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Squirrel Nut ZippersTrouble in paradise? I was sorry to hear that founding members Ken Mosher and Tom Maxwell (both sax / guitar) have left the band, but the remaining members (and some new folks) have reportedly finished their fourth album, due out in spring 2000. Thankfully, the major label madness of pushing nicely-packaged neo-swing has finally died down. I'm glad the Zippers never really signed up for all that nonsense - there was some sort of timeless element that was left trodden in the dust in the mad stampede to the cash register. A visceral soul that ties it all together and bestows a timeless spirit. The Zippers have got that. One could say that they are a 'revival' band - of swing, of hot jazz - call it what you will. But I think it's something a little deeper - perhaps a kind of mystical possession by a spirit from the early part of the century. It's all there - the lilting vigor, the dangerous curves, the reckless tempo, the seductive energy that drove Gatsby to his Greatness. It's really hard not to let yourself get swept away - but why in the world would you want to hold back? Links of note:
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