Dane Anthony And Jungle Swing, By Hal B. Selzer

The hippest sounds on the music scene these days are the blaring horns and rollicking rhythms of jump and swing music. And while there's a whole host of groups joining the trend and adding swing to their setlists, it really takes a big band, complete with a full horn section, to do it right.

Dane Anthony and Jungle Swing are one such band. In the past year, they have managed to parlay their love of the music, and their expert musicianship, into a reputation as one of the top Middle Atlantic bands of the genre. And it appears their star is quickly rising even higher, as they expand their base and become more well-known.

Getting the Swing of Things

"Joe Grillo, our musical director, and I were in a show together, the Shaboom '50s show in Atlantic City," explains Anthony. "Joe had this 'honky' thing going on with the way he plays his tenor sax, so we decided to put together a swing thing. He got the guys together and we went into a studio in Philadelphia. You could see in everybody's eyes that everyone was getting off on it. It was an overwhelming sound with the four horns."

Joining Anthony and Grillo in the band are guitarist Ernie White, drummer Marty Paglione, bass player Jody Giambelluca, keyboardist Bob Coulon, trumpet player Vini Borcelli, trombonist/arranger Garry Lee Rosenberg, and baritone sax player Dave DePalma. Besides vocals, Anthony also contributes to the sound of the band by joining in on congas and adding occasional trumpet parts.

"We knew we had something," says Anthony. "It meshed right from the start. We played in June at the Trump Casino in Atlantic City, and the electricity was incredible. It's the right kind of guys, and the right kind of music."

They originally envisioned themselves as entertainment primarily for corporate events. Grillo had previously worked with The Nerds, a top-dollar corporate band, traveling around the country for conventions and special events; he thought Jungle Swing could fill a similar niche. But with swing sounds becoming so popular, the band was able to immediately attract attention in the clubs as well. "We did a 'Sunday Night Swing' thing at the Trump Marina, and we tore the place apart," Anthony remarks. The songs the band performs range from the latest hits by artists such as Brian Setzer and the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy to the standard sing classics by Louis Jordan and The Mambo Kings. Other bands they cover include Royal Crown Revue, Buster Poindexter, Joe Jackson (who actually released a swing album in the '80s), and Indigo Swing. They'll often throw in some classic rock 'n' roll done swing-style, such as "The Rascals' "Good Lovin'."

The best crowd reactions are usually inspired by songs such as Brian Setzer's "Jump Jive n' Wail," "The House is Rockin'" (the old Stevie Ray Vaughan song, juiced up with horns and a swing beat), "Walk Right In" by Royal Crown Revue, "Cuban Pete" from The Mask soundtrack and "Perfido" from The Mambo Kings. "We have not done one thing that we don't get the people up on the floor," says Anthony. "We do some stuff from the Colin James Little Big Band, which is a lot of Memphis stuff in big-band style, all danceable, all tempos, and even some Latin grooves. And we do a lot of stuff that isn't the obvious stuff."

They're just starting to work on some original material, which they will include in the show. Since they often do obscure songs which people might not know in the middle of the set, they figure they will be able to throw in the originals without anybody taking too much notice. They call their original style of music "jungle swing." The name, which obviously mimics the name of the group, portrays what Anthony refers to as "a martini-swinging, partying, leopard-skin kind of groove."

They will also try to incorporate the trademark catchy, clever lyrics contained in many sings songs. "I love stuff like that," Anthony says. "Like 'Dating With No Dough' by Royal Crown Revue, or 'You and Me and the Bottle Makes Three' by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy." Adding to the party atmosphere at shows, and in keeping with the swing band motif, the group dresses in tiger-patterned suits while Anthony is out front in a zebra suit.

Horning in

The members of Jungle Swing come from varied backgrounds. "They've been everywhere, done everything," laughs Anthony. "They've been on the road, in show bands, played all kinds of music." Ernie white is very well known in the central New Jersey area as a guitarist extraordinare; he's worked with several recording acts, and is a top session player and songwriter. In fact, one of his songs was included on Richie Sambora's recent album. White also played in several leading club bands, including the original Sticky Fingers, the legendary East Coast Rolling Stones tribute show.

Jody Giambelluca brings a background of blues and R&B to Jungle Swing, and has recently toured with guitarist Paul Plumeri, known to his fans as the "Bishop of the Blues." Paglione has also attained a highly regarded reputation in the region, both as a member of various club bands and as an ace session player. "When we first got together, Marty just took control on the drums," says Anthony.

"The big and thing is like diving an 18-wheeler," explains Paglione. "In a four-piece rock 'n' roll band, I thin of it like driving a Ferrari. But with such a big unite, you really have to play parts that lead the horns into the next section. You're steering them through the parts. Working with Dane is great. He's really sympathetic to the situation, knowing that it's so large, and that the horn section is really it. After 30 years, they are really the main part of the music. It's their turn in the sun now."

Scanning the Horizon

With the sudden rise of swing, one might worry that it's just a passing fad that won't last through the new millennium. "I don't think so," Paglione says. "So many kids play horns in school bands, so they all like it. One-third of the kids in my son's school who play an instrument play sax. And back when, for instance, country was the big thing, you still never heard country songs being used in TV commercials. But I hear swing being used all the time, so I think it's becoming a part of things."

One drawback of the swing craze is the necessity of having so many members in the band. "With nine pieces, it's hard to keep it working." says Anthony. "With that big a band, we just hope it will be a growth year. We're starting to do the original stuff. It's hard for club gigs to support the whole unit."

Another thing which is precluded by the size of the group is a sound and light show. They are forced to rely on what the venue provides, although their contract includes a rider specifying what equipment is required. "It's really just a wish list," explains Anthony. "We're at the mercy of the house system in most of the places we play."

In the near future, Anthony hopes the band will continue to branch out and reach more people. "We could work 250 gigs in the next year," he explains. Presently, they are booked for a number of corporate parties and conventions, shows at the Trump Marina Casino in Atlantic City, and various club gigs that they can fit into the schedule. For instance. they've been talking with the bookers at a new nightclub in Philadelphia called the Fivespot. "That's the hot spot in Philly," says Anthony. "That's where all the kids go." They have also discussed the possibility of opening shows for some nationally acclaimed recording and touring swing bands, such as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. The band has great backing from their management company/booking agency, Kauffman Mulhern Entertainment. The company also books Frank Sinatra, JR., so its connections will help get the band wider exposure.

The future of jump swing music, and of Dane Anthony and Jungle Swing, seems unlimited. As the bands bio says, "Get hip to the vibe, man." Swing is back and sweeping the nation. Brian Setzer may have started the fire, but Dane Anthony and Jungle Swing are fanning the flames. They're hip. They're wild. They're the hottest group to hit the jump-and-jive musical scene since Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

"The sound of these guys on stage," says Anthony, "and the excitement level of the audience, just amazes me."