Dance by Jack Parnell & His Orchestra: A Wild Ride Through Genres That Shouldn’t Work But Somehow Do
Alright, buckle up, because this album is like a fever dream where Big Band crashes into Disco while Samba sips caipirinhas in the corner. Dance by Jack Parnell & His Orchestra dropped in '79, and damn if it doesn’t feel like Sweden decided to throw every genre at the wall and see what stuck. Spoiler alert: most of it does.
Let’s start with “Tristeza.” This track hits hard, man. It's got that Latin Jazz groove that makes your hips move before you even realize what’s happening. The horns are punchy, the rhythm is relentless, and there’s this weird bittersweet vibe—like happiness wrapped in melancholy. You can practically smell the saltwater from Copacabana Beach wafting through your speakers. It sticks out not just because it’s good (it is), but because it feels so confident amidst all these other styles bouncing around on the record. If I close my eyes, I’m somewhere far away, drunk on passionfruit juice and bad decisions.
Then there’s “Staying Alive,” which shouldn’t work here at all. Like… why is Bee Gees disco next to bossa nova? But somehow, Parnell pulls it off. He flips the original into something smoother, funkier, almost lounge-y without losing its edge. The bassline slaps harder than ever, and the brass gives it this swagger that feels fresh yet familiar. It’s one of those tracks you hate-love until you catch yourself humming it three days later while brushing your teeth. Yeah, don’t ask me how I know that.
The rest of the album’s a mixed bag, sure. Tracks like “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Tutti Frutti” get funked-up treatments that land more often than they should. And props to whoever thought covering Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” as a breezy MPB jam was a good idea—it totally works. Even “Wave” comes off sultry and understated, proving Parnell knows when to let the music breathe instead of cramming everything full throttle.
But here’s the kicker: for an album called Dance, half the time you're too busy trying to figure out what decade or continent you’re in to actually bust a move. Is this a party playlist or a sociology thesis? Who cares! By blending Jazz, Funk, Pop, and Latin styles, Parnell creates chaos that somehow clicks. It’s messy, bold, and occasionally brilliant—a lot like life itself.
Final thought: Listening to Dance feels like walking into a bar fight only to find everyone breaks into synchronized dancing halfway through. Weird flex, but I respect it.
