This Robert Lamm and Bill Champlin-sung update of the Duke Ellington classic “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” from Chicago’s Night & Day: Big Band is fun and lively, but could have been so much more.
It’s yet another example of Tris Imboden’s strong drumming, and the fact that James Pankow still had horn-arranging chops. But “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” takes a less adventurous route than Champlin’s other arranging efforts on this album. The song is carefree, yet without much swing or swagger.
Champlin’s vocals are what you expect from the master, and Lamm acquits himself well, but the duet is not likely to be considered as strong as some recent updates of the song. (Check out Tony Bennett and Michael Buble’s version, for instance.). Yes, this is a rock arrangement by a rock band, but it’s surrounded by a group of good-to-great covers. As a result, “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” hardly stands out.
That said, the box-set Chicago: VI Decades Live contains a 1994-era concert version of the song, featuring Dawayne Bailey on guitar and but only Lamm on lead vocals. Musically, Chicago is strong, but it’s easy to see why they elected to have Champlin handle the vocals on the verses and leave Lamm with just the bridge on the album version.
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