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Friday, December 8, 2006MUSIC SCENE: Boston Horns kick brass in Japan
By JAY N. MILLER
The biggest thing in Japan hits Johnny D’s in Somerville’s Davis Square tomorrow night. That would be the Boston Horns, just back from a whirlwind tour
of Japan, where the Beantown funk-jazz sextet became such a sensation they were booked in Japan’s most exclusive clubs.
Longtime fans know the story about how the onetime Heavy Metal Horns enjoyed much success in Japan, even having one of their tunes used as the
theme song for a Japanese TV game show. But the perennial New England club favorites - renamed the Boston Horns to better reflect their funk, rock
and jazz stylings - are astounded by their most recent surge in popularity during a two-week tour of Japan that left their heads spinning.
‘‘We were treated like kings,’’ said saxophonist Henley Douglas Jr. from his North Shore home. ‘‘Five-star hotels, first-class hotels, by far one of our best
experiences ever in music. Our show at the Quattro club in Tokyo was sold out a month in advance.’’
Other plum bookings followed in Osaka and Nagoya, before the band returned to the States on Nov. 17.
‘‘We apparently got shot to the head of the club scene almost immediately based upon the popularity of our records over there,’’ said Douglas, who
credits much of that success to the group’s ties to Japan’s P-Vine Records.
Once the company signed the band two year’s ago, it released ‘‘Boston Horns: Live from Boston 2005,’’ and quickly followed it with ‘‘Bring On the Funk,’’
a compilation of the sextet’s past recordings. .
In anticipation of last month’s tour, P-Vine recorded another live album at Harpers Ferry in Allston and the Madfish in Gloucester.
The CD, titled ‘‘Boston Horns: Live 2006,’’ was an instant hit after its September release in Japan, said Douglas, noting how flattered the band felt when
they saw their album being prominently promoted in the window of a Tower Records in Tokyo.
How the band ended up on P-Vine Records is a neat story in itself. Holed up at a friend’s house in Maine, the band got to thinking about finding a record
company to promote them in Japan. Soon after, old pal Kevin Canning, an employee at the Canadian embassy in Tokyo, came to Maine for a visit and
returned to Japan with a Horns CD that he presented to P-Vine. Two days later the record company called and asked for rights to everything they’d ever
recorded.
Douglas and trumpeter Garret Savluk have led the various mutations of the Horns during the past two decades. The current lineup - including Jeff
Buckridge, guitar; Eric Sayre, bass; Ben Zecker, keyboards; and Peter MacLean, drums - has been stable for several years, contributing to the band’s
sharp improvisational skills. --
It is expected, however, that Vinnie DeBruglia will soon replace Sayre on bass.
‘‘Ben Zecker is our only full-time musician,’’ said Douglas, pointing out that other members hold other jobs, such as teaching.
‘‘We’re lucky in that we all have very flexible schedules,’’ said Douglas, adding that Europe and Asia are lucrative markets for rock, blues, jazz, and funk
bands.
‘‘Europe and Japan have always really been into improvisational music, and more open to different styles. -
‘‘The Groove Collective is a good example,’’ Douglas added. ‘‘They’re a band out of New York that has played almost exclusively in Europe for 10 years or
more, and been very successful.’’
The Boston Horns hope to next play a couple dates in the Netherlands and in Switzerland before returning in March to record their , next studio album.
They also plan to boost their horn section with P-Vine labelmate Sam Kininger - best known for the band Soulive - and Big Sam Williams on trombone.
‘‘He’s an incredible talent,’’ Douglas says of Big Sam.
(Continued)
Can the Horns ever come down from the affection they felt in Japan?
‘‘Garret and I have been doing this for 20 years, and I can’t tell you how satisfying it was for us to see that kind of reaction,’’ Douglas said. ‘‘We’ve never
received so much love from fans. --
‘‘Those were terrific clubs with phenomenal sound systems and great crews. We had a blast.’’
After recent gigs at RegattaBar in Cambridge and the Knitting Factory in New York City, The Boston Horns are looking forward to a New Year’s Eve show
(tickets $50) at Woodman’s in Essex.
If you go:
WHERE: Johnny D’s, 17 Holland St., Davis Square, Somerville
WHEN: At about 9 p.m. tomorrow
INFO: Call 617-776-2004.
Jay N. Miller covers popular music on the South Shore and in the Boston area. If you have information or ideas for Jay about the local music scene,
bookings, recordings, artists etc., send it to him by e-mail to features@ledger.com . Attn: Music Scene in the subject line.
Copyright 2006 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Friday, December 08, 2006
Jay Miller can be reached at kingmuskrat@yahoo.com.
By JAY N. MILLER
The biggest thing in Japan hits Johnny D’s in Somerville’s Davis Square tomorrow night. That would be the Boston Horns, just back from a whirlwind tour
of Japan, where the Beantown funk-jazz sextet became such a sensation they were booked in Japan’s most exclusive clubs.
Longtime fans know the story about how the onetime Heavy Metal Horns enjoyed much success in Japan, even having one of their tunes used as the
theme song for a Japanese TV game show. But the perennial New England club favorites - renamed the Boston Horns to better reflect their funk, rock
and jazz stylings - are astounded by their most recent surge in popularity during a two-week tour of Japan that left their heads spinning.
‘‘We were treated like kings,’’ said saxophonist Henley Douglas Jr. from his North Shore home. ‘‘Five-star hotels, first-class hotels, by far one of our best
experiences ever in music. Our show at the Quattro club in Tokyo was sold out a month in advance.’’
Other plum bookings followed in Osaka and Nagoya, before the band returned to the States on Nov. 17.
‘‘We apparently got shot to the head of the club scene almost immediately based upon the popularity of our records over there,’’ said Douglas, who
credits much of that success to the group’s ties to Japan’s P-Vine Records.
Once the company signed the band two year’s ago, it released ‘‘Boston Horns: Live from Boston 2005,’’ and quickly followed it with ‘‘Bring On the Funk,’’
a compilation of the sextet’s past recordings. .
In anticipation of last month’s tour, P-Vine recorded another live album at Harpers Ferry in Allston and the Madfish in Gloucester.
The CD, titled ‘‘Boston Horns: Live 2006,’’ was an instant hit after its September release in Japan, said Douglas, noting how flattered the band felt when
they saw their album being prominently promoted in the window of a Tower Records in Tokyo.
How the band ended up on P-Vine Records is a neat story in itself. Holed up at a friend’s house in Maine, the band got to thinking about finding a record
company to promote them in Japan. Soon after, old pal Kevin Canning, an employee at the Canadian embassy in Tokyo, came to Maine for a visit and
returned to Japan with a Horns CD that he presented to P-Vine. Two days later the record company called and asked for rights to everything they’d ever
recorded.
Douglas and trumpeter Garret Savluk have led the various mutations of the Horns during the past two decades. The current lineup - including Jeff
Buckridge, guitar; Eric Sayre, bass; Ben Zecker, keyboards; and Peter MacLean, drums - has been stable for several years, contributing to the band’s
sharp improvisational skills. --
It is expected, however, that Vinnie DeBruglia will soon replace Sayre on bass.
‘‘Ben Zecker is our only full-time musician,’’ said Douglas, pointing out that other members hold other jobs, such as teaching.
‘‘We’re lucky in that we all have very flexible schedules,’’ said Douglas, adding that Europe and Asia are lucrative markets for rock, blues, jazz, and funk
bands.
‘‘Europe and Japan have always really been into improvisational music, and more open to different styles. -
‘‘The Groove Collective is a good example,’’ Douglas added. ‘‘They’re a band out of New York that has played almost exclusively in Europe for 10 years or
more, and been very successful.’’
The Boston Horns hope to next play a couple dates in the Netherlands and in Switzerland before returning in March to record their , next studio album.
They also plan to boost their horn section with P-Vine labelmate Sam Kininger - best known for the band Soulive - and Big Sam Williams on trombone.
‘‘He’s an incredible talent,’’ Douglas says of Big Sam.
(Continued)
Can the Horns ever come down from the affection they felt in Japan?
‘‘Garret and I have been doing this for 20 years, and I can’t tell you how satisfying it was for us to see that kind of reaction,’’ Douglas said. ‘‘We’ve never
received so much love from fans. --
‘‘Those were terrific clubs with phenomenal sound systems and great crews. We had a blast.’’
After recent gigs at RegattaBar in Cambridge and the Knitting Factory in New York City, The Boston Horns are looking forward to a New Year’s Eve show
(tickets $50) at Woodman’s in Essex.
If you go:
WHERE: Johnny D’s, 17 Holland St., Davis Square, Somerville
WHEN: At about 9 p.m. tomorrow
INFO: Call 617-776-2004.
Jay N. Miller covers popular music on the South Shore and in the Boston area. If you have information or ideas for Jay about the local music scene,
bookings, recordings, artists etc., send it to him by e-mail to features@ledger.com . Attn: Music Scene in the subject line.
Copyright 2006 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Friday, December 08, 2006
Jay Miller can be reached at kingmuskrat@yahoo.com.
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