One of Vancouver's most beloved jazz groups of the past 10 years serve up heaps of grease playing the music of Eddie Harris, Shirley Scott, Hank Marr and other purveyors of greasy jazz! Usually a two horn front-line, this edition of the Nightcrawlers features only the tenor saxophone with Cory Weeds at the helm. Filling out the sound of the band is percussionist Jack Duncan with the all-star Vancouver band Dave Sikula on guitar, Chris Gestrin on Hammond B3 and Jesse Cahill on drums.
Here's what Cellar Music CEO, Cory Weeds had to say about the release:
Before recording this album, The Nightcrawlers were on what appeared to be a permanent hiatus. As a band they hadn’t gigged in several years, dating back to The Cellar. When the coronavirus put a stranglehold on the world, The Cellar Music Group was fortunate to have the support of organizations like FACTOR Canada and Creative BC who stepped up with relief funds for organizations in the music industry. The Cellar Music Group was one of the lucky recipients. So I wanted to do something fun and something that involved just local musicians, production and studio staff.
During the first two or three months of the pandemic, I was listening to a ton of organ music and I was inspired to make another organ record. The problem was that Day By Day was due out, O Sole Mio was in the can and I was set to record my album with strings, so the world did NOT need another record led by Cory Weeds.
I called Jesse Cahill and asked whether he would consider reuniting The Nightcrawlers for a recording. Although he didn’t say yes, it wasn’t no. Eventually, through some prodding, he came around and we started conceptualizing. Jesse was hearing something different for this record. He wanted one horn instead of two and wanted to add congas to the mix. We had done a few gigs at Frankie’s with that lineup under my leadership, and it was really fun and a great sound. It was fantastic to have percussionist Jack Duncan on board. He elevated the sound of the band.
Jesse and I met in my backyard (socially distanced, of course) to talk through some material. We have very similar tastes in music and more specifically in organ music, so coming to a consensus about the material was pretty quick and easy.
The four key members of The Nightcrawlers – Jesse, Dave Sikula, Chris Gestrin and I – have shared the stage for many hours over many years in various configurations, and playing with them feels like playing with family. This recording came at a time when we all needed a bit of normalcy in our lives. We needed to forget about what was going on in the world, have some fun and make some joyous music.
I hope you enjoy gettin’ greasy with The Nightcrawlers.
1. 1974 Blues 06:23
2. Do You Know A Good Thing When You See One? 06:53
3. Devilette 06:10
4. These Foolish Things 06:16
5. Soulful Kitty 06:26
6. Movin’ Out 06:41
7. New Mango 05:08
8. Greasy Spoon 04:11
Cory Weeds – tenor saxophone
Dave Sikula – guitar
Chris Gestrin – organ
Jesse Cahill - drums
Jack Duncan – congas on tracks 1, 3,4,6, 7
Executive Producer: Cory Weeds
Produced by Jesse Cahill and Cory Weeds
Recorded at The Armoury Studios in Vancouver, BC on November 8, 2020
Engineered mixed and mastered by Sheldon Zaharko
Photography by Jesse Cahill (cover) and Cory Weeds
Design and layout by Perry Chua
