For 35 years, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has kept swing music alive with its high-energy performances and holiday flair. The band brings its “Wild and Swingin’ Holiday Party” to Irvine Barclay Theatre on Nov. 30, featuring lively takes on “Jingle Bells” and “Frosty the Snowman.” Frontman Scotty Morris shares what keeps the holiday tradition swinging.
What keeps “Wild and Swingin’ Holiday Party” fresh and exciting?
It’s always been about the philosophy of putting on a holiday show that you can only see from Big Bad Voodoo Daddy: part nostalgia, part quirky, part traditional. Its intent is to take you back to a holiday memory you hold in your imagination.
What gives swing music its lasting appeal beyond mainstream trends?
Swing music doesn’t leave us just because radio programmers and music supervisors don’t see revenue with it. It’s like anything else: If you wait long enough, it will poke its head back up again. Swing music is in our collective DNA and will never leave.
What holiday traditions do you enjoy when you’re off the road?
Elvis’ Christmas record when trimming the tree. And on Christmas Eve, we go to a classic neighborhood “Candy Cane Lane” in my hometown, and I walk it with my kids, their partners and my grandchildren. Then we go back to my place for some homemade gumbo and beignets with powdered sugar.
