If Harlem’s famed ballrooms were only swingin’ again, they would undoubtedly be filled with the sounds of George Gee’s arrangements. Gee’s smaller line-up, The Jump Jive & Wailers, manages to capture the authentic big band sound of days gone by.

Hula Joe blends traditional Hawaiian instruments such as the ukulele and pedal-steel guitar with flare and a sense of humor. The band's self-titled debut CD is a blend of the classic "Hawaiian War Chant" doped up on hip-hop. Amazingly it works.

The heyday of the crooner may have passed, but don't tell that to Skip Heller and Athan Maroulis. In the spirit of Sinatra and Bennett, Heller and Maroulis have collaborated to create The Blue Dahlia (Stardust Records).

Always apprehensive about jazz musicians jumping on the big band wagon, I sat down to listen to Ernie Krivda and the Fat Tuesday Big Band's second release, The Band That Swings.