Time: 39:10
Size: 89.7 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2016
Art: Front
[4:28] 1. Whiskey Rag
[5:01] 2. Anita
[5:57] 3. This Is Goodbye
[5:17] 4. Here's To Huw
[4:26] 5. Messin' Around No More
[3:12] 6. She's Got Soul
[5:13] 7. North Henry Street
[5:30] 8. Goodnight My Friends
Kansas Smitty’s House Band are back with a second album of original swing music. The disc was recorded live in the heart of London’s Soho and captures the “cult swing band” in full flight. Infamous as the band who are also proprietors of their own bar, this album gives the listener the electric experience of seeing Kansas Smitty’s live, to go.
Performing brand new music composed especially for this headline club show, the tunes are fresh from hours of writing and rehearsals at their East London HQ. Though you wouldn’t know it, the band’s razor sharp delivery is completely without written music which is a high stakes game when recording live. It’s in this space the House Band thrives, striving to craft the sound that they collectively hear and deliver the music with their trademark joy, energy and precision. The eight original tunes selected from the Band’s live show were composed specifically for this performance and had never before been heard in public. The blend of styles covered across the set illustrates how the House Band’s style is evolving. Building upon their reputation as exponents of the swing beat, their music is now transforming into a sound of its own.
While their roots in ‘the tradition’ are proudly on display, a year on from their debut release the band are carving out a niche on the modern genre-bending jazz scene. Tracks like the groovy ‘Whisky Rag’ and Fats Domino-tinged ‘She’s Got Soul’ echo traditional rag forms with a hefty dose of New Orleans street beat. Pianist Joe Webb’s ‘Here’s to Huw’ features a soul theme that segues into a jukebox-worthy boogaloo. The two ballads on the record, the melancholic ‘This Is Goodbye’ and the gospel-tinged ‘Goodnight, My friends’ feature the tender vocals of “Sweet” Pete Horsfall, with special guest bluesman Marcus Bonfanti’s delta-drenched guitar and vocals providing joyful relief with his own composition ‘Messin’ Around No More’.
This live record is a snapshot of an ensemble that is constantly pushing forward. This album was recorded live and mixed by Alex Killpartrick and mastered by Lewis Durham (of Kitty, Daisy, and Lewis) on February 22nd, 2016.
Performing brand new music composed especially for this headline club show, the tunes are fresh from hours of writing and rehearsals at their East London HQ. Though you wouldn’t know it, the band’s razor sharp delivery is completely without written music which is a high stakes game when recording live. It’s in this space the House Band thrives, striving to craft the sound that they collectively hear and deliver the music with their trademark joy, energy and precision. The eight original tunes selected from the Band’s live show were composed specifically for this performance and had never before been heard in public. The blend of styles covered across the set illustrates how the House Band’s style is evolving. Building upon their reputation as exponents of the swing beat, their music is now transforming into a sound of its own.
While their roots in ‘the tradition’ are proudly on display, a year on from their debut release the band are carving out a niche on the modern genre-bending jazz scene. Tracks like the groovy ‘Whisky Rag’ and Fats Domino-tinged ‘She’s Got Soul’ echo traditional rag forms with a hefty dose of New Orleans street beat. Pianist Joe Webb’s ‘Here’s to Huw’ features a soul theme that segues into a jukebox-worthy boogaloo. The two ballads on the record, the melancholic ‘This Is Goodbye’ and the gospel-tinged ‘Goodnight, My friends’ feature the tender vocals of “Sweet” Pete Horsfall, with special guest bluesman Marcus Bonfanti’s delta-drenched guitar and vocals providing joyful relief with his own composition ‘Messin’ Around No More’.
This live record is a snapshot of an ensemble that is constantly pushing forward. This album was recorded live and mixed by Alex Killpartrick and mastered by Lewis Durham (of Kitty, Daisy, and Lewis) on February 22nd, 2016.
Kansas Smitty's House Band Live mc
Kansas Smitty's House Band Live zippy
