Visit Disneyland on a Saturday night, or specifically the Royal Theatre, and you will find a weekly tradition underway as people dance the night away to classic big band jazz. One of the bands that is featured at Disneyland fairly regularly on Saturday nights is Tim Gill & The Tim Gill All-Stars. The style is very much a Disney-fied version of an old style Las Vegas big band with Tim Gill as their classy and humorous crooning leader. It is a lovely combination of older music with a modern feel that doesn’t feel dated at all. This is quite possibly because of the energy and Tim Gill’s personality as he is joined by the 9 members of his band.
Small Batch Bourbon by Tim Gill & The Tim Gill All-Stars is the second album released by this band. It is a wonderful collection of songs that are both new and old, including the title song written and arranged by Tim Gill himself. The album includes the following songs:
- A Foggy Day
- Unchain My Heart
- L-O-V-E
- Small Batch Bourbon
- Sunny
- Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off
- Pennies From Heaven
- I’m Just a Lucky So-and-So
- I Won’t Dance
- Benny’s Bugle
- You & the Night & the Music
- Comes Love
- Arthouse Facade
- You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby
- Hey Good Lookin’
Small Batch Bourbon is a very enjoyable collection of music and talents. It has a diverse collection of music that rangers from classic swing hits, the beautiful jazz ballad, boogie woogie, and did I mention comedy? Listening to this band, they clearly have a lot of fun together. Couple this with excellent musicianship and it makes for a great listening experience. Three songs also include the addition of vocalist Adryon DeLeon. She adds to the album both vocally and humorously, my favorite being the duet of Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off. It is perhaps one of my favorite renditions of this song.
Overall, Small Batch Bourbon is a fun album that is musically spot on (if it weren’t, I’d be screaming and banging my head against the table right now as I listen to it). The vocals of Tim Gill and Adryon DeLeon are individually very enjoyable and then couple them together and magic happens. One more perk I must add to this album and band; what is heard on the album is also what is heard when Tim Gill & The Tim Gill All-Stars play live venues. The personality found in live personalities shines through on the album and the quality of musicianship on the album carries over to the live performances.
This album is now available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify or pretty much any where else you could want to download it or listen to it. It is a great introduction to the genre for newbies to big band swing music and a great addition to the collection for those who already enjoy this style of music. For more information on Tim Gill & The Tim Gill All-Stars check out their website: timgillallstars.com/ You can also check them out on facebook.
It is very easy for me give this album and band a hat tip. I definitely have no problem endorsing Small Batch Bourbon. Check it out, you won’t regret it. Also check them out the next time they play at Disneyland.
Make it a GREAT day!
- Mr. DAPs
