The Shanghai Woolies play hot music, the 1920’s and 30’s jazz and pop of Chicago and New York City. The eight-piece ensemble, founded by Pink Martini trumpet player Gavin Bondy, covers Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Paul Whiteman and more.
“... a new twist on the raucous, slippery, foot-happy jazz you’d expect to hear at the legendary Cotton Club ... hard to resist...” - the Oregonian.
The vocalist and songwriter, Mel (Melanie) Kubik, is the centerpiece of each performance. Her early training in music (classical piano at age 3, saxophone at 9) and her experience in traditional jazz (Timbuktu + 5) and pop rock (Quarterflash) combines with her Bohemian lineage and down-home Kansas upbringing to give her versatility, personal accessibility, and musical depth and beauty that is rare.
Gavin plays trumpet and cornet, and writes songs and arrangements for the band. Brought up in Portland, Oregon, he studied music from old-school horn players who showed him how American music was made in the first part of last century. They had worked in live radio orchestras and in the bands of people like Glenn Miller and Tex Beneke. Gavin’s wanted to reconcile this early training with the newer sounds he enjoyed. Along the way, he discovered beauty in elements others had discarded in the name of progress, so he chose the earlier music of the 1920’s when, in 1999, he began work in earnest on the material for the Shanghai Woolies.
On April 17, 2004, the band released their debut CD, Jungle Nights, to an enthusiastic house at the Aladdin Theater in Portland, Oregon. National Public Radio later put the third track, Concerto for Trumpet, on their Open Mic web site where the public voted and gave it one of the highest ratings ever.
It is often noted that the Shanghai Woolies’ live shows are even better than their recordings: “That’s the coolest band I’ve ever seen,” said Marv Ross, bandleader and producer, at a Cycle Oregon show he had organized.
“Though Brian Setzer, Cherry-Poppin’ Daddies, and others have paved this road, the fanciest, coolest machine on the highway is The Shanghai Woolies.” - Victory Review |
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