Jazzy Swing and R&B; Transcend Retro Chic

*** 1/2 FLY-RITE BOYS

“Big Sandy Presents the Fly-Rite Boys”

Hightone

Even without their pilot, the Fly-Rite Boys have no trouble staying aloft on this nearly all-instrumental album.

It isn’t as if this five-man unit had anything to prove: It’s always been apparent that the specialness of Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys stems from a happy meshing of equal elements, with the Fly-Rite Boys’ instrumental skills inseparable from the witty song craft and warm, lively singing of leader Robert “Big Sandy” Williams.

Rather than focusing on the rockabilly and Western swing that have dominated their records with Big Sandy, the Fly-Rite Boys jump nimbly into jazzy swing and R&B;, which makes commercial sense, given the current trendiness of jump-swing revivalism.

Once again, the Fly-Rite Boys transcend mere retro-chic with the sheer vivacity and inventiveness of their playing. Newcomer Carl “Sonny” Leyland is a superb addition, on piano, to an already potent lineup. He plays boogie-woogie and swing with insouciant energy channeled with unerring finesse, writes some sharp tunes, and turns in a light, personality-filled vocal on “Rosetta,” a jump oldie that’s one of two songs on the album not written by a Fly-Rite Boy.

Like Leyland, guitarist Ashley Kingman embodies classic virtues, playing it sharp, clean and tasty at every turn as he makes startling solos sound effortless. Tossing in stylings from Django Reinhardt and Wes Montgomery, Kingman--like all the Fly-Rite Boys--sounds invigorated by the chance to stretch out with swing.

Jump-swing tradition provides a ready niche for Lee Jeffriess’ steel guitar, but this masterful, idiosyncratic player finds a role for himself. His squiggles and whinnies on “D. of L. Boogie” add a goofy, winking, Ed Wood-like sci-fi color that complements Leyland’s spectacular piano work, a combination of light-footedness and drive that sounds like a bulldozer with tap shoes for treads.

Bassist Wally Hersom and drummer Bobby Trimble make it all swing; Trimble gets to play out some explosive big-band fantasies on “Hit and Run” and the hurtling, Basie-like “Minor Struggle.” Yet this adept rhythm section is as capable when playing it cool and laid back, providing a sensitive, introspective foundation for the moody or sentimental ballads that lend the collection balance and variety.

“Big Sandy Presents the Fly-Rite Boys” may have been conceived as a one-off adjunct to usual band business, but it’s an outlet for strong composing skills as well as already-established instrumental talents. An encore wouldn’t be out of line.

Meanwhile, we have another delightful addition to an impressive discography, lending more proof that Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys belong alongside NRBQ, Roomful of Blues, the Blasters, Asleep at the Wheel and the Fabulous Thunderbirds in an echelon of bands so good and so versatile that they are not just accomplished and authentic roots acts, but also institutions for the loving preservation and inventive advancement of traditional music forms.

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Albums are rated on a scale of * (poor) to **** (excellent), with *** denoting a solid recommendation.