Verve was never much of a label for the kind of music that would sound familiar to those looking for a good swing revival compilation. Still, the label scoured its vaults and came up with
Swingin' Talkin' Verve, a variant on their usual series of proto-acid jazz (read: soul-jazz, Afro-Cuban, jazz-funk, etc.). The results aren't bad at all, although several of the tracks don't date from the '40s golden age of swing. Included are
Gene Krupa's "Let Me Off Uptown,"
Buddy Rich's "Jumpin' at the Woodside,"
Quincy Jones' "Air Mail Special," and
Harry James' "Back Beat Boogie." ~ Keith Farley