Slim Gaillard - Laughing in Rhythm

One of the most eccentric vocalists ever to hit the jazz scene, Gaillard became a legendary cult figure thanks to his own privately invented jive dialect, 'Vout'. These 103 jazzy expositions from 1937-1952 are a master class & include all his best loved numbers. Includes 44-page illustrated booklet with authoritative biography/musical critique & full discography details. Four standard jewel cases housed in a slipbox. Proper. 2003. Album Description

Jumpin'!

I'll confess to an ongoing amour with the proper box set. I can't believe something this cheap (let's face it...the price is incredible!) is consistently of such high quality. They look great, feel nice, are beautifully packaged, and include booklets (yes! tiny books) with great info on and pics of their subjects.

So what about Slim? Well this cat is jumpin'. He is high class and hilarious...what a great combination. And there's suprising variety through this invariably rhythmic set. Most tracks are upbeat and you could fill up the CD shuffler and dance to this all night. I just can't believe his name isn't as familiar to us as the likes of Louis Jordan.

I was a bit worried about all this vouting...this guy sounded like he could get really annoying...and he wouldn't be around so you could slap him in the face and tell him to snap out of it. But he only indulges in sporadic vouting binges and they are only occasionally obtrusive.

When I bought this I thought I'd probably select songs and boil it down in to one excellent CD I could love unconditionally. But this cat doesn't let you down...which has made for a least one very happy kitten. October 1, 2006

Slim Gaillard is a musical genius

When you're young, it's quite fashionable to bemoan the lack of authentic individuals. When you grow older, you learn that you were correct. My Cherokee ancestors believe that adulthood begins at 51, and as I get closer to that age, I realize how right they are. Well, here's an individual for you. Slim Gaillard.

I have a four-CD set called LAUGHING IN RHYTHM. 1937 through 1952 from one of the great innovators in jazz. Musically creative, technically skillful, always soulful, lyrically hilarious, and perhaps an example of somebody under age 51 achieving adulthood. I can't stop listening to it. At home, in my MP3 player on the buses of China... Lemme get nuts here. If you ignore every other review I've ever written, note these three words. "Buy this one." It's like that, folks. Slim is da bomb. August 27, 2006

The original witty Slim

It is incredible how much of his material would even for today be considered original and ahead of its time .
But yet at the same time having this childish and simple humor such as de-ranging known phrases and basically creating his own language out of it.
Slim is a one of a kind and should be remembered amongs the greats of jazz and witty music. July 25, 2005

Three Stooges + Bebop = Slim Gaillard

Slim Gaillard is what you get when you combine slapstick humor with bebop jazz. Even Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie couldn't resist playing on his records-they appear on a few tracks on this great 4 CD box set.
Did I mention you get 30 tracks per disc making this the deal of the century? Such a deal! For the low price listed above you get at least 120 tracks of pure Slim brilliance. I have to warn you, though, his sense of humor is very non-PC but also not mean spirited, either. He lampoons every ethnic group under the sun including his own (in "African Jive" he runs down a soul food menu to a tribal African beat).
I also liked his enthusiasm for ethnic food, particularly Jewish delicacies:
Matzo Balls (sung Jimmy Durante style), Dunkin' Bagels ("splash! in the coffee"), and the classic Potato Chips ("crunch crunch I don't want no lunch").
Recommended tracks: Popity Pop, Atomic Cocktail, Dopey Joe, B-19, Palm Springs Jump, Little Red Riding Woods, Tee Say Malee, etc. I could go and on. Dunk some bagels and enjoy! August 1, 2004

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