He took a “Cab” to the A-Train. And it made for one memorable
journey.

The “he” is C. Calloway Brooks, grandson of legendary bandleader
Cab Calloway, who brought the Calloway orchestra to a sold-out show
at the Bromeley Family Theatre Saturday night as part of the
Bradford Creative and Performing Arts Center season. The presenting
sponsor was Seneca Eye Surgeons.

From his first appearance in a blinding white zoot suit, a gold
watch chain as long as a jump rope and a wide-brimmed hat with a
yard-long green feather, Brooks’ 100-watt smile never dimmed – and
neither did the audience’s enthusiasm.

“I’m honored to be among the first big bands to perform at the
Bromeley Family Theatre,” he said in remarks sandwiched between two
songs made famous by his grandfather – “Rebop Man” and the
“Calloway Boogie.” In the latter, he channeled his grandfather by
strutting across the stage and punctuating the beats with his baton
– much to the delight of the audience.

After all, it’s not every day that Bradford gets to harken back
to Harlem’s Cotton Club to hear world-class musicians backing the
grandson of one of America’s icons.

But this is no tribute band. Brooks made clear that his
grandfather’s music remains as meaningful today as it did back in
the 1930s and 40s. It does so in the way it blends many different
influences to create music that unites – and delights.

And that sentiment was clearly in evidence during the
evening.

“Every Calloway performance involves audience participation,”
Brooks said, asking the crowd to sing the jive words “mop, mop” in
response to a riff during one song and “c’mon with the c’mon,”
during another.

His grandfather’s style and music was always at the forefront.
He dedicated the classic “Stardust” to him, a song that featured a
scorching saxophone solo from one of the 13 musicians in the
first-rate ensemble that flowed effortlessly from hot swing to cool
bossa nova.

“People ask me what it is I do that my granddad didn’t,” Brooks
said, answering that question by picking up a guitar to accompany
himself to “Geechy Joe,” a bluesy tune his grandfather wrote for
the movie “Stormy Weather.” Brooks, a graduate of the New England
Conservatory of Music, later showcased his musical talents on a
jazzy guitar rendition of “Don’t Get Around Much Any More.”

Mostly, though, Brooks and the gang turned the intimate theatre
into a jumping jive hive, featuring swing songs made famous by his
grandfather and his contemporaries in the 1930s and 40s. The crowd
swung to the band’s rendition of Duke Ellington’s “Satin Doll.” In
this song, as in others, the musicians “chased” each other with
searing solos that left no toe untapped.

“I met Duke when I was 3 years old,” Brooks said. “And I met
Louis Armstrong when I was 7.” He said Calloway would have loved to
have had Armstrong in his band, but was so thrilled to have
legendary trumpeter Jonah Jones in his group that he wrote a song
about it.

With that, the band broke into the rib-rattling number “Jonah
Joins the Cab,” during which Brooks once again executed some of the
high-stepping struts that characterized his grandfather’s style.
The band, a savory brew of trumpets, trombones, saxophones,
stand-up bass, piano and drums, left the crowd reeling.

“They’re great,” said Bradford’s own Jack Wells, who for years
fronted his own band – and had a special connection to the show.
“Those are my drums on stage,” he said. “I lent them to the band
for tonight’s performance.” Wells praised the show and mentioned he
had a unique perspective. “My parents took me to see the original
Cab Calloway in Olean when I was just a kid.”

Performing while Brooks changed into another of his four zoot
suits was a young tap dancer from New York, Michela Marino-Lerman,
who wowed the crowd by tapping out syncopated counterparts to the
song “Take the ‘A’ Train,” among others. She was joined by an
equally talented tapper, Masato Nishitani, who also won over the
audience with his fancy footwork.

Decked out in a charcoal sharkskin number so shiny it prompted a
remark about the need for sunglasses, Brooks dedicated one of his
grandfather’s songs – “How Big Can You Get?” – to the Department of
Homeland Security. “We used to dedicate it to the senior executives
of Enron,” he joked.

Before winding down with “Chant of the Jungle,” Brooks, now
attired in an electric maroon zoot suit (“I picked this up at
Wal-Mart,” he said with a smile), took center stage to explain the
origin of the outfit made famous by his grandfather.

“It’s the ultimate American garment,” he said, naming off its
various influences – the shoes from Britain, the peg pants from
Cuba, the watch from Germany, the pattern in the tie from Chinese
abstract art, the long jacket from Rhett Butler’s South and the
wide-brimmed field hat from the slaves – accented by a North
American Indian feather.

“What you see here,” he said, pointing to his outfit, “is the
good old U.S.A.”

The connection was clear. Swing is not only a mixture of
different influences – it’s also our common language.

What Brooks also made clear was that talent runs in the family.
In a finale during which the band swung as hard as Brooks’ watch
chain, the crowd rewarded the evening’s performance with a standing
ovation. The group returned for a memorable rendition of Calloway’s
signature tune, “Minnie the Moocher,” during which the local crowd
showed they could shout out a “Hi-de-Ho” with the best of them.