| boston horns | (c) 2008 |
Maine Today
March 6, 2003
Boston Horns members true to jazz-funk-groove roots
By Ben Monaghan
For a brief run in the mid-'90s, a posh jazz club occupied the building that now houses the Asylum. Managed by a veteran of the Atlanta
club scene, Morganfield's was a regular stomping ground for blues, R&B, surf, and rockabilly legends. But no band quite lit the place like
the Heavy Metal Horns.
"Heavy Metal" was a bit of misnomer. The band was, in its heyday, a tight, blistering R&B outfit from Boston that mixed a concoction of
funk and jazz that kept the crowd on its feet. They were a house favorite and regularly played the club. Over time, they added a vocalist
and, much to the disappointment of purists, developed a more pop-oriented repertoire.
Trumpeter Garret Savluk and saxophonist Henley Douglas were regarded as the founders of the Heavy Metal Horns. But as the band
began to change direction, both men decided to leave. Soon after, both reunited in Ron Levy's Wild Kingdom, best known for being a
master of the Hammond B-3 (Levy last played Portland at the Free Street Taverna several years ago), which provided the inspiration that
they should give the idea of a horn-powered group another try.
Soon after, the duo hooked up with a North Shore trio called Pass the Peas, which included keyboardist Mark Longo, bassist Mike Rush
and drummer Jack Howard Jr. They then added guitarist Jeff Buckridge, who teaches music in the Andover school system by day, and
crowned themselves the "Boston Horns."
With the Berklee music school and numerous jazz and funk outfits, Boston doesn't lack for horn players. But if any group of musicians can
lay claim to be Boston's horns, it would be these guys. In just the short time they have been playing together, they have already released
a packed CD, "Boogie Stop Shuffle," that simmers tunefully for 71 minutes.
Savluk and Douglas have kept to their vision of a groove-oriented funk band that also includes a lot of improvisation. In lesser hands,
"improvisation" can be a license to nowhere. But with these seasoned pros, the art of song craft is never lost. Nor is the groove. Boston
Horns is every bit the party band that was Heavy Metal Horns – tunefully mining the jazz-groove territory currently occupied by artists like
Karl Denson, John Scofield, Maceo Parker and the band Galactic. But don't expect these guys to shy away from their jazz leanings.
"Boogie Stop Shuffle" is 71 minutes of pure pleasure, from the opening track, "Head in the History," in which the two horns trade bebop
melodies over the steady groove of the rhythm section, to the world-beat, polyrhythmic "Afro Soup," which serves up a warm broth of
Douglas' smooth tenor sax lines, Buckridge's guitar interlude and Savluk's trumpet lines.
Having had much popularity as the Heavy Metal Horns in Portland, The Boston Horns is anxious to follow suit. Although Morganfield's has
long since shut its doors and jazz venues are scarce, the Boston Horns have settled on the Ale House in the Old Port to showcase their
act. This makes sense, given that club's long commitment to the jazz-funk-groove scene. Located just behind Exchange Street across
from the Regency, the Ale House fills up fast. Consider arriving early for good seating.
March 6, 2003
Boston Horns members true to jazz-funk-groove roots
By Ben Monaghan
For a brief run in the mid-'90s, a posh jazz club occupied the building that now houses the Asylum. Managed by a veteran of the Atlanta
club scene, Morganfield's was a regular stomping ground for blues, R&B, surf, and rockabilly legends. But no band quite lit the place like
the Heavy Metal Horns.
"Heavy Metal" was a bit of misnomer. The band was, in its heyday, a tight, blistering R&B outfit from Boston that mixed a concoction of
funk and jazz that kept the crowd on its feet. They were a house favorite and regularly played the club. Over time, they added a vocalist
and, much to the disappointment of purists, developed a more pop-oriented repertoire.
Trumpeter Garret Savluk and saxophonist Henley Douglas were regarded as the founders of the Heavy Metal Horns. But as the band
began to change direction, both men decided to leave. Soon after, both reunited in Ron Levy's Wild Kingdom, best known for being a
master of the Hammond B-3 (Levy last played Portland at the Free Street Taverna several years ago), which provided the inspiration that
they should give the idea of a horn-powered group another try.
Soon after, the duo hooked up with a North Shore trio called Pass the Peas, which included keyboardist Mark Longo, bassist Mike Rush
and drummer Jack Howard Jr. They then added guitarist Jeff Buckridge, who teaches music in the Andover school system by day, and
crowned themselves the "Boston Horns."
With the Berklee music school and numerous jazz and funk outfits, Boston doesn't lack for horn players. But if any group of musicians can
lay claim to be Boston's horns, it would be these guys. In just the short time they have been playing together, they have already released
a packed CD, "Boogie Stop Shuffle," that simmers tunefully for 71 minutes.
Savluk and Douglas have kept to their vision of a groove-oriented funk band that also includes a lot of improvisation. In lesser hands,
"improvisation" can be a license to nowhere. But with these seasoned pros, the art of song craft is never lost. Nor is the groove. Boston
Horns is every bit the party band that was Heavy Metal Horns – tunefully mining the jazz-groove territory currently occupied by artists like
Karl Denson, John Scofield, Maceo Parker and the band Galactic. But don't expect these guys to shy away from their jazz leanings.
"Boogie Stop Shuffle" is 71 minutes of pure pleasure, from the opening track, "Head in the History," in which the two horns trade bebop
melodies over the steady groove of the rhythm section, to the world-beat, polyrhythmic "Afro Soup," which serves up a warm broth of
Douglas' smooth tenor sax lines, Buckridge's guitar interlude and Savluk's trumpet lines.
Having had much popularity as the Heavy Metal Horns in Portland, The Boston Horns is anxious to follow suit. Although Morganfield's has
long since shut its doors and jazz venues are scarce, the Boston Horns have settled on the Ale House in the Old Port to showcase their
act. This makes sense, given that club's long commitment to the jazz-funk-groove scene. Located just behind Exchange Street across
from the Regency, the Ale House fills up fast. Consider arriving early for good seating.
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |