Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra - Small World Big band Volume Two: More Friends (2002) Lossless

In More Friends Jools Holland (and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra) return with a growing motley crew of musicians that have appeared on his eclectic music show Later With Jools Holland. Again, the focus is on what Holland calls "big band blues"--there's a rock & roll big-band extravaganza with Tom Jones, a boogie woogie piano jam for Robert Plant and a classic cover from Dionne Warwick to mention but a few of the performances from the great and good that appear here. But Jools' show has always been about championing new and cult artists too, and female jazz vocalist of the moment Norah Jones just had to put in an appearance with her cover of the Nina Simone classic "In The Dark", along with indie regular Badly Drawn Boy. In fact his offering, "The Can Is Open" in particular shines given the Jools treatment with all the big easy listening Bacharach trumpets and playful piano melodies giving it the simple but epic sound so characteristic of his recent album. Likewise the ever charismatic Huey from the Fun Lovin' Criminals is perfect for a good old croon with the band on the old Sinatra standard "Fly Me To The Moon". Sounding like a late night music fan's fantasy jam session, (just listen to Huey joking "hey is there anything left in that bottle?"), More Friends is essential for fans of that big band sound--young or old. -- Caroline Butler