Home » Jazz Articles » Mike Downes
Jazz Articles about Mike Downes
The Shuffle Demons: All In
by Kyle Simpler
Bands such as Tower of Power and the Average White Band are known for their hard-driving blend of funky soul mixed with rock and jazz elements. The Canadian-based group, Shuffle Demons, takes these influences and keeps the funk alive while emphasizing their own jazz roots as well. Their tenth album, All In, features a non-stop combination of in-the-pocket grooves combined with big band elements. The Shuffle Demons formed in 1984, and they started off playing as buskers in ...
Continue ReadingMike Downes: Root Structure
by Dan Bilawsky
Bassist Mike Downes likes to explore what rests at the heart of an idea and what makes things tick. That's essentially the notion that waters the roots of Root Structure. It's a thought process that gives Downes grounding while also freeing him from the constraints of a more rigid conceptual frame. The three numbers that open up this program couldn't be more different. First there's the gamboling “Momentum," a buoyant thriller in three with sharp-witted interplay and ...
Continue ReadingMike Downes: In the Current
by Jack Bowers
In the Current, the fifth recording as leader by Canadian bassist Mike Downes--who doubles as composer / arranger--is the second (in a row) with an aqueous theme and the first performed by his “little big band," the Parallel Streams Ensemble. Downes' album Ripple Effect, recorded with his trio and special guest guitarist Ted Quinlan, earned a 2014 Juno Award as Canada's Best Traditional Jazz Album of the Year. The centerpiece of Downes' latest enterprise is the In ...
Continue Reading
