Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Brings Big Sound to Bass
By Stephanie Allmon, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas
Mar. 8–FORT WORTH — Bass Hall became Club Bass on Friday when swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy took the stage with the Fort Worth Symphony, under the direction of Miguel Harth-Bedoya.
Deja voodoo: The nine-piece Voodoo Daddy was one of the hot neo-swing bands of the 1990s; they appeared in the movie Swingers. More recently, their song Daddy-O was featured in a commercial for the hit animated film Ratatouille.
Swingin’ good time: Clad in pinstripe suits and fedoras, Voodoo Daddy, with the orchestra, zigged, zagged and jived through a string of fan favorites, including Oh Yeah, You & Me & The Bottle Makes Three and Minnie The Moocher. The orchestra then rested while the band played New Orleans-inspired numbers, including Save My Soul and the Louis Armstrong-esque Simple Songs. An audience favorite came in the way of I Wanna Be Like You, from the Jungle Book soundtrack.
Key up: While it was a horn-and-sax heavy show — and each Voodoo member got his moments in the spotlight — we’d have liked to hear more from pianist Joshua Levy, whose fingers the audience could see go wild, but whose sound we hardly got to hear.
Big, big, big band: The orchestra made the big band-Voodoo Daddy sound downright ginormous. As a result, they often overpowered lead vocalist Scotty Morris.
Reason not to be late: The symphony presented a lively 29-minute first half of Latin-flavored music, including a medley from West Side Story and the Argentine tangos El Choclo & La Cumparsita.
Can’t go? Download these: Go Daddy-O, Simple Songs, You & Me & the Bottle.
Fort Worth Symphony Pops with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
8 tonight, 2 p.m. Sunday
Bass Hall, Fort Worth
$24-$76
817-665-6000; www.fwsymphony.org
Fort Worth Symphony Pops with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
8 tonight, 2 p.m. Sunday
Bass Hall, Fort Worth
$24-$76
817-665-6000; www.fwsymphony.org
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