The New Mastersounds
The New Mastersounds feature classic quartet instrumentation; guitar, Hammond, bass and drums. However, in this band's hands the result is anything but ordinary. If you think Meters, Booker T and the MGs, with a touch of JBs then you won't be disappointed.
But this is more than retro - this is hard, heavy funk for the twenty-first century. The tracks showcase the talents of the individual members of the band, but it is as a unit that they work best, proving to be the tightest, hardest-hitting, funkiest band this side of the Atlantic.
The Mastersounds were first formed in 1996 by roughneck jazz guitarist, Eddie Roberts and master conga player, Sam Bell. Since then the band and their following have just kept on growing, enjoying regular guest appearances from artists like gospel-soul vocalist, Cleveland Freckleton. The band have a residency every Friday night at The Atrium in Leeds, where they always play to a full house, have headlined at the Jazz Café and supported The James Taylor Quartet.
Sample
The New Mastersounds: 'One Note Brown'
Discography
- BIH003: The New Mastersounds, One Note Brown/Burnt Back, 7" Single SOLD OUT
- BIH005: The New Mastersounds, Ode To Bobbie Gentry/Taurus, 7" Single SOLD OUT
- BIH006: The New Mastersounds & James Taylor, Fire/Foxy Lady, 7" Single SOLD OUT
Reviews
One Note Brown / Burnt Back
"Uptempo, funkish with thick slices of Hammond, just the way this writter likes it. Two non-vocal tracks with a driving beat that should get dancefloors moving from San Francisco to Melbourne."
Richard Karstrom, Uppers.org
Ode To Bobbie Gentry / Taurus
"These boys are just ploughing their own furrow without a care in the world. Their tight-yet-languid feel is again to the fore on these two charming numbers - side one a little jazzy, a little country as the clever homage titletells, two is Dennis Coffey-esque with a similar name sake style."
Bones, Big Daddy Issue 6