by Ziggy Merritt

This past Monday marked the live debut of the Applejacks, a legacy of musicians taking up the work of the late and great Philadelphia-native, Dave Appell. With a pedigree reaching back to the 1950s there was an understandable need to do proper justice to Appell’s posthumous work. Comprised of students from the University of the Arts, the Applejacks did just that, honoring a composer who wrote a number of hits from the 1960s, perhaps most famously with “Let’s Twist Again” and as a producer for the Tony Orlando hit, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree.”

This new incarnation of the Applejacks revitalizes the smooth jazz genre and pays homage to some of Appell’s earliest work in the big band genre with the original lineup of the Applejacks. Starting the evening out with “Unavailable/Unavoidable” these latest Appell compositions nix the thought of being dated or flat. Everything from the impressive guitar and bass lines to the thumping percussion and emotive saxophone felt organic and assured. Highlights from the evening included “It Ain’t Real Love”, “Toe Tapper”, and the sonorous closing number of “Vera Cruz.”

Helping to make this sound come alive were Appell’s own family and friends with daughters Roz and Linda Appell along with producer Billy Terrell who were all in attendance that evening. Terrell along with host Dan Blackman helped to introduce some of the tracks from the recently released 14-track album as well as establish a musical intruments fund for students founded in Dave Appell’s name. The fund was awarded an initial $5000 to aid any underprivileged student who may not be able to cover the entire cost of their instrument, a fitting legacy for Appell who continued to write music even in his ’90s. This concert at World Cafe Live additionally served as a kickoff for a tour with the current lineup of musicians who all appear eager to bring the sound of the Applejacks to a wider audience.