Big Rude Jake | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | A. Jacob Hiebert |
Born | 1963 St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada |
Genres | jazz, swing music, rockabilly, jump blues |
Occupation(s) | singer-songwriter, bandleader |
Years active | 1993-present |
Labels | Roadrunner Records |
Associated acts | Big Rude Jake and his Gentleman Players, Chet Valiant |
Website | www |
Big Rude Jake (born A. Jacob Hiebert) is a lyricist, songwriter, singer, jazz musician and bandleader based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has recorded several albums with different jazz ensembles and musicians, mixing jazz, rock, rockabilly, jump blues, blues, ragtime, swing, rhythm and blues, gospel and punk rock together. Some attention was brought to Jake in the late 1990s, during the swing revival. He stepped away from recording and touring for several years, returning in 2009 with a new album. He started touring Canada and Europe again in 2010, as well as playing in the United States.
He currently performs Big Rude Jake originals as well as jazz standards in solo, duet, quartet, quintet, sextet and septet formats. Larger shows can also include 4 backup singers and professional dancers. Additionally, he writes for and fronts rockabilly band, Tennessee Voodoo Coupe.
Butane Fumes & Bad Cologne, the first record by Big Rude Jake and his Gentlemen Players, was recorded in 2 days, on 26 and 27 July 1993 in Toronto. With what the group described as a "ridiculous puny budget", the idea was to record "off the floor" twelve songs mixing different jazz styles that were popular six or seven decades before, along with modern lyrics. It was produced by Gordie Johnson of local rock act Big Sugar and Pete Prilesnick. Executive Producer was Michael L. Johnson.
Blue Pariah, the second album, followed in 1996, and "Swing Baby!" was aired in college radios across Canada and United States. It was produced by Gordie Johnson, and engineered and mixed by Peter Prilesnik. Blue Pariah also featured Ashley MacIsaac on violin. This album was deliberately designed to set Big Rude Jake apart from all the other bands on the swing scene. It uses what some thought to be rather elaborate production techniques.