is reached with the title track, "Jammin' the Blues," which finds the band hitting on all cylinders. The album was recorded by vintage-jazz extraordinaire Dick Hamilton at his studio, the Doing, using vintage RCA 44 microphones to capture the traditional sound of classic small group swing. "Jammin' the Blues" featured Los Angeles' best swing musicians, including Tenor Saxophonist and Clarinetist Albert Alva, Trumpeter and Vocalist Jim Ziegler, Pianist Christopher Dawson, Bassist Jim Garafolo, and Vintage-Jazz drumming phoneme Josh Collazo.

----

"This is no tired tribute band or museum piece trying to sound hip, but a group of young musicians enthusiastic about playing this music and not dissimilar to what one would likely have heard at any club or dancehall in the mid to late '30's. Fans of the Golden Age of Jazz will want to check this out. Highly Recommended!”
- Ted Gottsegen, Just Jazz Guitar Magazine, February 2004

"I think both The Campus 5 and Jonathan Stout's Big Band are the two of the finest swing bands we have today, not only because of Jonathan Stouts commitment to the art and his appreciation for the era, but also because Mr. Stout has that rare connection to the dancers that comes from being a dancer himself and a pretty good one at that, he knows what keeps our feet moving and he gives it to us with style and grace."
"Sailor Mike" Mizgalski- Swing Dancer, 2006 National Collegiate Shag Champion

"Jonathan Stout and His Campus Five are one of those few bands on the scene today that may proudly wear a medallion that says, 'Real Jazz.'"
– Jeff Parker, host of “Parker’s Place” on KAAT-FM 103.1, and www.swingmusic.net

---

Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five, featuring Hilary Alexander is a septet dedicated to preserving the classic and often overlooked small group swing from the late 1930’s and early 1940’s. Founded by two dedicated swing dancers, the Campus Five was a way to expose many dancers and listeners alike to some of the more interesting and under appreciated tunes from the swing era, while still being the most danceable band playing swing today. The Campus Five picks tunes from the books of notable small groups as the Benny Goodman Sextet, Count Basie’s Kansas City Six/Seven, Artie Shaw and his Gramercy Five, as well as the small groups of Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet, Cootie Williams, Django Reinhardt, Duke Ellington, and Coleman Hawkins, and features vocal numbers from Ella Mae Morse, Anita O’Day, Peggy Lee and the young Ella Fitzgerald.

The Campus Five has traveled the world to play to eager swing dancers. We have played at the London Balboa Festival (UK), Hawaii Lindy Exchange (Honolulu), the San Francisco Balboa Festival, DCLX (Washington, DC), and two years running at the All Balboa Festival (Cleveland). The Campus Five has played at jazz festivals, such as the Sweet and Hot Jazz Festival and the OC Classic Jazz Festival, and many municipal festivals, such as the Culver City Music Festival, the Ventura Music Festival, the Ventura Lemon Festival, and the Lake Gregory Summer Concert Series. The Campus Five was featured on an episode of the Ellen Degeneres Show, which aired 2/14.05.

Our Big Band, the Jonathan Stout Orchestra, was formed in November 2004, and opened the 2007 Midsummer Night Swing Festival at Lincoln Center (NYC). We played at the All Balboa Festival two year running(Cleveland), three years running at the Rhythmic Arts Festival (San Diego), the Balboa Rendezvous (San Diego), and Swing in the Colony (Atascadero).