Upbeat mood lifter

I'm no jazz/swing expert by any means but I love this album. It really picks me up and makes me wanna jump n jive. I can hear some technical struggles from the instrumentalists sometimes but this doesn't bother me too much. The sound quality is excellent on my iPod. Definitely worth the download!

Kool and Krazy

This album is fastly becoming a favorite of mine! Matt Catingub is quite an accomplished arranger and make the most out of some campy and distincally hawaiian songs. The tunes are very catchy and before you know it your humming and singing along. Avalon is a perfect example of catchy. It Don't Mean a Thing is a great arrangement to a old standard. Princess Poo-Poo-ly is outstandingly done. I Dream of Jeannie the band gets to strech out their "legs". Little Grass Shack is wonderfully done and just the right amount of humour.And Tequilla is also craftlly done, all charts are pure fun and enjoyable.

Hawaiian swing masters Big Kahuna & the Copa Cat Pack entertain you on 14 great songs that span the musical style spectrum. Included are the theme songs from the television series Hawaii Five-O and I Dream of Jeannie, each with new arrangements by Matt Catingub, and such priceless standards as Duke Ellington’s 1932 hit “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” and “Avalon.” This well-organized ensemble of professional instrumentalists outlines melody and harmony in swinging rhythmic arrangements and jams freely on such rousing numbers as “Shake Those Hula Hips” and “Fever.” Joined by such great vocalists as Rosemary Clooney, Debby Boone, and the Waters (Julie, Maxine, and Orrin), and with Jennifer Lovejoy on baritone saxophone on selected titles, Big Kahuna & the Copa Cat Pack will have you up doing the lindy hop or just listening to the great instrumentalists. Despite the fact that there is not one clarinet player (a staple in most swing bands) on this program, the swing era is alive and well on Shake Those Hula Hips. In comparision to Hawaiian Swing, listeners now have an extra musical dimension to enjoy due to the addition of superb vocals by Clooney, Boone, and the Waters. – Paula Edelstein