There are two ways you can approach getting into a young band who, in the span of five years, has produced more than ten releases—roll the dice and pick one or go in chronological order. But with Kansas Smitty’s House Band (KSHB), based in London, England, either approach is worth your while.
You can try to start at the beginning with their now hard-to-find single “The Band Has Been Drinking” from 2014, or their self-titled album from 2015 with early tracks like “Get a Move On” or “Eight Ball Rag,” that feel like songs from the ’20s or ’30s songs you haven’t heard before. By the time you get to the end of that album, with “Backyard BBQ Blues” and “You’re Fantastic,” you’ve moved into the later realm of Duke Ellington or Glenn Miller.
But then, as you delve deeper into their catalogue, like their The Sound of Kansas Smitty’s (Basement Tapes), or any of their other albums or EPs, you get a sense that you are listening to an encyclopedic take on the history of jazz in its many forms.
Actually, almost everything about this band is a bit deceptive. It has seven members, but their recordings always feature a revolving cast of guests, including the likes of Kurtis Stigers. Each of their compositions can be tied to a certain period of jazz history, but all the compositions are original, and there is always some sort of a musical curveball thrown in
