"Bill Elliott...a name that is the shining light in today's swing revival. This talented man from Boston has taken Los Angeles and the swing world by storm because of one important factor...quality! He has been faithful to the big band standards through his arrangements, but also has added his golden touch with his own compositions. His singers, The Lucky Stars, bring wonderful memories of Glenn Miller's Modernaires with tight harmonies. "Falling In Love Again," and "When We Dance" are great examples. Miss Cassie Miller does an OUTSTANDING rendition of "Come Rain Or Come Shine" In fact, I would rate her talent in the class of Rosemary Clooney. That's how good I think she is. The whole world should be jealous of the Los Angeles Lindy Hop Community for having such a great organization. And Broadway audiences are discovering "Bill's Bounce" every night at the St. James Theatre in the superb production of "Swing!" It's a no-brainer, a Bill Elliott CD is more than worth the money!"
Fabulous for Dancing
KEVIN T VANMETER | 01/27/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As a swing dancer, I love this CD. Thirteen of the CD's fifteen tracks are great for Lindy Hop (the other two, "Blues in the Night" and "Come Rain or Come Shine," are slower ballads - still great songs, just a little slow, in my opinion, for Lindy). The songs, for the most part, are medium tempos ("Swingin' the Century," "At the Coconut") to fast tempos ("Camp Hollywood Special," "Jeep Jockey Jump"). However, not only does the music have great tempos, but it is also interesting to dance to - breaks, syncopations and the like make dancing even more fun. An added plus is that the CD's liner notes include the tempos (in beats-per-minute) of every song."
A brilliant CD
KEVIN T VANMETER | 01/01/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I chose this CD based on other reviews and was not disapointed. This music is just so much fun and it is great swing music. There is a nice combination of instrumental tracks with upbeat tempos, and several tracks with great jazz singing. The one main point of difference from Bill Elliot from other swing bands is quality. It brings to mind the original masters of swing such as Glen Miller. Very smooth music, it really is beautiful, fun music. Ten out of ten."
Fun swing album...
Mark Savary | Seattle, WA | 10/27/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"During the swing revival of the late '90s, many previously unknown bands came into the limelight. Bill Elliott's "Swingin' the Century" is a perfect example of the "new swing" style, which is really "old swing" from new artists.When listening to this swing CD, you just can't help but make comparisons to Glenn Miller and the Andrew Sisters. Many of the songs are fun, and have the spirit of swing artists from yesterday. "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "Jeep Jockey Jump" are both memorable, while "Shim Sham Song" and "At the Coconut" will make you wonder why the swing revival didn't seem to come with us into the 21st Century.Now, although the music is the main point of any album, I'd like to take a moment to single out the retro cover art. Like the cover art on old LPs, it helps set the mood for the music contained inside. For the uninitiated, the odd geometric shapes on top of the globe are the Trylon and Perisphere, from the famous 1939 New York World's Fair (the World's Fair held during the Swing Era).Unfortunately, the swing revival has faded, but that doesn't mean we should put the new music on a shelf! Check out "Swingin' the Century" for a new slant on tunes from a bygone day."
Excellent CD, Superb Band
jitterbugjunction@hotmail.com | American Fork, UT (USA) | 10/19/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra is one of the BEST big bands that is currently still Swingin'. Not only is this CD Excellent, but their other CD's are just as great! Definately a must have for the Lindy Hopper in your life."