Jump! (album) explained

Jump!
Type:	Studio
Artist:	Van Dyke Parks
Cover:	Jump! (Van Dyke Parks album - cover art).jpg
Released:	1984
Recorded:	December 1982 to February 1983 Cherokee Studios, Hollywood, CA
Genre:	Pop, show tunes
Length:	35:50
Label:	Warner Bros.
Producer:	Steve Goldman
Prev Title:	Clang of the Yankee Reaper
Prev Year:	1975
Next Title:	Tokyo Rose
Next Year:	1989

Jump! is a studio album by the American musician Van Dyke Parks, released in 1984 on Warner Bros. Records.^{[1] [2]} The album is a retelling of Joel Chandler Harris's Uncle Remus tales. Parks mixes numerous musical styles, including bluegrass, Tin Pan Alley, 1930s jazz, and Broadway musical.

Critical reception

The New York Times wrote that the music "has the effervescence and tunefulness of the best scores for Disney films."^[3] The Fresno Bee determined that "this musical-without-a-stage fuses Gershwin, ragtime, a little light opera and precious little contemporary pop into an intriguing work."^[4]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Martin Fyodr Kibbee and Van Dyke Parks, except where noted; all music composed by Van Dyke Parks.

1. "Jump!" (instrumental) – 2:02
2. "Opportunity for Two" – 3:16
3. "Come Along" – 3:26
4. "I Ain't Goin' Home" – 3:45
5. "Many a Mile to Go" – 3:42
6. "Taps" (instrumental) – 2:16
7. "An Invitation to Sin" – 3:20
8. "Home" (Lyrics: Terry Gilkyson and Parks) – 2:55
9. "After the Ball" – 3:52
10. "Look Away" (Lyrics: Parks) – 4:03
11. "Hominy Grove" – 3:26

Personnel

• Van Dyke Parks - vocals, piano
• Jennifer Warnes - background vocals
• Lennie Niehaus - arranger, conductor
• Kathy Dalton - vocals
• Jim Keltner, Robert Greenidge - drums
• Stanley Behrens - harmonica, alto horn
• Jim Hughart - bass guitar
• Danny Hutton - vocals
• Tommy Morgan - harmonica
• Emil Richards - percussion
• Fred Tackett - guitar, banjo, mandolin
• Ken Watson - cymbals
• Gayle Levant - harp
• Ian Freebairn-Smith - vocal arrangement

Notes and References

1. News: Catlin . Roger . After eight years of silence, songwriter Van Dyke Parks... . Omaha World-Herald . April 10, 1984.
2. News: Shefchik . Rick . Van Dyke Parks, Jump! . Lexington Herald-Leader . Knight-Ridder . March 18, 1984.
3. News: Holden . Stephen . Van Dyke Parks, Pop Eccentric, at Bottom Line . The New York Times . 6 Apr 1984 . C24.
4. News: Barton . David . Van Dyke Parks Jump . The Fresno Bee . March 18, 1984 . Scene . F.