Down To The Bone

Down To The Bone - Spread Love Like Wildfire - 2005 - Narada

Great jazz funk album with programmed grooves. Not just music for the dancefloor, this is an exceptional jazz fusion album, very reminiscent of the 60s and ’70s San Francisco groove West Coast sound.

Artists & Instrumentation

Jeremy Steig — flute Neil Cowley — Rhodes, Hammond B3, piano, clav Richard Sadler — bass, percussion Paul “Shilts” Weimar — sax solos Tony Remy — guitar Neil Angilley — Rhodes, Hammond B3, piano N’Dambi — vocals on Angel Baby Neal Wilkinson — drums Grace Ackroyd — lead vocals on Wildfire Woman Ian Crabtree — acoustic guitar Simon T. Bramley — bass Tim Best — Rhodes, piano Julian Crampton — bass Adam Riley — drums Bruce Knapp — acoustic guitar Jon Scott — trumpet solos Mike Kearsey — trombone solos M.J.R. Horns (Mike Kearsey: trombone, Jon Scott: trumpet, Richard Wargent: sax) — horns

TRACKS

1.Memphis Groove
2.Mystic Samba
3.Tiburon
4.Angel Baby
5.Pure Funk
6.Hammerhead
7.Wildfire Woman
8.Gotta Get Back To You
9.Lightning Rod
10.London Life
11.Latin Sagebrush

REVIEWS

Chilled down and grooved up, the masters of the U.K.’s jazz scene, Down To The Bone, issue another powerhouse with SPREAD LOVE LIKE WILDFIRE. Killer horns, funked rhythms, and Neil Cowley’s signature down-tempo keys give the set a cool,
retro vibe that begs to be danced to. Play it loud.
“The sound on this album,” reflects founder and architect Stuart Wade, “is much funkier and more energetic. The jazz/funk and fusion of the ’60s and ’70s had a great deal
of influence on me. Put this all together with today’s retro/club/dance influences and you have the sound I am trying to create. I feel this is exactly what the band’s sound is.” To do so, Wade brought on an incredible horn section — Richard Wargent (sax), Mike Kearsey (trombone), and Jon Scott (trumpet) — that gives the tunes a powerful punch of funk. Also joining the collective is flutist Jeremy Steig on Wildfire Woman and Memphis Groove. The latter tune marks Wade’s nod to Herbie Mann’s R&B-infused jazz flute on MEMPHIS TWO-STEP and MEMPHIS UNDERGROUND. Wildfire Woman calls to mind freewheeling ’60s and ’70s San Francisco. “It has that West Coast groovy funk and folk feel that came out of that city’s musical melting pot, where rock met up with all sorts of sounds and styles,” Wade explains. “You can hear my love of some of the ‘Blaxploitation’ soundtracks of those decades and, of course, the Brazilian and samba feel that I love so much.” © 1999-2005 Narada Productions, Inc. All rights reserved.

Heavy duty grooves where soul, funk, hip-hop, retro jazz and house music intersect are the domain of the U.K. based band Down to the Bone. With their sophomore effort for Narada, the band continues to do what they do best - present aggressive smooth jazz with cross-genre appeal (especially funk - there's a lot of funk here). SPREAD LOVE LIKE WILDFIRE is the group's hardest album to date; full of rough beats, explosions of brass (sax and trumpet) and keyboard action that transports the listener back to the 60's/70's. Of note is "Tiburon," a melodic song with a touch of salsa in the rhythm, and "Wildfire Woman," an uptempo tune that sports a mean flute (courtesy of guest artist Jeremy Steig). © 2006 Jazz Monthly LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
These British dudes play some impressive jazz-funk grooves, and seem intent on adding a little hipness to the smooth jazz crowd. Heck, it might even be worth some aspiring DJ’s time to remix these guys into something hot for the underground. Ultimately, though, Spread Love Like Wildfire is missing one all-important ingredient to make this record appeal to funksters – a big, booming, reach-up-from-the floor-and-grab-you-by-the-ass drum sound. The mostly wimpy beats are what keep the album from being the second coming of the Headhunters. Instead, it comes off like remembering the Headhunters, playing the record in your head without being able to feel the floor shake beneath your feet. Some damn fine solos scattered throughout the disc, though – these guys do know how to play, no doubt about that. © Michael Fortes www.rasputinmusic.com/manifesto_web/reviews/0305/downtothebone.html
With Spread Love Like Wildfire, Down to the Bone gets back to the original musical vision its leader, Stuart Wade, had for the band. This 2005 release is much funkier and more energetic than Cellar Funk, the 2004 hit offered by the jazz/groove collective. The music -- jazz-funk fusion combined with modern retro/club/dance influences all grooved up -- is documented on 11 great tracks that feature the group's core members enhanced by a dynamic horn section, the jazz flute of Jeremy Steig, the organic soul sound of vocalist N'Dambi -- formerly of Erykah Badu's group -- as well as live drumming incorporated with the programmed grooves. "Memphis Groove" kick starts the set. It is a funky set that pays homage to Herbie Mann's jazz flute style on Memphis Two-Step and Memphis Underground. "Wildfire Woman" has that West Coast groovy funk and folk feel that came out of the '60s and '70s San Francisco scene. "London Life" reflects the cityscape of the English city and the band's creative base, while "Mystic Samba" has exotic Brazilian and samba flavors. Overall, this diverse recording with its funky beats and hot dance tunes should keep listeners entertained and definitely entice others to hit the dancefloor. © Paula Edelstein, All Music Guid

BIO

Far from your run-of-the-mill contemporary jazz chart-toppers, the duo of Stuart Wade and Chris Morgans come from a long line of British advocates of jazz including the Brand New Heavies and Us3. Their first album as Down to the Bone, 1997's From Manhattan to Staten, did predictably well around their base in Chobham, Surrey, but also transferred to American smooth jazz charts. Their second album, The Urban Grooves, featured a track recorded with one of Wade and Morgans' original inspirations, organist Reuben Wilson, and topped jazz charts in America after its 1998 release date. Spread the Word: Album III followed in early 2001, with Crazy Vibes and Things coming the next year. After moving to Narada, Down to the Bone released Cellar Funk and Spread Love Like Wildfire in 2004 and 2005, respectively. The label celebrated the band's ten years in the game by issuing the greatest-hits album The Best of Down to the Bone in early 2007. © John Bush, All Music Guide