
By Chyrisse Tabone, Rock At Night Tampa
Review: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, Florida–December 13, 2020

This has been a very odd year with concerts rescheduled and canceled due to the pandemic. Many people will not be traveling to see loved ones for the holidays this year.Ā Vacations will be postponed.Ā One bit of holiday cheer came to Clearwater, Florida, last night in the form of a holiday show featuring renowned swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (BBVD). Yes, Clearwater, there is a Santa Claus!
Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, Florida, has been featuring social distancing concerts under strict guidelines with limited seating, air purification systems, and non-touch ticketing and beverage ordering.Ā Please see our in-depth article from last week regarding all the changes at the venue.
The mostly mature crowd was spaced apart and everybodyāyes, everybodyāwas wearing a mask.Ā Another joy was to see the crowd tuck away their cell phones during the concert (a plus for the evening).
Scotty Morris was on stage center front, holding his Gibson guitar, and wearing a trademark suit and hat.Ā Kurt Sodergren (drummer) sat neatly tucked behind glass at the rear of the stage while Dirk Shumaker (bass), stood on a platform to the side. The mighty brass section consisted of Andy Rowley (baritone sax), Glen āThe Kidā Marhevka (trumpet), Karl Hunter (sax), Alex Henderson (trombone), and Mitchell Cooper (trumpet).Ā Joshua Levy sat behind a gorgeous grand piano.

BBVD began the evening with some traditional holiday favorites like āRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeerā, a brass version of āWe Three Kingsā, and the very bluesy āMerry Christmas, Babyā, which highlighted the sax.
Being non-traditional, I was tickled to hear āSnow Miser/Heat Miserā from A Year Without a Santa Claus, with on full banjo and brass shuffle beat.Ā Anybody who grew up in the 70s certainly remembers this infectious song. Ā Another crowd-pleaser was āAll I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)ā, which featured a nice touch on the keys by Joshua Levy.

Morris spoke to the audience regarding the year 2020, saying āWe have been together 28 years. We have performed 3,017 showsā800 shows a year for 28 years. We performed a lot of shows and then went to zero. It was depressing.ā He described how he was sitting on the couch in his underwear, attempting to write music.Ā He later invited the rest of the band over to sit in their underwear and play music together. Misery loves company.
Morris explained that his mood changed in the summer when he received a ācall from Floridaā asking if they āstill had their holiday show going?ā
He gladly answered, āYes, we do!ā
Showing much heartfelt gratitude, Morris said to the audience, āThank you very much for doing this, my friend.ā
For those that craved non-holiday music, BBVD treated the audience to the Cab Calloway classic āJumpinā Jive,ā a very jazzy rendition of āOld McDonaldā, a Dixieland-tinged Ā tune āZig Zaggity Woop Woopā, and super-swinginā Ā āMr. Pinstripe Suit.ā
The Latin lilt placed on āWinter Wonderlandā warmed up spirits as did the spot-on version of āYouāre a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.ā
Overall, BBVD brought the holiday spirit last night to those lucky enough to attend the show in Clearwater, bringing a much needed diversion and a nice reprieve from life for good 90 minutes. Thanks, BBVD!
PHOTO GALLERY
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