nzoa oct

CURRENT ISSUE

DONATE ADVERTISE SUBSCRIBE

Reviewed by Bing Turkby

The Dancing and Drinking Society: Remember The Days

Reviewed by Bing Turkby

The Dancing and Drinking Society: Remember The Days

How does a swinging four-piece blues-y trad jazz band sound so big? It certainly helps that the members of The Dancing and Drinking Society play multiple instruments are no slouches. Matt Enright, Adrian Jensen, Nils Olsen and Daniel Yeabsley put a greasy New Orleans feel on guitar, banjo, trumpet, clarinet, sax, or whatever else they feel like playing. Their versions of standards like St James Infirmary are played straight enough for the easy listeners, but with enough feel and virtuosity for the enthusiast. It’s not all songs by dead jazz guys either – Enright’s own Remember The Days fits in perfectly with a Django-esque feel. The bass saxophone makes a good replacement for the more commonly-used sousaphone, and I love the way the rhythm is shared around the band for a truly swinging feel. With different instruments playing on different beats you get a good ‘jump’ vibe and it also gives each instrument room to shine, rather than having to fight for sonic space. You don’t have to be a jazz fan to enjoy dancing and drinking.