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The Patriot Ledger
MUSIC SCENE: Irresistible funk, rock and jazz from Horns
By Jay N. Miller
June 2005
The supporting cast may have changed, but The Boston Horns continue to turn out some of the area's most inventive and infectious music.
Anchored by tenor saxophonist Henley Douglas Jr., trumpeter Garret Savluk and guitarist Jeff Buckridge, the band headlines Ryles Jazz Club in
Cambridge on Saturday.
Stop by and bring your dancing shoes because when you hear their irresistible blend of funk, rock and jazz, you will have to move.
The Boston Horns emerged in 1999 from the Heavy Metal Horns, that oddly-named nine-piece group that campaigned internationally for about a decade
starting in the late 1980s, releasing six albums.
The new group was a sextet, losing some of the big band panache, but none of its gift for melodic surprises amid greasy, sweaty grooves.
Last fall the Horns released ‘‘You've Got to Find Your Own Groove,'' a typically lively blast of their best new music, with three guest stars: alto saxman
Sam Kininger, percussionist Yahuba and Big Ben Hillman on keyboards.
As they work on a new album slated for September, the Horns are anxious to introduce their newest lineup. Ben Zecker has replaced Mike Dansereau on
keyboards, with Eric Sayre taking over on bass for Dave Wolfberg.
‘‘We are very much looking forward to getting something on record with this lineup, because it is sounding good,'' said Douglas from his Boston home.
‘‘We've just played the Discover Jazz Fest in Burlington, Vt., and the Harpoon Brewery Fest in Boston. Last week we did Kenny's Castaways in New York
City and we had that room going nuts.
‘‘Next week we are opening for Little Feat in Albany, at a festival on the riverfront, so things are going well, and people seem to really dig the new band's
sound.''
All three principal members write songs, but newcomer Zecker has already stepped forward with some great tunes, Douglas said.
‘‘Everyone is open to other people's ideas,'' he noted. ‘‘This band really gets along well, and when they see us live, people pick up on how much fun
we're having onstage. I feel like I'm working with great people, having a great time, and hopefully making great music.''
The Horns also have a penchant for re-interpreting some unusual cover songs. On the latest CD, it's The Meters' old New Orleans funk ballad ‘‘Love Will
Slip Up On You,'' reworked as a more contemporary vamp. Jimi Hendrix's ‘‘Crosstown Traffic'' has been a staple of live shows, its guitar lines replaced by
soaring horns.
‘‘Our new album has a surprise cover, too,'' Douglas revealed. ‘‘It's an old rock song from the 1970s, by The James Gang, ‘Funk #49,' but we've totally
rearranged it. We like to find slightly obscure covers and give them our own treatment.
‘‘A huge factor for us is drummer Peter Maclean, who is one of the best funk drummers I've ever heard,'' he added. ‘‘Peter has so many great ideas for
grooves we can try with these songs that he is the hidden ingredient in our arranging.''
The newest members came by word of mouth. ‘‘I've known Ben from many fine bands he's played in, and when I asked him to recommend a keyboard
player for us, he said ‘How about me?'
‘‘Ben and Eric had been playing together, and so he brought him to us. Eric had been living in Stowe, Vermont, and was commuting from there to play
with us.
‘‘With both of these guys, their dedication to music was something that really struck us as refreshing,'' he said. ‘‘We're dealing with different generations
of musicians at this point, and to find younger ones with the same dedication as Garret and I have is unusual.''
If you ask the Boston Horns, the live music business is going pretty well, having rebounded from the post-9/11 doldrums.
(Continued)
‘‘It shouldn't be surprising,'' said Douglas. ‘‘The power of live music is the most healing, inspiring, enjoyable experience you can find.''
He also gives the jam bands credit for revitalizing the scene.
‘‘It reminds me of the 1960s, when you might have Miles Davis jamming with the Grateful Dead. It is causing the industry to reconstruct itself completely.
Major labels are hurting, while boutique labels that cater to specific tastes are doing very well,'' he said.
When the whole band isn't on the road, Douglas and Savluk are likely to be travelling as a two-man horn section.
‘‘Garret and I did a 10-day stint in New Orleans, featured as The Boston Horns, with the Brotherhood of Groove,'' Douglas said. ‘‘We've also worked with
The Motet, who are flying us to Boulder (Colo.) in October for some concerts. In fact, Garret will be with the Motet June 22 when they play at Bill's Bar in
Boston. We're lucky in that all those years with the Heavy Metal Horns laid a good foundation for us, and Garret and I are road warriors.
‘‘We love to go out and play and hang out with all these different musicians. Things are going so well, it's outrageous.''
MUSIC SCENE: Irresistible funk, rock and jazz from Horns
By Jay N. Miller
June 2005
The supporting cast may have changed, but The Boston Horns continue to turn out some of the area's most inventive and infectious music.
Anchored by tenor saxophonist Henley Douglas Jr., trumpeter Garret Savluk and guitarist Jeff Buckridge, the band headlines Ryles Jazz Club in
Cambridge on Saturday.
Stop by and bring your dancing shoes because when you hear their irresistible blend of funk, rock and jazz, you will have to move.
The Boston Horns emerged in 1999 from the Heavy Metal Horns, that oddly-named nine-piece group that campaigned internationally for about a decade
starting in the late 1980s, releasing six albums.
The new group was a sextet, losing some of the big band panache, but none of its gift for melodic surprises amid greasy, sweaty grooves.
Last fall the Horns released ‘‘You've Got to Find Your Own Groove,'' a typically lively blast of their best new music, with three guest stars: alto saxman
Sam Kininger, percussionist Yahuba and Big Ben Hillman on keyboards.
As they work on a new album slated for September, the Horns are anxious to introduce their newest lineup. Ben Zecker has replaced Mike Dansereau on
keyboards, with Eric Sayre taking over on bass for Dave Wolfberg.
‘‘We are very much looking forward to getting something on record with this lineup, because it is sounding good,'' said Douglas from his Boston home.
‘‘We've just played the Discover Jazz Fest in Burlington, Vt., and the Harpoon Brewery Fest in Boston. Last week we did Kenny's Castaways in New York
City and we had that room going nuts.
‘‘Next week we are opening for Little Feat in Albany, at a festival on the riverfront, so things are going well, and people seem to really dig the new band's
sound.''
All three principal members write songs, but newcomer Zecker has already stepped forward with some great tunes, Douglas said.
‘‘Everyone is open to other people's ideas,'' he noted. ‘‘This band really gets along well, and when they see us live, people pick up on how much fun
we're having onstage. I feel like I'm working with great people, having a great time, and hopefully making great music.''
The Horns also have a penchant for re-interpreting some unusual cover songs. On the latest CD, it's The Meters' old New Orleans funk ballad ‘‘Love Will
Slip Up On You,'' reworked as a more contemporary vamp. Jimi Hendrix's ‘‘Crosstown Traffic'' has been a staple of live shows, its guitar lines replaced by
soaring horns.
‘‘Our new album has a surprise cover, too,'' Douglas revealed. ‘‘It's an old rock song from the 1970s, by The James Gang, ‘Funk #49,' but we've totally
rearranged it. We like to find slightly obscure covers and give them our own treatment.
‘‘A huge factor for us is drummer Peter Maclean, who is one of the best funk drummers I've ever heard,'' he added. ‘‘Peter has so many great ideas for
grooves we can try with these songs that he is the hidden ingredient in our arranging.''
The newest members came by word of mouth. ‘‘I've known Ben from many fine bands he's played in, and when I asked him to recommend a keyboard
player for us, he said ‘How about me?'
‘‘Ben and Eric had been playing together, and so he brought him to us. Eric had been living in Stowe, Vermont, and was commuting from there to play
with us.
‘‘With both of these guys, their dedication to music was something that really struck us as refreshing,'' he said. ‘‘We're dealing with different generations
of musicians at this point, and to find younger ones with the same dedication as Garret and I have is unusual.''
If you ask the Boston Horns, the live music business is going pretty well, having rebounded from the post-9/11 doldrums.
(Continued)
‘‘It shouldn't be surprising,'' said Douglas. ‘‘The power of live music is the most healing, inspiring, enjoyable experience you can find.''
He also gives the jam bands credit for revitalizing the scene.
‘‘It reminds me of the 1960s, when you might have Miles Davis jamming with the Grateful Dead. It is causing the industry to reconstruct itself completely.
Major labels are hurting, while boutique labels that cater to specific tastes are doing very well,'' he said.
When the whole band isn't on the road, Douglas and Savluk are likely to be travelling as a two-man horn section.
‘‘Garret and I did a 10-day stint in New Orleans, featured as The Boston Horns, with the Brotherhood of Groove,'' Douglas said. ‘‘We've also worked with
The Motet, who are flying us to Boulder (Colo.) in October for some concerts. In fact, Garret will be with the Motet June 22 when they play at Bill's Bar in
Boston. We're lucky in that all those years with the Heavy Metal Horns laid a good foundation for us, and Garret and I are road warriors.
‘‘We love to go out and play and hang out with all these different musicians. Things are going so well, it's outrageous.''
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