| Wes Houston's Decades of Jazz |
| Born as an offspring of Wes' popular band, the Decades of Jazz is a collaboration of five seasoned New York City musicians, with diverse musical backgrounds, who share their love of playing jazz. The instrumental band covers songs from the golden age of jazz, with a particular emphasis on big band, bebob and Latin styles. Coming off a hugely successful cable TV show project, the band is bringing the house down in the venues it plays. During its high-octaine sets, the Decades of Jazz pays homage to many of the great jazz musicians of the last century, such as Parker, Coltrane and Rollins. The Great American Songbook is given its due as well with many of the most popular tunes of Gershwin, Porter and Berlin The Latin side is well represented with Jobim's greatest works, as well as inventive Latin takes on some of the standards. The nature of the arrangements and unique instrumentaion are two distinctions that set apart the Decades of Jazz from other like-minded combos. Their use of melodic and rhythmic devices comes from the varied influences of the band members, blending elements of rock, blues and roots into the traditional jazz elements to create a sound that is singularly unique and exciting. The Decades of Jazz also highlights the use of non-traditional instrumentation, in particular, using steel guitar rather than piano for the orchestration, extended harmonies and comping devices, harp (harmonica) for the phrasing and articulations typically expressed by a horn player and augmenting the traditional drums with a myriad of percussive instruments. These differences allow the Decades of Jazz to create a sound that honors the great jazz traditions of the last century, but with a distinctive 21st century touch. Whether playing a sweet ballad like Naima or swinging hard on Cherokee, the listening crowd is excited and impassioned in a way that is all too rare. |
| Decades of Jazz Wes Houston - electric rhythm guitar George Christ - harp and percussion Ray Forgione - drums Brian Kelly - bass Jeff Lampert - steel guitar |