Cracking stuff especially if you dig the Modfather as it’s Paul Weller’s drummer Steve White here from the Style Council and the solo Weller epoque plus Chris Hague and Joel White (no relation) echoing that emotion.
Soul Drums is currently the second biggest jazz seller in the Official UK jazz and blues chart list. Fair play.
I liked ‘Songs for Us Dads’ most – I would being a dad. But “liking” goes beyond appreciating the cut of a song title’s jib.
It’s heart on sleeve stuff and nicely played.
White is on Modfather classic the glorious Stanley Road – which was partially a hometown homage to Woking – and other key Weller oeuvre.
Here you get a love of jazz simply but not stupidly played.
Unlike a lot of rock stars who take the piss and haven’t got the chops or more to the point the appetite to carry it off, there is respect and love for the jazz genre interpreted in a very English fashion. In other words no one delivers fake tales of San Francisco to riff off a great lyric by Sheffield’s finest Arctic Monkeys. Musicianship there is too galore and the SWT play jazz in their own way without being at all tedious.
Tunes are quite often Chris Hague’s. Bit of background for my benefit as much as yours dear reader: Hague and Steve White operate a musical duo based in Sheffield. This group also ropes in Joel White.
Their debut album The Eleventh Hour was released in 2019. The record blends soul and jazz with psychedelic textures. It features heavy funk grooves and classic Hammond organ sounds.
Soul Drums was produced by Hague and recorded at Fox Den Studios in the steel city. It’s not all guns blazing if that is what you are looking for. It’s lite – I’m not being pejorative – and more loungin’ than jazzer on stilts which is good if dear reader out there you are knocking on a bit and don’t want to knacker your back.
You don’t have to be a jazz fan to get it. In fact not being one is even better. If you are into JTQ (see the gig guide) you’ll love this. Much production intruding, I hear you ponder. Oh the horror. Huh? A bit. But the finessing doesn’t bother me. Purist jazz fans might crave some proper improvisations and mayhem. Pal. There’s nary a freak out.
Beyond studio albums Hague and White have pursued a successful career in television scoring. They have composed the music for four series of The Madame Blanc Mysteries. No, me, neither I confess. So feeling stupid yet again, not watching a lot of TV since Ceefax packed up, I looked it up and will catch up, promise.
Theme tune ‘Passing Through’ is on Soul Drums in this new treatment sans the Richard Hawley type vocals.
Paul Weller The Style Council 1984 classic ‘My Ever Changing Moods’ is done very lovingly.
‘Something’ is a belter. It’s got strong cut a rug drumming from White and groovy organ from I think it is White namesake pal Joel.
James Newton like flute soloing on ‘Eye to Eye’ is as evocative as summer hols by the pool on a sweltering day.
‘Running’ is more psychedelic and boisterously neckable because it has some rampaging organ.
White thumps it out on ‘Cough Up’ which has fab offbeats, a slight Lalo Schifrin feel and strong coltish early acid jazz vibrations. Dancing shoes required.
The Steve White trio play the Deer’s Head in Belfast on 8 May: & before that Band on the Wall, Manchester on 4 April; and Slay, Glasgow on 11 April
MORE FROM MARLBANK. THESE WE ALSO DIG
Assistant editor Jazz Forum, Warsaw 1991-2; Assistant Editor Jazz on CD, London 1993-5; Founding editor Jazzwise 1997.
