When The Jitterbug Bites Joe Turley Boogietime Records, 2001 Tracks 1: Ging Ginga Ding 2: Boogietime 3: Sea Of Miracles 4: Ring That Bell 5: Tango Mi Corazon 6: Like-I-Doo 7: Sittin' On Santa's Knee 8: 35 Cents 9: High Steppin' 10: Don't Dawg That Cat 11: When The Jitterbug Bites Reviewed by Sienna Powers	Take a lifetime musician, one steeped in the music and musicianship of the American South. Have him spend his career gigging everywhere from not-so-nice bars redolent with "thick smoke, urine and B.O." to huge coliseums to Nashville Now, Austin City Limits and Hee Haw. Have him lead bands to which he lends his own name as well as contributing to those fronted by the likes of Dolly Parton, Edgar Winter and the Shirelles. Then, one clear new millennium day, have him bring all that he has learned and loved to the confines of an album: a single CD that will bear his face and name. If the musician in question has a sense of humor as well-developed as his musical prowess, the result would look a lot like Joe Turley's When the Jitterbug Bites, a happy, passionate, self-assured album that's as easy to listen to as it is difficult to categorize. The Lexington, Kentucky-born musician has made Nashville his home for many years. Nashville visitors can expect to catch him at the Opryland Hotel where he has had an ongoing solo piano engagement. Despite all of the Nashville and country connections however, When The Jitterbug Bites isn't anyone's idea of country. In fact, its fairly safe to say it's almost everything but. With strong elements of Delta blues, rock, jazz, swing and big band, Turley says that he's "wanted to do a project that mixes swing with blues and rock for some time now. I love this style so much. This music is joyful and exuberant. It's kind of a challenge, too because the music is more harmonically sophisticated than straight rock or blues, but must remain raw and gutsy." What comes through on When The Jitterbug Bites as much as anything is Turley's strong sense of whimsy. Oddly, for an album that brings together this many styles in an 11-song set that is quite varied, you get a sense that this is an album that children could enjoy as much as their parents. Not that you'd find When The Jitterbug Bites in the kids' section of your local music retailer, but the happy beat and cheerful syncopation seem likely to draw musical movement from youngsters as well as adults. And the lyrics, while not childish, are uncomplicated and infectious. Here from the title track: What'cha gonna do when he lands on you And starts to stingin' Saint Vitus, boogietis -- Now you're swingin' When the honeybees are sleepin' in their hive That's when that little critter comes alive A veteran stage and studio musician, Turley plays piano, sax and harmonica on When The Jitterbug Bites. He also provides lead vocals throughout and penned all 11 tracks with the exception of "When The Jitterbug Bites" which Turley co-wrote with Jeff Silbar ("Wind Beneath My Wings"). If you're waiting for a big bang for this album, don't hold your breath. While it can be ordered through the artist's Web site, it seems almost impossible to locate through traditional channels (which is why we've included the link). And it's a shame, too. When The Jitterbug Bites is as much fun, as innovative and as skillfully produced as anything I've seen this year. If you have a passion for swing or have dancing children underfoot, Joe Turley's debut album is worth the difficult hunt it will take to find. | September 2001   Sienna Powers is a writer, editor and visual artist.	Turley says that he's "wanted to do a project that mixes swing with blues and rock for some time now. I love this style so much. This music is joyful and exuberant. It's kind of a challenge, too because the music is more harmonically sophisticated than straight rock or blues, but must remain raw and gutsy."