The Boston Horns, a lively funk band, will be performing on Friday night at the Armory at 9 pm. The admission to this “Communiversity” event is free. The Boston Horn’s unique style of funk music “transcends genres, which is why we can play all these different venues and have people appreciate it,” the group’s Co-founder Garrett Savluk told The Patriot Ledger.
Formed in 1999, the six-member Boston Horns use groove-oriented, original instrumental and vocal music to create a unique blend of diverse musical styles from rhythm and blues to funk, soul, and jazz.
“Artistically and commercially, the funked-up Boston Horns fill a comfortable niche between jazz artists and jam bands,” said Brett M. Rhyne in the March issue of Sound Check Magazine.
“In concert, they evoke the best elements of both genres. This high-octane sextet skillfully combines the playfulness and expressive power of jam with jazz’s melodic surprise and experimentation.”
The members of the Boston Horns are Savluk on trumpet, Henley Douglas Jr. on saxophone, Jeff Buckridge on guitar, Mike Rush on bass guitar, Mark Longo on the keyboard, and Jack Howard Jr. on drums. All of them are extremely hard-working and very dedicated and passionate about their work.
“I came from a poor family. My teacher recognized that I had talent, and we went down to this brass convention in New York City. When I was in high school he gave me free lessons. He gave me a lot at no charge, and they were raffling off horns,” said Savluk in the April issue of Metronome Magazine. “I had this piece of crap student horn, and they palmed me [a] raffle ticket to get me [a] nice horn. So I was given a lot, and it’s a very nice feeling to give something back.”
The Boston Horns have produced two musical CDs during their career, namely, the six-track studio album It’s in Your Face, recorded in 1999, and the recent 12-track live album Boogie Stop Shuffle, recorded in 2001.
Although I’m not an outright fan of funk music, I will admit that Boogie Stop Shuffle’s steady, dynamic sound and jamming vocals does make me want to “boogie.” The rhythmic nature of the funk sound is very catchy.
During their career, the Boston Horns have been nominated as an outstanding funk band by the 2002 Boston Music Awards and were selected by cdeta.com as a band of the month in 2001.
They have performed at a wide range of venues during the past year, including the Regatta Bar in Boston, Johnny D’s Uptown Restaurant and Music Club in Somerville, Mass., Ryles Jazz Club and the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, Lowell Winterfest in Lowell, Mass., and the Mountain Boogie Music Festival.
Visit the Boston Horns’ website at http://www.bostonhorns.com to read more about the band and to download a selection of tracks from their CDs.
