James Curd

Ska-revival survivors such as Gwen Stefani still populate the pop charts, but swing-scene stalwarts have all but disappeared, save for scattered symphonic collaborations. Recently, though, James Curd found a fresh way to make cool kids groove to jump jazz — he reinforced the rhythms with massive beats. Pleetch, the brand-new disc from Curd’s Chicago-based Greenskeepers, attaches big-band hooks to throbbing techno thumps. While the always-animated Curd bobs his head to buoyant bass lines and sings along with sampled snippets, fans can dance like a choreography-crazed Cherry Poppin’ Daddies crowd without having to soil a suit. And house music has transcended trend status to become a firm fixture, which means cred-concerned clubgoers won’t have to burn this ticket stub a decade down the road.