CC Booker III feat. Will Scruggs

Bio:

***Comin' at Ya in our Veggie Van!!!------------------------------------------------- CC Booker III features tenor titan Will Scruggs and B3 devotee Nate Shaw. Hailing from Atlanta, GA and Brooklyn, NY, Scruggs and Shaw bring you a soul-jazz sound dedicated to three greats; Ray Charles, King Curtis, and Booker T and the MGs as the big swinging sound of the tenor saxophone meets the super funk of the Hammond B3 organ. The band features New York native, Nate Shaw, on keys and Atlanta native, Will Scruggs, on horns. Between the two of them, they have performed worldwide to sell out audiences at such venues as the Blue Note and the Apollo Theatre. The Minneapolis Star Tribune described Nate Shaw’s sound as “rhythmically adventurous yet gracefully understated…as thoughtful as it is potent,” and The Chicago Reader wrote that he “stood out for his detailed solos and expansive keyboard style.” At only 26 years of age saxophonist, vocalist, and bandleader Will Scruggs is one of the most exciting young artists on the jazz scene today, having recorded and toured with the legendary Natalie Cole in 2006. With a deep arsenal of original music and a strong background in jazz, funk and reggae, Scruggs wins over audiences wherever he goes. CC BOOKER promises to be one of the most exciting new groups of the last ten years. If you like it swinging and soulful, this is the show for you! For more info on the band, check out www.ccbooker.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***CC Booker tours in a diesel Ford van that runs on 100% recycled vegetable oil....swingin' hard and saving the planet.

Member Since:

April 18, 2007

Members:

WILL SCRUGGS with Nate Shaw, Tony Romano, Matt Kane, David Ellington, Dan Baraszu, Marlon Patton, Justin Varnes, Charles Phaneuf and more...

Influences:

by Michael J. West on Feb. 4, 2008 Playing to a packed house at Twins Jazz at Saturday night’s 9:00 set, CC Booker III (see my earlier post on the group) delivered an earthshaking mix of soul, funk, and hard-bop jazz. The band isn’t one that can rehearse once a week: tenor saxophonist Will Scruggs lives in Atlanta, while the rhythm section (organist and co-leader Nate Shaw, guitarist Tony Romano, and drummer Matt Kane) are based in Brooklyn; in addition, the weekend’s second saxophonist Charles Phaneuf lives here in D.C. Once all five were onstage, however, there was no indication that they didn’t play together every night for years. Playing classics by Booker T. and the MGs and Ray Charles, the saxes fused with the rhythm players - Phaneuf, in particular, united with Romano’s Stax/Volt guitar licks. The highlight of the evening was a duel between Phaneuf and Scruggs, each of them copping each other’s licks while prodding the other to dream up bolder ones on the spot. That said, there was no denying the chemistry and intimacy between Romano, Kane, and Shaw. The organist took the responsibility for the vacant bass chair, although Romano couldn’t resist playing off of him and submitting some tasty (and imaginative) bottom riffs of his own, simultaneously playing snakey responses to the Shaw’s slap-handed calls - they were an irresistible combo, one that commanded spectators to shake heads and shoulders. Kane, meanwhile, found ways of making even his pet licks - he’s a sucker for toms on the two-beat - sound fresh and exciting. The crowd seems to have agreed. Every solo, every tune, and occasionally even a few lonely riffs generated screams and mighty ovations. Twins has a reputation for filling seats with the avant-garde, but even the edgiest listeners need some good old funky fun now and then. CC Booker only plays DC about once a year, but they never fail to generate that fun. Michael J. West is an author and a music critic for several newspapers, including the Washington City Paper and the Village Voice.

Sounds Like:

Ray Charles - King Curtis - Booker T and the MG's