So this rotten thing seems set to follow us, in one strain or another, into the long-awaited year of 2021—the blockade on gigs, festivals and dances will remain in place for some time, it seems. Still, something else looks likely to continue unabated as the year turns: the ceaseless release of exciting new jazz records from top-class bands with time on their hands. So hey, it’s not all bad.
Eric Heveron-Smith certainly has the musical chops to keep us entertained for the duration. Based in Asheville, NC, the multi-instrumentalist has fifteen years’ experience playing tuba, trombone and bass with some of the biggest names in contemporary swing including Gunhild Carling, Michael Gamble, and Scott Bradlee. When not playing as a sideman to the stars, Eric heads up the Moonshine Rhythm Club: a four-piece-plus-guests outfit peddling sumptuous small-group arrangements which “make this vintage music sound like it was written this morning,” according to their website.
But rhythm refreshers Eric (double bass), Josh Irwin (electric guitar), Charles Kay (clarinet/sax), Eddie Rutland (rhythm guitar) and friends make no bones about the roots of their musical meddling, having released a four-part homage to some of their biggest inspirations. Three EPs have been around since 2017, but this month has seen a fourth added to the band’s Spirits of Rhythm series.
Chapter 1: Shaw ’Nuff is
