The Toddies are something of a supergroup. Led by celebrated stage composer Patrick Soluri on drums, the outfit boasts veteran bandleader Gordon Webster on keys, screen stalwart Justin Poindexter on guitar, Juno Award-winning Brandi Disterheft on bass and vocals from frequent Postmodern Jukebox collaborator Hannah Gill, amongst other leading lights.
The gang performs weekly at self-described “speakeasy in the sky” Gotham Jazz, hosted by Somewhere Nowhere: the NYC lounge bar with an open air pool on its roof. It’s somewhere I absolutely have to visit one day, I’ve decided—but until that day, the Toddies’ self-titled debut record will just have to scratch that itch.
Available as a download, on CD, or on cassette, it’s a French-polished curiosity cabinet of what I’m going to call “fusion swing,” swirling subgenres into a masterpiece of highly danceable music which is likely to appeal to jazz casuals as much as diehards. None of its eleven tracks are deep cuts, but most offer an interesting new twist on a time-honored favorite.
For instance, “Digga Digga Do” seems to take cues from the Mills Brothers’ 1934 side, with its lush vocal harmonies—but Queen Esther’s soulful lead vocal gives it a cool vibe lacking from the track’s 90-year-old inspiration. Like the rest of the record it’s cleanly and crisply produced, updating the classic track with a slick PM
