Big Bad Voodoo Daddy kicked off the holiday season in style at The Magnolia.
On November 29th the SoCal swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, famously named after an autograph by blues legend Albert Collins, brought their perennial favorite Wild and Swinging Holiday Party to The Magnolia in El Cajon, CA. These amazingly talented musicians, performing together for over 32 years, have been playing this popular holiday themed tour as part of their repertoire for decades now, revolving the concert setlist from swing hits throughout their career to jazzed up versions of holiday songs and classic Christmas themes from movies and television. This concert was a blast of energy from start to finish with all of the members of the band onstage giving fantastic infectious high energy performances, ripping incredible solos on their instruments, dancing and laughing together, and spreading some fantastic holiday cheer.
Frontman Scotty Morris is really the leader and MC of any Big Bad Voodoo Daddy show, and besides being a commanding lead singer, he conducts the orchestra with style and tells fantastic stories and anecdotes about the band’s music throughout their show. At this concert drummer Kurt Sodergren was also a highlight, he played with such intensity and finesse throughout the evening, and had an epic long drum solo that built up into a frenzy and brought a standing ovation from the crowd. BBVD’s entire group are phenomenal musicians as well, and each player is a star on their instrument in their own right. The rest of the band includes Andy Rowley on baritone sax, Dirk Shumaker on bass,, Karl Hunter on reeds, Joshua Levy on piano, Glen “The Kid” Marhevka on trumpet and touring members Alex Henderson on trombone, Mitchell Copper on trumpet, and Matthew Mill also on trumpet who seemed to be one upping one another with their horn licks all evening
Some set list highlights at the Magnolia included a swinging version of “Frosty the Snowman” that featured a marching 2nd line horn section. The band’s intense take on classic “Minnie the Moocher” was also a crowd favorite. As Scotty Morris told the crowd about the diverse set, the horn section of the band in particular always requests performing a mix of the band’s original material on these tours, along with the holiday selections, so they don’t go too crazy! The band’s first holiday record “Everything You Want for Christmas” was released in 2004, but their most famous song, at least for the younger generation, is a 2009 version of “Christmas is Starting Now” for a Phineas and Ferb soundtrack that they also performed live. The band has another holiday themed release with many more familiar holiday tunes, 2013’s “It Feels Like Christmas Time” featuring an awesome fast swinging version of “Run Rudolph Run.”
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s Wild and Swining Holiday Party was just that, and it was a fantastically good time. These talented artists bring it each and every show, and they honestly sound just as great as their classic recordings every time they perform live. The musicianship and passion for performance that this band displays thirty plus years on is incredible. The camaraderie and brotherhood between all the members really seems to shine from the stage with this group, and it makes their holiday show every year feel like you’re watching a concert with family. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy put on a wonderful holiday show that has become a musical tradition for their fans, and it’s a special concert for anyone to experience.
