DIVA Jazz Orchestra, A Celebration of Maurice Hines, Tappin’ Through Life Review

By Jeff Becker

There are jazz records, and then there are time capsules. A Celebration of Maurice Hines, Tappin’ Thru Life is both: a jubilant posthumous cast album that captures the electricity of Maurice Hines’s autobiographical stage show while preserving the living spirit of American song, tap, and big band swing. Brought to life by the powerhouse all-female DIVA Jazz Orchestra under the direction of drummer and music director Sherrie Maricle, this 18-track celebration swings with heart, memory, and unrelenting groove.

Founded in 1992 by Stanley Kay and now led by Maricle, the DIVA Jazz Orchestra is no stranger to honoring tradition with muscle and finesse. With a lineup that includes some of the most skilled big band musicians in the country, with Amy Shook on bass, Jackie Warren on piano, Jami Dauber and Liesl Whitaker on trumpets, Lauren Sevian on baritone sax, and more. DIVA brings precision and punch to an album that is as much about joy and legacy.

A Celebration of Maurice Hines, Tappin’ Thru Life, the show from which this album is drawn, was Maurice Hines’s song-and-dance memoir, tracing his 75-year career through music, family, and the showbiz icons who shaped his life. The album features original cast members John and Leo Manzari, both expert tap dancers and vocalists in their own right, alongside Grammy-nominated vocalist Clint Holmes and Tony-nominated vocalist Ann Hampton Callaway. This album is a multigenerational conversation in rhythm, melody, and swing.

From the Ellingtonian fire of “It Don’t Mean a Thing” to the velvet lyricism of “Smile” and the tap-driven urgency of “Ko-Ko,” each track reverberates with Maurice’s theatricality, elegance, and above all, love for performance. His “Too Marvelous for Words” encore, dedicated every night to his mother Alma and his audiences, rendered by a company that carries his legacy forward with class, as he always insisted.

Big bands and dance were inseparable in the golden age of swing, think Duke Ellington’s sonic freight trains, Count Basie’s propulsion, and Earl Hines’ contributions to the bebop ensemble discipline. This album mirrors that lineage, driven by Maricle’s powerhouse direction of The DIVA Jazz Orchestra.

“Overture (Tappin’ Thru Life Overture)” is a medley of It Don’t Mean a Thing → Every Day I Have the Blues → Caravan → Luck Be a Lady → Too Marvelous for Words featuring Leigh Pilzer (alto), Laura Dreyer (tenor), Jennifer Krupa (trombone), and Jami Dauber (trumpet). This pays homage to big‑band roots while setting a swinging, danceable tone, essential for both musicians and dancers. Each featured player brings their creative passion to make the melody and improvisation an enjoyable listen in the pocket.

“I’ve Never Been in Love Before” and “Every Day I Have the Blues” call to mind when John and Leo Manzari merged vocal stylings with rhythmic tap guitar; the Manzari brothers are true continuations of the dance‑jazz hybrid Maurice once embodied. Leo’s performance on “Every Day I Have the Blues” is rich in the jazz blues vibe. Raelettes‑style backing vocals are a deep nod to historical dance big bands. Dreyer’s tenor saxophone solo dances with the ensemble in her solo. Leo’s tap dance solo is a rhythmic delight.

On “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face,” Callaway’s introspective phrasing and Jackie Warren’s piano accompaniment invoke torch‑song intimacy. “Get Me to the Church on Time” and “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” see her channeling Broadway swing with soft‑shoe charm for a classic tap‑dance numbers serve both staging and groove, blending choreographic space with big‑band spaces and excellent vocals.

John Manzari’s “Honeysuckle Rose” opens with Shook and Leo in a swinging duet, recalling the early days when rhythm sections from bass-driven stride bands shaped tap improvisation. The swing is sent to a new level when Maricle and Warren enter. Then, the tap duet “Ko‑Ko” acts like a percussive drum duet, bringing the excitement of a true house‑band battle transferred to feet.

Holmes delivers smooth swinging interpretations of “Come Fly with Me,” “All the Way,” “Under My Skin,” “Luck Be a Lady,” “Smile,” and the duet “L.O.V.E.” with Callaway. Using Arrangers like Billy May and Nelson Riddle, the performances channel Sinatra’s big‑band lineage with the ensemble tightening it with the DIVA’s ensemble chemistry.

Revisiting “It Don’t Mean a Thing” and “Too Marvelous for Words,” the album culminates with band, voices, and tappers united. It crystallizes Maurice’s dictum: “no matter what you do… do it with class,” coupling sound, form, and movement in triumphant swing.

DIVA’s tee‑up of hallmarks is tight ensemble sections, soloist energy, dynamic contrast, and styled jazz‑orchestra craft. Tap dance is woven into the fabric as the Manzari brothers channel tap dance rhythmic groove.  A Celebration of Maurice Hines – Tappin’ Thru Life is a living archive of Maurice’s mission of music, dance, and narrative made real through exemplary musicianship and choreography of swing, ensemble, voice, and movement.