Take one part rag time, one part jazz, a little jive, a hint of jug and washboard with a sprinkle of doo-wop, throw it in the tub and you have a concoction close to homemade hooch. A cocktail of music flavors that everyone wants, yet there is a little unexpected twist. This would be the Choinure Boys’ first album Swingin’ and Truckin’ (Get Hip Records). The name of the group is taken from the fictitious band The Soggy Bottom Boys of the hit movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”.

These gents hail from Japan, and their major influences are timeless American classics.  The Japanese word "choinure" means, being a little wet as opposed to be soggy. Don’t be fooled though. Expect distinctive versions of old favorites like Louis Armstrong’s “I’ve Got the World On a String,” Hank William’s “Love Sick Blues,” and Frank Sinatra’s “Polkadots and Moonbeams.” Their noticeable accent and slightly off articulation is especially charming on “Blue Skies” and the title track “Everybody’s Truckin.’” There is definite humor in the intro of their rendition of “I Ain’t Got Nobody,” in which they seem to be drawing out a spliffilicated version of the tune. There are touches of scat, moments evocative of megaphone crooners, and a trace of their native Japanese influence.

Dip a bill into this barrel of intoxicating tunes. You will want to sip a glass of gin and, at times, shake a tail feather. Enjoy being transported to a magical world of eras gone by.{jcomments on}

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