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Put your hands on the remote! browse music »Life Drawing by Whitney Smith Big Steam Band
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fave it Jazz Vocals | Big Band
11 tracks | 53 minutes
Released Dec 2004
on Community Records
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- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:39 Jaguar Dance lyrics BUY MP3 05:39 Jaguar Dance lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:39 Jaguar Dance
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:43 Let's Pretend It's Love lyrics BUY MP3 03:43 Let's Pretend It's Love lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:43 Let's Pretend It's Love
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:52 This House lyrics BUY MP3 05:52 This House lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:52 This House
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:25 I Will Not Love lyrics BUY MP3 04:25 I Will Not Love lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:25 I Will Not Love
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:19 Blue Gardenia lyrics BUY MP3 05:19 Blue Gardenia lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:19 Blue Gardenia
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:46 Rhythm Pills and Spare Change lyrics BUY MP3 04:46 Rhythm Pills and Spare Change lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:46 Rhythm Pills and Spare Change
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:44 My Reason Why lyrics BUY MP3 05:44 My Reason Why lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:44 My Reason Why
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:02 Steam Engine lyrics BUY MP3 05:02 Steam Engine lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:02 Steam Engine
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:07 Goodbye, Lonesome Beauty lyrics BUY MP3 03:07 Goodbye, Lonesome Beauty lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:07 Goodbye, Lonesome Beauty
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:11 Pot of Tears lyrics BUY MP3 05:11 Pot of Tears lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:11 Pot of Tears
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:40 Drift and Misery lyrics BUY MP3 04:40 Drift and Misery lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:40 Drift and Misery
Strong, eclectic songwriting, arranging and solo work from a roaring big band pushing the envelope of the genre with energetic and soulful swing, Latin and folk jazz.
Bio / Background
"[The band's concert offered] the delightful discovery of the contemporary jazz lyrics and intricate compositions of Smith's original jazz tunes...an intoxicating musical experience. ...Smith and his band exude a pure jazz ingenuity." - Lynn Peppas, Welland Tribune, March 7, 2005
"The music is big-band swing in the Basie and Ellington tradition, with a little Latin jazz and R & B thrown in for good measure, yet it has enough twists and tempo changes to make it ...contemporary."
- Brent Raynor, NOW Magazine, Dec. 16, 2004
"How many big bands play original music and employ singers? The Steamers do, and bandleader Smith, who plays guitar for the outfit, has moved into the songwriting mode with a vengeance here, penning lyrics for seven of 11 compositions ... Handling vocals are up-and-comers Deekaye Ibomeka and Michelle Doyle while arrangers include bandsmen, notably Andrew Jones.
↓ more ↓All the instrumental pieces work well, Bernie Senensky positively bubbling on the opening "Jaguar Dance" and the ensemble drives hard on other smart cuts like "Rhythm Pills & Spare Change" and "Steam Engine." Senensky and trumpeter Jake Wilkinson frequently solo, and trombonist Gord Myers is particularly fluent on "Pot of Tears." Swinging songs with words work, especially "Let's Pretend It's Love" with Ibomeka's big voice just right and "I Will Not Love," an easy swinger [sung by Doyle]."
- Geoff Chapman, Toronto Star, Dec. 16, 2004
"...a band that's a cross between the jazz orchestras of Count Basie and Dave Holland - with a bit of Tom Waits thrown into the mix. .. features two up-and-coming vocalists, Michelle Doyle and Deekaye Ibomeka, who handle the swing, samba, bossa, and Celtic jazz styles with ease. .. Fine solo work is heard by Jake Wilkinson on trumpet, Andy Ballantyne on alto and soprano sax, and pianist Bernie Senensky. Joel Haynes is on drums.... Bandleader and composer/lyricist Whitney Smith describes the Big Steam Band's recent transition: "Once we stepped out of playing our roots music (late 50s rat-pack swing) and started playing our own music, people started to take more notice. The new album is about exploring how far a big band can push the envelope without departing completely from those roots."
- toronto.com, Dec. 16, 2004
"Holly Cole and Louise Pitre once sang with the 19-year-old band, and Smith still has that indefinable cool that attracts style-savvy denizens ...." - Toronto Life, Oct. 2003
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