Big Rude Jake

Big Rude Jake is a Canadian "swing punk" band formed in the '90s among the resurgence of swing. Top hits include "Steppin' Out Under the Moon", "Night of the King Snake" and "Swing Baby".
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His newest album, QUICKSAND, is slated for a 2009 release. Some of his previous albums: Butane Fumes & Bad Cologne, Blue Pariah and Live Faust, Die Jung are easily available online.

"While most jazz devotees of his generation appreciated it from an academic point of view, Jake found that he was drawn to the Jazz tradition for its passion and sensuality. He lamented the rise of the stuffy “jazz intellectual,” and longed for a return to a time when the style was, instead, rich in emotion, sensuality and desire. Thus was born his vision to bring Jazz back to its street-wise and rough-hewn roots. Part of the process was developing a stage persona that was evocative of strident passion and longing. In the first few years of his career, he actually avoided playing in jazz venues altogether. Instead, he performed his own jazz and swing compositions in rock venues and blues bars across Canada, where he hoped to find the kindred spirits who could appreciate his dream of a “Bawdy House Jazz” revival.

Originally billed as “alternative music,” Jake’s vision caught the attention of media across the country. He made a splash in magazines and newspapers in every major city in the land, on TV and on radio, and performed live for thousands of people. His independent records were sold in the “rock,” “punk” and “alternative” sections in record stores, and he proved that Jazz and Swing, with the right attitude, could have as much street credibility as any rock, soul or hip-hop act in the country.

Then came the rise of such U.S. bands as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and the Squirrel Nut Zippers, and suddenly, Jake was swept up into the Neo-Swing movement that was all the rage across North America."