Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at the Adler Theatre -- December 16.
Monday, December 16, 7:30 p.m.
Adler Theatre, 136 East Third Street, Davenport IA
For 30 years, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s unique take on American swing and jazz music has thrilled audiences around the world, and on December 16, the enduring popular ensemble brings unique and spirited “Wild and Swingin’ Holiday Party” to Davenport's Adler Theatre, a joyous collection of jazz and seasonal favorites that has become an eagerly anticipated annual event for the whole family.
Formed by lead singer/guitarist Scotty Morris and drummer Kurt Sodergren in Los Angeles in 1989, the group, as stated at AllMusic.com, "built up a following with regular gigs on the local lounge circuit, playing to Gen-Xers enamored with the kitschy charm of the cocktail nation. This burgeoning lounge scene was captured in the hit 1996 indie comedy film Swingers, which featured a song by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on the soundtrack as well as an onscreen cameo by the band. By the end of 1997, the band had self-released two albums -- Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and What'chu Want for Christmas -- which were local hits and led to a major-label contract with Capitol Records.
"In February 1998, Capitol released the group's major-label debut, Americana Deluxe (also known as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, although the album was different from the band's self-released debut). This Beautiful Life followed one year later. By the time the band came together for a follow-up, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy had sold over three million albums, performed at Super Bowl XXXIII with Stevie Wonder and Gloria Estefan, and had their music used in over 60 film and TV trailers. The swing revival had considerably died down, however, thus returning Big Bad Voodoo Daddy to their original status as an underground band.
"The group's fifth album, Save My Soul, appeared in 2003, five years after their Interscope debut. Inspired by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Save My Soul found the band expanding its sound to include elements of the Big Easy's jazz, swamp funk, and Cajun traditions. A live CD/DVD and holiday-themed album appeared in 2004. In 2009, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy released How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway, which found the band digging even deeper into a hardcore jazz and swing sound. The band stuck with the more swing- and jazz-oriented approach after signing with the Savoy Jazz label and releasing Rattle Them Bones in 2012. Their third collection of Christmas music, It Feels Like Christmas Time, appeared in the fall of 2013.
"Over the next several years, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy stayed busy touring and making regular appearances at festivals around the world. In 2017, they celebrated their 25th anniversary in the music business with the release of their 11th studio album Louie Louie Louie. An homage to Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima, and Louis Jordan, the album featured reworkings of many the three jazz and blues legends' most well-known tunes."
Drawing on a rich catalog of holiday classics and Christmas originals from the band’s two full-length holiday albums, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy brings its world-renowned live show to Davenport in the "Wild and Swingin' Holiday Party." Fun arrangements of classic holiday songs performed in the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy style include "Jingle Bells," "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," and "Winter Wonderland." "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is “Andrew’s Sisters meets the blues," and the similarly classic "Heat Miser" song transports listeners back to another beloved holiday special.
The band rips through Chuck Berry’s "Run, Run Rudolph," Lou Rawls’ "Merry Christmas Baby," and slows things down for Elvis Presley’s "Blue Christmas." Detours to New Orleans for "Frosty the Snowman," and to the Caribbean for the Calypso "A Party for Santa," keep things interesting. And the band takes a moment to reflect on the beauty and spirituality of the holidays with their moving arrangement of "We Three Kings." But Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has also always prioritized writing original music, and the holidays are no exception. "Rockabilly Christmas," "Last Night (I Went Out with Santa Claus)," "Christmas Time in Tinsel Town," and the beautiful and reflective "It Feels Like Christmas Time" are part of a repertoire that delivers the band’s take on the many feelings associated with the holidays.
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy brings their "Wild and Swingin' Holiday Party" to Davenport on December 16, admission to the 7:30 p.m. concert event is $31-59, and tickets are available by calling (800)745-3000 and visiting DavenportLive.com/the-adler-theatre.
