HOBO JAZZ: Old Lester's Speakeasy

Hobo Jazz

Old Lester's Speakeasy

© 2006 Marquis Howell (837101254380)

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

Deep roots with dynamic energy. A raggy rumpus through folk blues & pre-bop jazz covers & originals. Upright bass, acoustic guitar, & traditional drums. Happy music for happy people.

notes

We’re a three piece rhythm band that plays fun music. Fun for us, and fun for you if you like it. We play jazz, not be-bop, elevator, easy-listening math jazz. The hot jazz, Louis Armstrong singin’ for his supper, the past-ripe-and-shouldn’t-be-eaten jazz. We play blues, not the blues you hear in a crappy bar with loud guitars & bad words. We play the folk blues, the ragtime blues, the jazz blues, the ’damnit-how’m-I-gonna-pay-rent’ blues. We play folk, not whiskey soaked strum anthems, no tight pants’d harmonies with the teddy bear in the woods. The folk that the folks play when they’re just bein’ folks.

Ok, picture this...it’s 1927 & you’ve been invited to a rare preformance of Louis Armstrong’s Hot 5. After a chorus of ’Heebie Jeebies’ up jumps Ledbelly in his prison stripes to wail a verse of ’Goodnite Irene’. Before he can shoot anyone, Louis Prima comes in to tell a joke about his girl that’s long and tall. But as soon as he’s about to throw the punchline, Hoagy Carmichael starts the intro to Stardust. People start daydreaming so Ledbelly steals their wallets. Earl Palmer walks in & sets up his drum kit while Bob Wills shoots Ledbelly in the shin bone. That’s a Hobo Jazz show, in a sense.

We play what we like, we don’t give much a damn about most things as long as we don’t have to comprimise our jollyness! You’ll hear Matt Coleman’s ass-clappin originals mixed with a verse of Ray Charles. You’ll hear some willy nilly scatin’ from Marquis while his bass gets a few more dings & scratches & holes. You’ll see Joe with a drumstick in his mouth & then realize that he’s the one making everyone else sound so good.

We’re a Vaudeville-ish Blues-y Folk-like Jazz-y Band that likes to laugh & have fun. If you like the music, you’ll love the show.

Some might call us a skiffle band, or that we play blues, hillbilly, folk, jazz, whatever. We just say we’re Hobo Jazz & dispense with all the fancy words. We play the music of the contemporary 1930’s hobo country bluesman. This is part rail ridin’ music, part field hollar sonnet. Part rock-a-billy cadillac, part 1932 Fordor Wagon. One part dirty hobo, one part hot jazz.

We’re Hobos in the free & vagabond sense of the term. Hobos aren’t bums, Hobos aren’t beggers. Hobos want to earn their way with various odd jobs. Never staying in one place to long, hobos lived life their own way, much in the way jazz makes music it’s own way. Jazz isn’t about a soothing horn over a mellow bass line, it’s about jubilation & excitement. The syncopation feeds your jive hungry feet & the flirtatious melody makes your jeans wiggle. Hobo Jazz is our honest interpitation of this vintage joy that we feel is best not left to history.

We’ve played festivals, bars, coffee houses, theaters, street corners, burlesque shows, kids’ shows. Some places you’ve heard of, many you haven’t.

reviews

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  • Amazing Cd!!
    author: Jessica

    This cd is amazing! I love it!!!

  • Grrrreat!
    author: Tommy and Erin

    This CD is great! Watched them Live in the Redlands in November 2006! Keep up the great work! From CA to PA!

  • I'm swinging in my livingroom with the hobobs!
    author: mary beth fletcher

    Great CD boys! We just can't stop dancing!

  • BEST CD EVER
    author: Noel

    This CD is the BEST!!! Everyone should buy it!!!

  • Just fabulous! Nice to hear "studio" versions of songs I've loved for a while!
    author: Jeff Kahl

    Chock full of great tunes that keep ya snapping your fingers and wanting more. I've put this CD on repeat a few times at work and can't get enough of it. Having had the tunes they had for download on Myspace for a while it's nice to hear a finalized version of Mr. This and That and Sweet Sue. It's great to hear "Jellyroll" with a new intro and real sense of energy that I imagine they've honed onstage for the past while. All in all a great effort and I'd suggest it to anyone that would hear me! Keep it up boys, you'll be big stars someday! :-D

  • This record is a nice kick in the pants
    author: Walter Brown

    This record is great! These Hobos are bringing back jug band frivolity with a great sence of 1920's Vaudeville temperment. 'Cozy' Coleman seems to handle most of the vocals with his powerful Robeson-esque baritone while 'Big Stick' Howell on the upright bass lets loose a perfectly frenzied frantic fray of vocals on his more burlesquey pieces. Their drummer, 'Gentleman' Joe on drums pounds & fills with amazingly lyrical jazz phrasing. Surely a true devotee of the drums & not a rock drummer turned to jazz. The standout songs are 'Mr. This & That' (funny video on youtube!) & 'Ol' Satch' but there are no weak songs here! The reworking of jazz classics by these Hobos is a fine treat as well. My Wife and I enjoyed a fast paced charleston to 'Jellyroll' & so should you!

  • The Name Says It All...
    author: Christopher Alan Martin

    Everything you need to know about this band is right there in their name. It's the kind of jazz that only truely skilled hobo's can perform. A scattering of all forms of jazz, blues, and folk meld together to create an aural sensation that will leave you aching for more. When listening to Old Lester's Speakeasy its very easy for me to envision myself enjoying an ice cold pint at Old Lester's whilst watching the Hobo's perform. This album does an exceptional job of capturing the band's incredible live show energy and putting it onto a portable media which can be enjoyed anywhere and at any time. So if you are looking for an escape from the ordinary and mundane; pick up this album and take a vacation back in time to when music was at its most pure and creative.

  • Amazing originality, and just pure old-time fun
    author: Nicole Howell

    The Album stays true to their live performances,- it sounds spontaneous and a bit raw, which I find to be better than a manufactured and too-polished sound. It's true "Hobo" music. With their brillant originals, such as "Mr. This and That" and the old covers, such as "Georgia on My Mind," this album is a delightful combination of sweet ditties and romping, stomping fun. This album still makes me laugh out loud everytime I listen to it, and the songs stay with you all day long.

  • Everyone needs a little Hobo
    author: Ken

    The style and spirit of this music needs to be heard by everyone. You can not be in a bad mood if you play this, it is just not possible.

  • makes boys men
    author: rudolfo trevino

    evry song on the album makes yo feets taps evry world tips your hat go out and punch a cat its great

  • FUN = PARTY ON + STEREO LOUD + THIS CD = FUN
    author: CURRY

    From sweet to rowdy. from melow to maniacle. Amazing what a 3 piece band can do. My mom and dad especially dad would sing these songs around the house. I love em. Got No Love is nothing short of amazing. The images of nature so beautiful yet the heart is so sad. Makes me cry.

  • this cd is awesome!!!! buy a bunch!!!!
    author: Kathy

    this cd has many of your best songs that i love to hear when i go to your shows!!! and i love that marquis throws in his silliness during the songs... it was just like being at a show... now i can get my hobo fix when i can't go see you guys!!! love ya!!!

  • This is a great album!
    author: Sarah Davis

    This Cd is really great, anyone who loves Hobo Jazz or this genre of music should definately own it. Not only do My husband and I enjoy it, but so do our kids, it's something we can all listen to together. It's wonderful!

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