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John Dokes With the George Gee Swing Orchestra – Sings George Gee Swings Review by Gary Hill When you put this CD in you might think you’ve been magically transported back to the 1930s. That’s when this kind of jazz really ruled the world. This grouping does an excellent job of creating a jazz sound that has modern recording quality with old-school jazz stylings. It’s a strong disc that’s a lot of fun. There are a few instrumentals here and the music seems pretty nicely divided between balladic pieces and more energized ones. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2010 Volume 5 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

Walk On By This is a killer old school jazz track. It’s got some real bluesy vocals and really does swing. There’s a great extended instrumental section on this piece. I love the little spoken section at the end.

Thou Swell There’s no less swing on this, but a bit less blues. This has a smoking hot piano solo in the middle of the track.

Tis Autumn This time it’s a mellow jazz ballad. At times this is a little too precious for my tastes, but it’s definitely in keeping with that old school jazz sound. Still, I do like the instrumental segment mid song.

This Guy's In Love With You While this one is also a jazz ballad, it’s got more swing and oomph than the previous one. It’s definitely a crooner style cut, but it’s got a lot more pure jazz built into it than that moniker might suggest.

What The World Needs Now Is Love This is a smoking hot jazz instrumental take on the familiar song.

Alright, Okay, You Win Here’s a classic swing delivered in style. There are no big surprises, but this works well.

A Fine Romance This one’s got a lot of energy and style. It’s one of the stronger pieces on show.

Little Suede Shoes Another instrumental, this is especially tasty and really swings.

I Could Have Told You We get treated to another ballad here. The arrangement is similar to “Tis Autumn,” but this time it works better. I like this one a lot and it’s a nice change of pace.

Ornithology A fast paced jazz cut, this one is fun. It reminds me of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” It has a female vocal section complementing Dokes’ singing and we get some scat in the mix.

A House Is Not A Home Another instrumental, this one is a ballad and it’s extremely cool. In fact, I’d chalk this one up as one of my favorites on show here.

Roll 'em Pete Take a classic blues song and give it a smoking hot jazz arrangement. Now, you’ve got a great idea of what this piece is all about.

Segment Here’s another instrumental. It’s another killer old school jazz jam.

Teach Me Tonight They close the set with another ballad. It’s a good track and, while not a highlight, has enough charm to make a good parting shot.

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