Currently rocking my world: Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band.
I listen to music all day, all night, and even sometimes when I’m sleeping. Filling out all of that listening time is every genre imaginable–yes, I listen to everything.
Most of the artists on my playlist can be shoehorned into a genre, but some cannot be defined. One of the latter types is Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band.
In the 1976 they dropped their classic, eponymous debut album, and to this day it is, arguably, still one of the most diverse, and amazing, albums known to humankind. The band successfully, according to Wikipedia, blended big band, swing, and disco, with calypso, rhumba, cha-cha-chá, and compas. Not many well-known bands can claim that.
40+ years later, the band’s work still rocks a music lover’s world. Their signature hit was the magical, diaphanous, and percolating “Cherchez la Femme/Se Si Bon”…
That and another of the album’s tracks, “Sunshower,” have been sampled by a slew of hip-hop producers, including Ghostface Killah who released “Cherchez la Ghost” on 2000’s Supreme Clientele.
Besides “Cherchez la Femme…,” my favorite pick is big band-infused, and uber-romantic “Mister Love.”
Oh, those horns!
In an excellent interview with the Shadow League, the group’s lead singer, Cory Daye, summarized their unique sound:
We were delivering what we called then, “Mulatto Madness.” Our music reflected our intercultural heritage – Latin, disco, big band, jazz. It was the original creation of fusion music.
“They” truly don’t make music like this anymore. Take a moment to discover this amazing group from the past, and let the music flavor your present. Enjoy!
