Overall, this is a good CD to have in your library. You'll find lots of good danceable songs that reflect their good musicianship and fun that KGB seems to have while performing. To buy or not to buy...BUY!

Jazz took the blues sideways and came up with a whole genre called swing. When big bands went bust and small-group jazz’s abstractions and solemnities alienated the masses, pop music took swing down a side road that came to be called cabaret or cocktail music. All the above came back with the young generation of the 1990s and this permutation – everything from lounge-lizard slime to hot big-band derived dance music – got named the Swing Revival. That’s what these three cats are about. The KGB Trio embodies everything rock ’n’ roll rebelled against in 1954: swing, sophistication, smooth jazzy grooves, unison and harmony trio vocals, both standard and jive material, and an absolute refusal to take themselves seriously except in their obvious craftsmanship. Now, the Swing Revival may already be old-hat, but that it was revived at all demonstrated the eternal musical values to which KGB adheres, falling somewhere between the ultra-polish of the original Nat Cole Trio and the raucous proto-rock of Louis Jordan, whose popularity Charlie Parker detested. The infamous Randy Lopez recorded this 15-song-set a year ago this month at the plush 4th Avenue venue, er, Plush. The perhaps even more infamous Craig Schumacher mastered it at his Wavelab studio eight months later. I just came across one of a limited run of CDs as the last DBB was being printed. As this history attests, pianist-singer Brenden Kearney, bassist-singer Steve “Ubiquitous” Grams and drummer-singer Kyle Bronsdon weren’t even serious about getting this live CD out. So you’re probably going to have to see one of these cats or go to a gig – or hire ‘em! – to latch onto this record. You might want this limited-run, home-made record if you’ve heard it, or are in an experimental mood. You will want this record if you’ve seen them because they and it are delightful. Kyle Bronsdon, he of the smooth time, subtle backbeats, sports jackets and interminable commercials, explains this odd situation: “You’ll hear a virtual KGB show, with all the authenticity of forgotten lyrics, instrumental screw-ups and a million laughs. This recording captures KGB’s ‘last gig ever.’ But if you listen to the blast the three of us have together, you’ll know there can really be no end to the fun. Wherever the music takes us as individuals, I know the three of us will be playing for people like you for a long, long time to come…” The recording’s sound is very high quality. In fact I’d expect no less from the people and places. However, it’s still a homemade project in the sense that none of the songs are credited. I recognized some right away, as will you, and they show the influences KGB combines: a chestnut like This Can’t Be Love, Louis Jordan’s There Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens, Gimme That Wine of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross fame, and Nostalgia in Times Square, Kearney’s nod to Charles Mingus, the pre-eminent 20th century jazz composer-bassist-bandleader. If these scribblings have piqued your interest, inquire further at Vitalegacy, 1225 E. Alta Vista, Tucson AZ 85719 or www.vitalegacy.com. If you aren’t interested, perhaps these gentlemen (What!? Who came in?) have already made themselves as loveably insufferable as intended.

Kearney, Grams, and Bronsdon - To Go (Vitalegacy - 2001) Reviewed: 25 May 2002. Ratings: ***½, LLL½ More fun swing from this Arizona jazz trio. The singing is quite ragged in certain songs, but the songs are well-played, danceable, and above all, fun. You need look no farther than the title of their last album Nine Waters, No Tip for proof that this band knows dancers. The band consists of Kearney on piano, Grams on bass and Bronsdon on drums. The band members bring a sense of humour to their songs. I like "Yum Yum Yum" (143 BPM) and "Do Me a Favour" (139 BPM). "Do Me A Favour" is a request from a guy for his gal to "jump---off---the Brooklyn Bridge." It makes people laugh out loud on the dance floor. The CD was recorded live so you will hear such humorous announcements as "ladies and gentlemen, clap on 2 and 4 only." As well as a bunch of forgettable banter. Most of the songs contain fun breaks for dancers to play with. They also play a good version of "One Scotch, One Bourban and One Beer" (132 BPM). A fine haunting non-swing original by Kearney rounds out the CD.