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Spyboy Productions is proud to present six thrilling nights of music at the French Quarter's world famous Shim Sham Club during
the Jazz Fest season. The Spyboy's always got his finger on the pulse
of the street, so this year he's cooked up a sizzling stew of jazz, funk,
and raw rock'n'roll to get the Shim Sham popping with dancing, sweaty
bodies for six late nights of good, unclean fun.
Artists range from the locally revered to the internationally
renowned. Musical styles move from the wickedest street beats to boozy
stumbles to the tightest and leanest funk. Turntablist hip-hop, Crescent
City jazz grooves, and blastin' brass will all be in the house when Spyboy
brings its flavor to the Shim Sham. True to the season of Jazz Fest, Spyboy's
concerts also feature a heavy contingent of lauded jazz musicians to keep
the flow moving with dazzling improvised exchanges and swinging interplay.
Friday April 25
Johnny & Stanton's New Thing
Support by trombone shorty & Something New
doors 9pm show 10pm
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| Johnny & Stanton's New Thing featuring Johnny Vidacovich and Stanton Moore (drums), Mark Mullins (trombone), Tony Dagradi (tenor sax), and Brian
Coogan (keys) "New" is the operative word for this night as a
collection of New Orleans' finest gets in the ring for some heated musical
combustion. Johnny & Stanton's New Thing reunites the teacher with his
student, as New Orleans drum master Johnny Vidacovich gets down with Galactic
drum star Stanton Moore and a not-so-motley crew of old and new friends,
including his Astral Project compadre Tony Dagradi. Expect some slammin'
double drum interplay from Vidacovich and Moore with the wailing horns of
Dagradi and bonerama's Mark Mullins (trombone). And look for Johnny to get
wiggy with some spontaneous vocal and poetry.
Troy "trombone shorty" Andrews is rightly considered the legacy-bearer
of not only his musical family, but of a tradition of righteous brass-mastery.
On 'bone or trumpet, Shorty leaves mouths agape at his powerful blowing
and breathtaking musical invention.
Saturday April 26
Morning 40 Federation
Johnny Sketch & The Dirty Notes
doors 9pm show 10 pm
Time for that dirty ol' rock'n'roll as two of the Crescent City's raunchiest
outfits take it to the stage for some knock-down drag-out. The Morning 40
Federation have rightly earned their rep as the hardest-drinking band in
the hardest-drinking town on this green earth. No small feat, that. Even
more impressive is their hard-wrought ability to translate this lived experience
into songs of joyful swagger, bittersweet irony, and lascivious carnal delight.
Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes have earned an impressive following in
the past year with their appealing blend of funk and rock influences, combining
the now ubiquitous grooves with enough of an appropriately "dirty"
sensibility to live up to their name.
Sunday April 27
"2 Turntables & A Sousaphone"
featuring: Li'l Rascals Brass Band And DJ Lonnie with Scratchmosis
doors 1:00 am show 2:00 am
Only in New Orleans. Where else in the world would you hear a hip-hop
DJ cuttin' it up with an authentic sousa-phunk brass band? The gig's title
also doubles as a much-needed lesson in the proper names of musical instruments
- y'see, that giant brass instrument holding down the low notes is not a
tuba (as it is often mistakenly called), but a sousaphone, dig? Named for
famed brass ensemble composer John Phillip Sousa (of "Stars and Stripes
Forever" fame among other classic marches), the sousaphone is a cornerstone
of any New Orleans brass band worth its salt, and the lil rascals are most
certainly worth theirs and then some. This late night show unites street
music styles of different eras and technologies for an electro-acoustic
take on the real funk.
Friday May 2
Melvin Sparks Band
Drums & Tuba
doors 1:00 am show 2:00 am
This late-night show features two generations of funky jazz from the wide
open spaces of Texas. Houston-born guitarist Melvin Sparks appeared on numerous
sessions with the likes of such soul-jazz stars as Hank Crawford, Jack McDuff,
and Lou Donaldson in the late '60's and early '70's. Sparks recorded several
albums as a leader for Prestige in the '70's, many of which were rediscovered
by acid-jazz DJ's and mixologists along with his sideman sessions.
From Austin, TX (now based in New York), eclectic trio Drums and Tuba
unite the brassy throb of New Orleans brass band music with a wild fusion
of contemporary grooves and wacky sonic experiments. They've blazed a path
from frequent gigs in their hometown to relentless club touring to opening
for the likes of funk superstars Galactic, winning fans over all along the
way. Tuba player Brian Wolff now counts trumpet and trombone in his brass
arsenal, and guitarist Neal McKeeby (whose instrument gets no mention in
the band's name) is often seen playing two instruments simultaneously. Drummer
Anthony Nozero adds some looping electronics to the stew, making the group
vividly contemporary even as it references classic groove music from Treme
to Soweto.
Sunday, May 4th
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey
w/ DJ Kenetik
Doors: 1:00am Show: 2:00am
Sunday's late night show kicks off with DJ Kenetik, then heads skyward
with the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey as they weave intricate groove-based tapestries
of swirling improvisation. From the unlikely spawning grounds of Tulsa,
OK, the core duo of Brian Haas (keyboards/piano) and Reed Mathis (electric
bass) have crafted their own take on free-wheeling jazz, earthbound funk,
and shifting instrumental lineups that have featured horns, rappers, and
drum/percussion combos of great color and variety. No, there's nobody named
Jacob Fred in the group, it's merely a cryptic in-joke and catchy moniker.
Since their 1994 debut, the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey has become a huge hit
on the jam band circuit, but their music has a lot more edge and adventure
than that association would immediately conjure. They're light-hearted,
but they take the "Odyssey" part of their name to heart and embark
on Sun Ra-inspired journeys of cosmic intent. DJ Kenetik hails from Calgary,
Canada where he was crucial in establishing the thriving Electro scene.
Monday, May 5th
An evening with
Atlas Jones
Featuring: Victor Atkins (Headhunters), Paul Jackson (Headhunters), Stanton
Moore (Galactic), Eric Krasno (Soulive) Nicholas Payton
Doors: 9:00pm Show: 10:00pm
Spyboy's series at the Shim Sham closes out with a bang, as all-star jam
ensemble ATLAS JONES blows the roof off the joint with a spectacular night
to continue the Fest-vibe just a bit longer. True, Jazz Fest proper will
be over, but the hard-working musicians that comprise ATLAS JONES will make
sure that it's not a "Blue Monday" as they hit the stage for a
marathon set of loose-limbed groove-motion and testifying solos. Victor
Atkins (keys) has wowed audiences with Los Hombres Calientes and recent
editions of the Headhunters. Nicholas Payton (trumpet) is internationally
famed for his prodigious trumpet mastery and the deep jazz feeling in his
amazing solo constructions, but as recent gigs with his own fusion projects
prove he's no stranger to the funk. Eric Krasno (guitar)'s sweet-toned string
work has helped guide soul-jazz stars Soulive to surprising crossover success,
and the rhythm section of drummer Stanton Moore (Galactic) and bassist Paul
Jackson (also of Headhunters fame) will sure cook and smolder with cocksure
confidence.
Ben Gersh
New Orleans
Go See Live Music!
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