To: S H O R T y From: Daria Subject: Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks Present a Salute To The Folk Years - April 14 2007 JAZZ AROUND TOWN Los Angeles Jazz Scene (May issue 2007) by Scott Yanow I recently went to see Dan Hicks And His Hot Licks at the legendary McCabe's Guitar Shop partly because his current band includes two superior jazz singers: Roberta Donnay and Daria. While Hicks usually performs a mixture of Western Swing, folk, swinging jazz and some uncategorizable music, on this occasion he spent the first half of each set saluting the Folk Revival of the 1960s. On such songs as Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice," "If I Had A Hammer," the Carter Family's "Jimmy Brown, The Newsboy," "and "Greenback Dollars," Hicks and his group (which also included the excellent guitar soloist Dave Bell, Adam Gabriel on mandolin, banjo and guitar, and bassist Paul Smith) sounded quite authentic while not merely copying the past. Among the other highpoints were "Scotch And Soda," (which makes one wish that Dan Hicks will someday record a jazz album), the infectious "Jug Band Music" (featuring Daria on kazoo and Adam Gabriel on harmonica), the joyous "Feel Like Singing" and the heated encore, "Scare Myself." Roberta Donnay and Daria (both of whom had several opportunities to solo) added a great deal to the music while Hicks' informative yet very humorous talking between songs was a constant crackup. I saw two straight sets and, although the repertoire was largely the same, 80% of Dan Hicks' comments were completely different and just as funny.