The Shuffle Demons; distilled

A misunderstanding lead to the Shuffle Demons kicking off their 20th anniversary tour at this year’s Distillery Jazz Festival (DJF).

“(Festival producer and artistic director) Larry (Rossignol) and I had talked about it previously, he was actually thinking of doing a six degrees of separation of Richard Underhill,” Demons’ front man and sax player Richard Underhill explained laughing.

In addition to a reunited Shuffle Demons, Underhill also divides his time between his own band, The Richard Underhill Quartet, Astrogroove, The Funk Explosion and he also leads Blue Rodeo’s Bushwack Horns among many others.

“Our signals got crossed because I thought he was just going to ask me and he thought I was going to propose something so, anyway the deadline passed but then I mentioned we were doing the Shuffle Demons reunion and would he like to be part of it and he jumped at the chance,” he continued.

Astrogroove and The Richard Underhill Quartet played sets at last year’s DJF. He expresses admiration for both the Distillery’s European style architecture and the way the festival is run; the artists who play are paid based on how well the festival does.

“It’s really nice that way; it’s almost like an artist-run festival. It’s run by Larry but it almost feels like an artist-run festival and it’s got a really great vibe to it,” Underhill said.

The Demons’ set will consist of their greatest hits, including fan favorites such as ‘Spadina Bus’, ‘Out of my House Roach!’ and ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ but done with a jazzier slant to keep in the spirit of the festival.

Underhill states that he’d like to bring in some of the other artists playing the festival to accompany them in one of their classic walk arounds, a conga line they lead off the stage and around the venue they’re playing in.

Themes are a big part of the DJF; this year’s edition includes special programming such as The Decadent Berlin Revue, The Boulevards of Paris, Toronto Cuba, and many others over the course of 10 days. The Decadent Berlin Revue was one of last year’s main events and features an all-star cast of Toronto musicians performing songs in a classic cabaret style. For the Boulevards of Paris seven local acts will evoke the music of the city of lights through the ages. Toronto Cuba showcases some of Hogtown’s top Cuban performers.

The Demons’ set will give both new and old fans a sample of what they can expect for the band’s reunion tour, even if it doesn’t fit with the rest of the theme events and programming at the festival.

“I guess it’s the good time theme! ‘Jazz is a Good Time’ would be our theme I think, or ‘Over the Top’, that would be our theme,’ Underhill laughed. “It’s probably the jazz and theatre theme that is sort of where we’re coming from. Then of course the clothes and the wacky antics keep people interested who might not be full jazz aficionados.”

With over 250 performances and 160 acts scheduled over the festival’s 10 nights, there’s a little something for everyone. Whether you’re a fan of old school jazz looking to catch some groovy tunes in a classic setting or an adventurous listener looking for something off the beaten path, or even a fan of interpretive dance for that matter, there’s something here for you.

In addition to the reunited Shuffle Demons this year’s festival also boasts appearances by locals Jamyz Bee’s Royal Jelly Orchestra, Pirate Jenny Trio and Montreal’s Phat Hed Trio and many more. Keeping with the music throughout the age’s theme, this year’s festival will again feature performances by trip hop/dance/experimental flavoured acts such as Gruvox, SoundSpoke and SpinFinity Live. And the festival continues to be family friendly with kid oriented programming such as Bebop for Babies and Jazz for Juniors.

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Tickets include access to all the performance venues and are just $25 per evening in advance, or $30 at the door. Weekend afternoons are free. Tickets will be available through TicketKing (416-872-1212 or toll free 1-800-461-3333) or can be purchased on site after 6 p.m. For information call 416-593-4142, or visit their Web site for more details - www.distilleryjazz.com

Photograph by Rick McGinnis