Welcome to BluesRow

Wait a second. Wasn’t Dr. Teeth the name of that bandleader on the Muppets? Actually, yes, but this isn’t them. The DTBB is an octet from England, fronted by Dr. Teeth, a transplanted Chicagoan (which explains those pub photos of the band, spats and all, posing under and over the El on Wabash Avenue). This album delivers a spicy mix of jump, jive, and swing.

You get the feeling from listening to these tracks that this is one fantastic live band. Reviews seem to confirm this. As with many albums, that doesn’t translate completely to studio work. But most of the cuts swing with a vengeance, particularly the opening and title cut, “Rhythm Is Our Business.” Upright bass and drums lay down a great groove, accented by the running bass line on the piano, filled in with trumpet, trombone, and sax. Guitar is here, though in swing tradition it takes a back seat to the other instruments.

Most of the tunes do jump and jive, dealing with themes of love, music, and sex. The one exception is the slower “Cold Cold Ground”, a somber meditation on mortality you don’t expect to hear on an album like this. But it works in its Tom Waits-like way. The next song closes out the CD with “Mr Big Is Back in Town”, celebration of the themes listed above.

It’s not strictly a blues album, but if you like to jump and jive in a traditional horns-based way, you’ll find yourself doing more than tapping your toes to this one.

Flatted Fifths: 3.5 out of 5

Genre: Jump, jive, swing

Nutshell review: If you like the Squirrel Nut Zippers, buy this album.