Sometimes, important stuff just gets busied out: I still haven’t put the tumble dryer back together, called someone to fix the dishwasher and, until today, I hadn’t got around to reviewing What’s the Matter with the Mill? It was the fifth offering from The Mad Hat Hucksters, a San Diego-based band founded way back in 2015. Released in March of 2024, it predated People Are Strange, a live EP recorded in 2023 and released last October. So it was high time I gave it a listen—the white goods could wait until the weekend.
The Hucksters are a six-piece with bandleader Morgan Day on drums. He’s joined by the aptly named Ben Sachs on tenor sax, Ezri Martinez on piano, Anthony Marca on guitar and Jeremy Eikam on bass. Alongside them is the Nightshade Navarro, bandleader and compere of Speak Loudly: an evening of live jazz, burlesque, local crafts and cannabis-friendly vibes, held at The Soap Factory in San Diego. (OK Google, search flights to San Diego.)
The players pride themselves on being swing dance-friendly, and this 18-track disc is no exception. It features a rollicking repertoire of dancefloor favorites like “When You’re Smiling”, “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Comes Love,” mixed with relative rarities like the Harlem Hamfats’ “Let’s Get Drunk and Truck” and the title track, originally recorded by Memphis Minnie. It’s a smorgasbord of trad, swing and blues spanning the twenties to the forties, paying tribute to the likes of Armstrong, Bechet and Waller.
The playing itself is generally very solid, though the players do slip out of the pocket on occasion. Most times the solos feel natural and fluid, but occasionally they’re just a little halting. Navarro, for instance, plays a blinder on “Jumpin’ With Symphony Sid” but doesn’t quite find the same flow—and drifts into some incongruously spicy modes—on “Almond Road Blues.”
Similar could be said for Marca and Martinez—hitting the sweet spot nine times in ten, with just occasional lapses in imagination—with Sachs sounding the most consistently fluent. The vocal performances are a little more hit-and-miss, although this is partly a matter of taste. Day, Sachs, and Navarro share duties here and they all do a serviceable job, though none is likely to win a Grammy for it.
Navarro sings “When You’re Smiling” (I think, given the lack of overlap between vocal and soprano) and gives it a strangely sensual twist. I don’t care too much for the take—but his pitch is undeniably the most precise. Ironically, My favorite vocal performance on the album is “Black Strap Molasses,” when everyone joins in with the choruses. Maybe Martinez, Marca, or Eikam should give lead vocals a go next time…
What no one can criticize is the tremendous bang-for-your-buck this record gives: $15 for 18 tracks is less than 83¢ per song, folks! And they’re foot-stomping, thigh-slapping tracks guaranteed to get listeners up and dancing. Check out the band’s full discography (including a festive EP which would be perfect for your next Christmas dance) on Bandcamp now.
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Dave Doyle is a swing dancer, dance teacher, and journalist based in Gloucestershire, England. Write him at davedoylecomms@gmail.com. Find him on Twitter @DaveDoyleComms.
