Shuffle Demons: All In

There aren't too many bands still standing from back when Shuffle Demons first performed in 1984. Their tenth recording, All In features three saxophonists— tenors Kelly Jefferson and Matt Lagan plus Richard Underhill on alto and baritone—plus acoustic bassist Mike Downes and drummer Stich Wynston tearing through ten new originals. With no chord instruments (piano, guitar) between them and the horns, bassist Downes and drummer Wynston keep shuffling in the spaces like madmen to keep All In moving, and simultaneously swing and rock this music hot as demons.

"One Step Ahead" and "Watch Your Step" simmer like James Brown horn section instrumentals, with the bassist and drummer knowing precisely where to stop and pop. In "One Step Ahead," Underhill solos on alto with a sound so hot it burns like a match, while surrounding saxophones jump around and chirp like crickets. Wynton walks out "Watch Your Step" to shift sections just behind the beat so his fatback bass and crackling snare drums create a plump, radiant New Orleans feeling, and the tenor sax solos rip up and shred the surrounding sound.

"Walk the Walk" seems to take these two "Steps" to a higher and hotter degree, and is fun to listen to because the musicians—especially in the saxophone call and response section, where one voice calls out and the other two reply—make it sound so fun to play. Furthermore, the swings in dynamics and momentum in "Walk the Walk," like when the bass drops out and leaves the drums to slug it out alone against all three saxophone voices and then peels back into funk as slippery as a banana peel, could quite possibly help you get on your good foot.

"COVID Blues" ties its complicated and feverish melody up in knots. Bassist Downes and drummer Wynston play furiously, sprinting through this blues, but it sounds like the rhythm section can barely keep up with or even fend off the attack of this three-headed saxophone monster no matter how fast or hard they play.

"Wait, What?" also jumps off at and maintains a blistering pace. It sounds like there's nothing holding back the fires from the saxophones out front or the rhythm engine room below (because there isn't) as the tempo, rhythm and sound grow increasingly intense.

"Wait, What?" is also what you might say to yourself while trying to keep up and remain All In with the crazy energy, pace, and rhythms on this Shuffle Demons' set.

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