Songs Of Future Past
Slammin, 2020
8/10
Listen to Songs Of Future Past
A born and raised New Orleans outfit, Sabertooth Swing bring all the hallmarks of their city to thriving swing jazz sensibilities. On this outing, the band take a different route, as the impetus for the record stemmed from a show Sabertooth Swing played a dance in a local juke joint that involved a set with a slower pace.
“Frankie & Johnny” starts the album steeped in rich New Orleans jazz, where guest sax from Seth Bailing adds much to the playful and vibrant setting that’s not short on grooves, and “Blue Skies” follows with soulful vocals from Dan Ruch as Ryan Hanseler guests on piano and Robert Montgomery pulls of an incredible drum performance.
The back half of the album is just as much fun, and includes the cautious yet adventurous “Chocolate Jesus”, where they deliver a very bluesy interpretation of the Tom Waits tune, while “Lawn Boy” weaves pretty, emotive textures in the Phish original that’s reinvented in a new light. “Atlanta Blues” exits the listen and is the only vocal-less track, though with the dynamic horn section present words are unnecessary.
An extremely versatile group whose members are well versed in folk, bluegrass, New Wave and reggae, Sabertooth Swing are nothing if not varied, and this outing puts some new ideas on old tunes that you’ll want to revisit again and again.
Travels well with: Preservation Hall Jazz Band- That’s it!; Kermit Ruffins- We Partyin’ Traditional Style!