Tuba Skinny "Some Kind-a-Shake" (Shaye Cohn) - The Cutting Room, Manhattan, NY 02 Sept 2019

[@halblegen6588]

Great tune, great band,

[@PopsCoffee]

Many thanks, Eric Alan Isaacson. 'Some Kind-A-Shake', as Robin says, is on Tuba Skinny's 2019 CD, which is also called 'Some Kind-A-Shake'. It was written by Shaye Cohn in 2018, and as you can hear is a riffy number with well-drilled backing and rhythmic effects. Essentially it's a 16-bar (8 + 8) tune in the key of F; but it is played with so much variety and quite a few surprises. After twice through the 16-bar Chorus (38 secs - 1 min 20 secs), we find 16 bars with a variant pretty melody from Shaye, before they return (at 1 min. 41 secs) to the main 16-bar melody, but this time with a surprise rhythmic pattern involving the whole band (for example a silent first beat on the third and fifth bars!). Craig (2 min 02 secs) then plays an improvisation on the 16-bar theme. At 2 mins 22 secs comes the highlight of the piece - an amazing 8-bar 'Bridge' section. You have Todd, Barnabus, Shaye and Craig over a period of four bars playing just one note each in turn through rising arpeggios (are they G flat diminished, topped by a G; and then A flat diminished topped by an A respectively?). The band did a similar thing in 'Blue Chime Stomp' - you may remember. Next then there's normally a two-bar banjo tremolo played by Jason, but he's missing from this band on this occasion so we have a couple of bars that aren't exactly right - sounding relatively empty (2 mins 29 secs - 2 mins 30 secs), with Max and Greg just playing chords, and next the usual couple of bars from Todd to lead us back to the 16-bar Chorus (but the key has not changed). Now we have one Chorus for the strings and one for Barnabus (playing the tune fairly straight) and one (starting at 3 mins 17 secs) in which Todd leads while the whole front line plays sweet choreographed supporting notes. Finally, there's a stomping ensemble Chorus, followed by a clever and well-rehearsed Coda - it uses the first two bars of that Bridge again! And then one additional bar to put the tune to bed. Wow! When did you last hear any other band (especially in the U.K., where I live) do anything like that - without printed music in front of them?

[@stevegrooms1142]

Even by your standards, Pops, this is an exceptionally perceptive and helpful comment.

[@PopsCoffee]

Thanks, Steve. I had forgotten writing this.

[@denniswoloch5757]

Yes!!!

[@davidevans4439]

The best NOJ band without doubt, and Shaye shines like the star she is, but what a collection of exceptionally talented guys she has alongside. Are you guys going to make it to the UK ?

[@TheAndrewWray]

Tuba Skinny are as good as it gets tho' they seem to be getting it together more by the month :) :)

[@ArtistPare]

Excellent. Love the breakdown at about 2:26, among many other things.

[@wallaceharper1007]

Just listen to that applause Does New York love Tuba Skinny? I guess SO.