Dance Time 1

It's Sunday night in the Cinema Ballroom in St. Paul. With a nod of his clarinet, bandleader Jerry O'Hagan signals the downbeat, and the band plays some of your favorite tunes: a swing-for-the-rafters take on 'Shiny Stockings', a hint of cha-cha on 'That Old Black Magic', a light rhumba spin on 'The Shadow Of Your Smile', an upright 'It's So Nice To Have A Man Around The House', a sugar-coated, sassy 'Shoo Fly Pie', a lilting 'Blue Moon'. The clarinet tickles your ear on 'I Only Have Eyes For You' while the vocalist tugs at your heart on a plaintive ' What'll I Do'. Soon the band turns ' When Johnny Comes Marching Home' into big band fun ('When John Boy Comes Swingin' Home') and tumbles joyfully on ' RaggMopp' as your feet start to sway. Even if you are not in a ballroom ( or even out on the town), even if you have two left feet and no partner in sight, the sweet timbre of Charmin Michelle and the swinging tempos of the Jerry O'Hagan Orchestra that fill Dance Time, Volume 1 can propel you into a foxtrot or waltz, a samba or polka, a night of dancing in your ears and in your mind . . . Just listen hear, and you are in the Cinema Ballroom, and you never miss a step. Bandleader, arranger, and clarinetist Jerry O'Hagan and his orchestra have not missed a step in over 20 years of performing for over 1,000 ballroom dances, weddings, and very classy parties throughout the Upper Midwest. With two recordings already in their library, this is their first with Twin Cities vocalist Charmin Michelle, an accomplished singer in the tradition of Ella and Sarah who seals the deal with every word. O'Hagan's arrangements throughout and his original ' Dante's Garden' further elevate the proceedings well above standard dance fare. You don't need your dancing shoes to enjoy the artistry of these musicians. . . But you might not be able to resist that urge to swing ! - Andrea Canter, Minneapolis.