The Squirrel Nut Zippers recently put a lid on their third album of

modern swing tunes, a recording that finds the Chapel Hill, N.C.,

ensemble continuing to champion their jocular interpretation of "hot

jazz."

Taylor Mayo, national director of publicity for the band's record label

(Mammoth), said the album, Perennial Favorites, was a mostly

self-produced affair. It was recorded in multi-instrumentalist Zipper

Ken Mosher's studio in Pittsboro, N.C., with additional production by

Mike Napolitano (Blind Melon). The album's tentative release date is

Aug. 4.

"Suffice to say, the Zippers' record continues to build upon their past

work," said Mayo. "It's full of neat surprises, and it's also an ECD

(enhanced CD) just like the last record. What's really exciting is that

the ECD works like a key to special 'fans-only' portions of the Mammoth

website. It's a way to give something back to people who've purchased

the ECD and supported the band."

The Zippers are currently a septet, comprised of guitarist/vocalist

James Mathus; Chris Phillips on percussion; Tom Maxwell on guitar and

vocals; Mosher on saxophone and vocals; Stewart Cole on string bass;

trumpeter Je Widenhouse; and banjo player/vocalist Katherine Whalen.

They saw their brand of brass-laden swing catch fire with the release of

their last album, Hot (1996), which included such songs as

HREF="http://www.addict.com/music/Squirrel_Nut_Zippers/Put_A_Lid_On_It.ram">"Put

A Lid On It" (RealAudio excerpt) and

HREF="http://www.addict.com/music/Squirrel_Nut_Zippers/Hell.ram">"Hell"

(RealAudio excerpt).

David Knight, who runs Dave's Squirrel Nut Zippers webpage, said he

admires the group's flexibility and determination to play its brand of

music. He added that he thinks the Zippers' success is partially

responsible for the rise of other modern jazz and swing acts, such as

Cherry Poppin' Daddies and Royal Crown Revue.

"[The Zippers] can do swing jazz, bluesy stuff, and, as evident in

'Hell,' calypso," wrote Knight in an e-mail. "I was really excited to

see a contemporary band going back and paying attention to the great

stuff from earlier on in this century. They were able to show the record

companies that there is a market for this kind of music, and because of

that, several bands are getting great opportunities to play their

stuff."

Knight offered his prognostication about Perennial Favorites,

based on the half a dozen new tunes he's heard them play at shows. He

suggested that the album is a tangy blend of barnburners and slowed-down

swing, citing the first two singles -- "Suits Are Picking Up The Bill"

and "Ghost of Stephen Foster" -- as fitting into the former category.

"From the six songs I've heard, the new album will have a similar feel

to the previous albums," said Knight. "It seems [that] as the Zippers

have been together longer, they are more willing to branch out and try

new things. I think we will see more of that on this new album. But

don't worry; they're still the strong swing band that we all love."

The complete track listing reads as follows:

"Suits Are Picking Up The Bill"; "Low Down Man"; "Ghost of Stephen

Foster"; "Pallin' With Al"; "Fat Cat Keeps Getting Fatter"; "Trou

Macacq"; " My Drag"; "Soon"; "Evening At Lafitte's"; "That Fascinating

Thing"; "The Kraken"; and "It's Over."