I Don't Hurt Anymore, written by country singer Hank Snow in 1956, was later recored by the great blues and jazz singer Dinah Washington.  Connie's version is a custom arrangement written by saxophonist Don Lerman (DC's Uptown Rhythm Kings, J Street Jumpers). It is a great example of the many musical similarities that exist between country music, blues, and jazz.

Do You Know What it Means To Miss New Orleans was written by the famous New Orleans native Louis Armstrong.  This arrangement was also custom written for Connie by Don Lerman in 2006 after Hurricane Katrina devastated Connie's home town of Metarie Louisiana.  The song holds special meaning to us, and demonstrates one style of the band's diverse repertoir.

Saffronia B was written in 1950 by the vocalist and trumpeter Calvin Bose. HIs songs were described at the time as being "solid, jive talking rhythm and blues".  Today, the style is often named "Jump Blues".  This transcription of the song was brought to us by our guitar vocalist Don Oehser.

Don't forget the blues y'all  !!!  Just as Middy Waters has been quoted many times, "The Blues had a baby and they called it Rock & Roll". The Blues is the grandfather of American Pop, Swing, Jazz, R & B, Rap, and especially Rock.  It is truly one of our most original art forms. While the Blues appears in many forms, the traditional form is 12 Bar Blues.  Here are three songs that fit this description.

The first is an instrumental jam featuring a horn section driven rhythm line.  We especially enjoy playing these kinds of "Barn Burners" to open shows.
Improvisation is the backbone of blues and jazz.  The second song on this video, entitled "Leave Me Alone",  is an original song written by our vocalist, Daryl Davis.  Daryl mastered the art form at a young age, and either performed with or was mentored by "Blues Royalty" such as Pinetop Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, and many others. It is interesting to mention that this video was rehearsed and recorded in one evening.  Daryl assigned each band member's rhythm and harmony line, described the song's intro and ending, counted the tempo and we were off and running!  The band's live shows always feature such spontaneity, and communicates this energy and enthusiasm to our audiences.

The third song is a Professor Longhair New Orleans Boogie Woogie Blues classic entitled "Red Beans".  Muddy Waters wrote the song originally, but the Professor along with boogie woogie artist Marcia Ball popularized it.  Connie and Ted first shared an afternoon lunch of red beans and rice in the fall of 1987 and, like the dish's ingredients, have married their lives and musical tastes ever since. 

Here are two examples of classic Rhythm and Blues songs.

"Turning Point" , written and produced by Lee Grahm, is a hit song by R&B singer Tyrone Davis.  Released from the 1976 album of the same title, it spent a week at number one on the R&B singles chart in February of that year.  The song features a classic R&B "call and answer" between the vocalist and horn section, a smooth dance groove, and is fun to play and dance to. This transcription of the song was brought to the band by our guitar vocalist Don Oesher.

The second song "Will It Go Round In Circles", was written by Billy Preston whose work also included rock, soul, funk, and gospel styles.  Billy Preston became famous, first as a session musician with such artists as Sam Cook, Ray Charles, and The Beatles, and was later successful as a solo artist with such hit pop singles as "Space Race" and "Nothing From Nothing".  Our horn section intro and 'hook" was adapted by our bassist, Ted Jenkins, from Billy's original piano chords.  In eight beats, the chords take the listener from a brash, almost discordant sound and resolves to the memorable "one note" groove that uniquely defines Billy Preston's song and lyrics.

Daryl taped this performance in one take after having worked for over five hours in the studio on other songs. It is one of his original compositions. The seemingly effortless performance is a tribute to his remarkable skillset in this musical style.