I haven’t done anywhere near as much social dancing as I expected to, lately. When social distancing prevented it, I thought I would die without it. But when the rules were finally relaxed, I was still so wary of new variants (and latterly of winter colds and flu, which always knock me absolutely flat) that I haven’t really jumped back in. Michael Gamble is someone else somewhat reluctant to give up the “new normal,” as his recent remotely-produced records attest.
But the bassist from North Carolina isn’t paranoid like me—he actually likes stitching tracks together from his bandmates’ isolated performances. He became an expert during lockdown, assembling virtual bands for projects like Balboa festival CalBal Live 2021. But, far from producing second-rate records, these LEGO-set tracks actually have a sound he really likes. Plus, while gigging has resumed in the wake of the pandemic, he reports that it isn’t quite at the level it used to be.
Hence we have two EPs from Gamble and his Very Swinging Friends—including frequent collaborators Jonathan Stout (guitar), Lucian Cobb (trombone), and Hal Smith (drums)—which form the finale of his “2022 Isolation Sessions”. Each features seven tracks of small-group swing, adorned with the delightful vocal stylings of Laura Windley. All are highly listenable and very much danceable, proving Gamble’s point that the product
