From: "Doug Bright" <75366.2463@compuserve.com> To: Subject: Article: May, 1982 Date: Monday, October 17, 2005 10:43 PM MAY, 1982 THE RETURN OF GRANDMA'S COOKIES By Doug Bright Almost ever since I can remember, people were circulating the rumor that swing was back. Except for an occasional Basie or Goodman concert, Guy Lombardo on New Year's Eve network radio, or the News of a small recreational swing band, I never saw much evidence. Then a curious thing began to happen, and I first noticed it about 1977. It took its most obvious form in such prestigious ensembles as Swingland Express and the New Deal Rhythm Band. Not as obvious but just as impressive was the even greater number of young swing revivalists who remained unorganized. The reed players were surprising enough, but what surprised me even more was the emergence, seemingly out of nowhere, of a number of very fine female vocalists. I often wondered why it was that these expert musicians were just "hanging out" rather than banding together and starting something. Peter and Shelly Vogel must have been thinking along the same lines in 1978. They, however, did something about it. With Shelly's background in musical comedy and Peter's aptitude for keyboards and arranging, all that was needed to implement a great idea was a band and two more lady vocalists of similar persuasion. Musicians were organized, the two singers were found, and so was born an amazing performing act called Grandma's Cookies. Over the next two years the three young women and their band securely established themselves in local traditional jazz circles, but the increasingly demanding schedule took its toll as it often does with performing groups. In the fall of 1981 the Cookies disbanded for restructuring but not before one of its original members, Cathy Hart, had laid the groundwork for a very successful career of her own. Meanwhile, such creative and energetic musicians as Peter and Shelly Vogel can't be held down long, so in January the word went out that the swing bakery was re-opening and once again recruiting singers. The result was the acquisition of Mary Chesterman, an old friend of the family who shares Shelly's interest and background in musical comedy, and Mary Welworth, who worked with the Rep in several nonmusical productions. Rehearsals began in February, and by the end of the month the new sound of Grandma's Cookies was out of the oven and ready for sampling. After an appearance in late February at the Seattle Trade Center, the new edition was booked into old stomping-grounds for a weekend at the end of March. If the Pioneer Square Tavern were to compile its own musical history for 1982, the record would certainly designate that weekend in March as one of the most exciting events of the whole year. On Friday night the new Cookies got right down to business with a heads-up rendition of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" that shocked the audience to immediate attention. Then an easygoing "Sentimental Journey" showed off an impressive three-part scat-singing technique. The Cookies' approach to this historical style is remarkable in that it achieves the same perfect blend of melodic line and improvisation that characterized the horn sections of the great old Dixieland bands. Next a wonderfully spirited "Rum and Coca-Cola" was followed by a rather complex but flawlessly executed arrangement of "Moonglow". On this one the three voices displayed a softness that brought back memories of the McGuire Sisters. The voices are consistently fresh, vibrant, and youthful. In fact, listening to these three ladies is probably as close as my generation will ever get to a live performance of the original Andrews Sisters in their prime. Complementing the vocals and heightening the excitement of the Friday-night show was a band composed of experienced jazz players drawn from a sizable pool of past associates. Though assembled virtually on the spur of the moment, they sounded like they'd been playing together for years. Peter Vogel explains the amazing rhythmic cohesiveness of his short-notice band with matter-of-fact simplicity: "I just use good musicians and I make sure they do their job." The saxophone solos are quite well done but a little too modern to fit the swing context, and the piano occasionally sounds a bit cerebral, but generally the band adds as much to the appeal of the performance as do the vocalists. In the course of an evening you'll hear almost every conceivable classic of the swing era performed with astonishing vitality and clockwork precision. The only thing that remains to be said is this: If you're starving for swing that's "just like Mother used to make", you'd better take advantage of the very next opportunity to sample the new sound of Grandma's Cookies. You're sure to comeback for more. ----------------------------------------