The Easy Rollers - ...And Another Thing (2025)

Bands that take their inspiration from what was going on in jazz and popular music before World War II, on both sides of the Atlantic, all too often end up borrowing their sound from that of an earlier ensemble. It is quite an achievement to draw material from Broadway shows (Simple Simon and Lady Be Good), from classic jazz recordings (Louis Armstrong’s 1938 “I Double Dare You”), and to reference such fine performers as the Quintet of the Hot Club of France or Billie Holiday, and far from sounding mere imitators, to deliver everything with a distinctive personality that is the band’s own.

Even better is to create new material that sits easily between the present day and an earlier era of the music. That is what The Easy Rollers manage on this album, always sounding like themselves, even when joined by such fine guests as accordionist Andrzej Baranek (particularly soloing beautifully on “Blue Drag”), and trombonist Ellie Smith (who picks up the baton perfectly from Dani Sicari’s vocal on “I’ll See You In My Dreams”). Dani’s star turn as a vocalist, however, is the lovely ballad “Maybe Tell Me”, written by Jamie Stockbridge, who complements her singing with a fine tenor solo, as do both Alex Hill on piano and Tom Sharp on sensitively muted trumpet.

There are equally significant contributions from bassist and arranger Sam Jackson (his solo on “That’s How Feel Today” bringing a sense of relaxation that’s often lacking in composer Mezz Mezzrow’s interpretations), drummer Matt Brown (playing the full dynamic range from his brushwork solo on “Lady be Good” to his forceful breaks on the title track), and above all James Girling, omnipresent, always swinging, and as both arranger and soloist, helping to create the very distinctive and influential sound of this band.

Enjoy! Alyn Shipton Presenter Jazz Record Requests on BBC Radio 3

Dani Sicari (lead vocals); Alex Hill (piano, co-arranging track 6); Tom Sharp (trumpet); Jamie Stockbridge (tenor & soprano saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, compositions and lyrics tracks 3, 6, 7, 10, lyrics track 2); James Girling (guitars, arrangements tracks 1, 4, 8, 9, co-arranging 5, 7); Sam Jackson (double bass, arrangement track 5); Matt Brown (drum kit); Ellie Smith (trombone on tracks 9 & 10); Andrzej Baranek (accordion on tracks 4 & 8) Recorded at Limefield Studios, Manchester, UK