The Stringjumpers | A dozen shining jazz numbers

Published: August 2, 2010

This Bozeman sextet purveying “vintage acoustic swing jazz” includes a couple musicians actually getting to put their music degrees to good use, a violinist just 15 when the effort got underway, and a kid with a movie name who’s been pickin’ since he was practically a tot. Meet the Stringjumpers.  

They Pogo-stick their way on this eponymous debut album through 12 shining jazz numbers from the greats – Ellington, Berlin, Porter, et al. – with mucho aplomb. And it’s nicely produced, by the way, at Peach Studio in Bozeman, with engineering by Craig Hall and mixing by Hall and Chris Cunningham.

The group consists of masterful guitarist and stand-up bass player Hall, sharing fret duties with the Mission Valley’s phenom Ian Fleming, who cut his teeth romping through bluegrass; Krista Arledge, tearing up the ’40’s girl-singer sounds; Adam Greenberg, cookin’ up percussion; James Schlender, the fiddlin’ teen; and his dad, Doug, on jammin’ rhythm guitar.

They all came together from a love for jazz written in the first half of the 20th century. That it all gets you on your feet is a testament to their faithful reproduction of these hits.

They live up to their name right off the bat, with great jumpy drums and Grappelli-style fiddle on “Bye Bye Blues.” “I Never Knew” is a syncopated, Gypsy-fied instrumental featuring Schlender, and “Blue Skies” swings and sways, conjuring a ballroom dance milieu. Vocalist Trina Rainey provides cool alto harmony to Arledge’s trilly soprano here, to nice effect.

And, due to the miracle of recording, Hall puts out a soulful stand-up bass solo, as well as a fine guitar solo, on the jewel, “Ain’t Misbehavin;’” he zings off handfuls of riffs on another instrumental, “Tippin’ In,” as well.

Fleming shovels bucketsful of triplets and bent notes on “Johnny/Oh Lady Be Good,” while Arledge vocalizes and Greenberg churns out simmering trap work.

And if the snappy instrumental “Undecided/Move” don’t get you going, you’re most likely dead. It’s got tight harmony leads and rock-o-pated rhythm from Greenberg, who solos here. The CD has lots of extended instrumental solos as well, another hallmark of well-played jazz.

What more to say? Pick it up, put it on.

Visit the group at www.thestringjumpers.com.

– Mariss McTucker