Matt Nowlin Jazz Orchestra, "The Good News!"

Two-beat big band jazz a la Sy Oliver and Jimmie Lunceford lives! It lives in the lovingly produced vinyl debut of the Matt Nowlin Jazz Orchestra, The Good News! (self-released MIN-001LP). The subtitle, tellingly, is "An all-analog record in the swing style of 1938." And that says it. Nowlin and his producer-engineer colleagues set up the session to closely approximate the sound you would hear listening to an analog stereo recording from the later '50s: three ribbon mikes live, recorded onto a 1/4 inch tape machine matching those used in the era.

So the sound is vintage and lively. The music centers on original charts in the grand old style. They are good. Soloists are decent. The band swings. Those who love this era will certainly get a good feeling listening to this, as I did. It's good music.