Breaks and Swells Olympia fall arts walk Breaks and Swells LIVE SHOW review, Rhythm & Rye, Olympia, WA

This entry is part 15 of 20 in the series Live Show Reviews

Breaks and Swells Olympia fall arts walk BREAKS AND SWELLS LIVE SHOW REVIEW, RHYTHM AND RYE, OLYMPIA, WA:  I’ve been following my sax-playing pal Jeremy Shaskus for a good long time now, ever since I met him a couple of years ago at The Olympia Experimental Music Festival… he wrote several reviews for Improvijazzation Nation magazine as well, so we got to know each other through that as well.

What I didn’t know is that he was part of a fantastically upbeat band, Breaks and Swells, that played at this year’s Olympia Arts Walk; of course, it was at one of my favorite venues in the magickland of Olywa – Rhythm & Rye… when I got the show announcement from him, I asked him if he could get me a “press pass”, which (of course), he did… the band is led by Marquetta Miller, with Dylon Tubb; Derrick Jones; Quinton Harris; Brice Ervin; Jeremy Shaskus and Mike Lundquist (visit their FB page to get all the details), and they weren’t the “jazz” set I had been expecting… what you’ll see in their band bio is “influences ranging widely across the spectrum of Soul, Rock, Funk, Jazz, and Pop, Breaks and Swells are hard to pin down“… never was a statement truer than that! 

The one thing I can tell you before you watch the short video clips I captured of their live performance is that they KNOW how to have FUN…. & that IS what life should be all about… check out the performances before I continue my ramble, lol:

I loved the interaction of the horns & guitars with the singers, not to mention the Hammond just KRANKIN’ back there… & the ladies doin’ the vocal are ENERGY personified… a perfect set for the conclusion to the 2017 Arts Walk… not “artsy-fartsy” in the least – in fact, a very well-coordinated set with heavy & soulful beats.  I give them my MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, and think it’s important that you catch them whenever they’re playing in your neighborhood.     Rotcod Zzaj

Series Navigation<< A Tribute to John Keeslar LIVE SHOW review by Dick MetcalfSteve Bentley Ensemble Great Northwest jazz supreme Steve Bentley Ensemble at Rhythm & Rye LIVE show Review >>
Dick Metcalf, editor, Contemporary Fusion Reviews
Dick Metcalf, editor, Contemporary Fusion Reviews
Dick Metcalf (aka Rotcod Zzaj) is a globe-hopping musician and poet who spent many years roving the world until he finally settled in his current abode, Lacey, Washington... just down the road from Seattle. He started IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION magazine in 1990 (still being published), and Contemporary Fusion Reviews magazine in 2016. He also was a keyboard player & singer for many years... you can hear (and download for free) many of those works at his "Internet Archive Collection". If you'd like to support our efforts and get something in return, there are also a few of these albums for sale on the Rotcod Zzaj BandCamp site"

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