Rod Stewart & Jools Holland Announce ‘Swing Fever’
Rod Stewart and Jools Holland with his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra have announced a collaborative album, Swing Fever – a sparkling 13-track salute to the timeless songs of the big band years – out February 23rd, 2024 on Warner Music.
Swing Fever will be available on black vinyl, coloured vinyl, CD & digital.
pre-order Rod Stewart & Jools Holland’s ‘Swing Fever’ here
Swing Fever is the realisation of conversations between Rod and Jools that began in the pandemic years, and of Rod’s dream of making an album of the songs that were, in many ways, the rock’n’roll of their day.
“I’d already started making a swing album, but it didn’t turn out how I wanted it,” explains Rod. “It was more Frank Sinatra than it was Louis Prima, let’s say. So I cancelled that, and then I realised the guy I should go to is Jools. Also, our fanatical model railway enthusiasm bonded us together. So we started recording.”
Jools recounts: “I was just packing up to go away for Christmas, and you rang me. We hadn’t really spoken at any length before. I thought ‘I love Rod, how exciting,’ and you said ‘I want to do a record.’ I’d been a fan of Rod forever but we realised with the old music that we liked a lot of the same things.”
The first track to be released is a superb working of the show tune Almost Like Being In Love – written by Frederick Loewe, and made famous by Frank Sinatra & Nat King Cole – listen here.
“I’ve got to give credit to Jools’ orchestra, and especially the drums [Gilson Lavis] and bass [Dave Swift],” says Rod. “Gilson is the nearest thing I’ve heard to Charlie Watts, in being able to do a backbeat properly. Great band, and this man Jools with the old piano. Steaming! And his brother Chris on the Hammond. The orchestra rehearsed them a couple of times when I wasn’t there, then they went in and did three a day, which is quite remarkable. Jools’ studio is so small. It’s ok if it’s a three-piece band, but we had 18 pieces in there at one time. It just unites everybody.”
Jools sums up the spontaneous charm of Swing Fever: “The effect that this music has on me, and whenever I put it on where people are, they feel this thing, they want to move. Music is an expression of a lot of different things, and joy is an important part of what it does. You can feel the joy in this music, and it’s unashamed joy as well.”
Swing Fever tracklisting
1. Lullaby Of Broadway
2. Oh Marie
3. Sentimental Journey
4. Pennies From Heaven
5. Night Train
6. Love Is The Sweetest Thing
7. Them There Eyes
8. Good Rockin’ Tonight
9. Ain’t Misbehavin’
10. Frankie And Johnny
11. Walkin’ My Baby Back Home
12. Almost Like Being In Love
13. Tennessee Waltz