Risquè Ray & the Swing Set

EXILE FROM COOLVILLE
Hep-Tone Fidelity (1998)

Risquè Ray & the Swing Set shook, shimmied, and sassed Jackson, Mississippi, during the swing resurgence in the late 1990s. Band members were dedicated fans of the style and had mixed emotions when the Gap released a commercial using Louis Prima’s Jump, Jive, and Wail, helping to bring swing into main stream popular music. Swing wasn’t a closely-kept secret anymore; but, it was not difficult for the Swing Set fronted by Ray (Marc Leffler) and E.E. Rodriguez (Denny Burkes) to get gigs after the commercial aired. The tradeoff: we had to play Jump, Jive, and Wail, which turned into the Swing Set’s Freebird.

The septet, with Chris on drums, recorded and released a 12-song CD “Exile from Coolville” on the Hep-Tone Fidelity record label in 1998. The CD had national distribution through a deal with Hep-Cat Records. Further, the band’s take on the classic song Sing Sing Sing found its way onto a compilation of swing music entitled “New Millennium Swing”, alongside well-known groups like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Royal Crown Review.

Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s “Southern Expressions” featured the Swing Set and its impact on the music and dance scene in Jackson.