[Dixielandjazz] Austin TX jazz band article

[David Richoux]

Hi all,

I was reading tubist Mark Rubin's blog and found this article
  ( he posts at http://markdrubin.blogspot.com/ - much of interest  
for OKOM and many other KOM )

Dave RIchoux


The (Monkey) Butlers Did It
http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/nightlights/2007/02/ 
the_monkey_butlers_did_it.html
The butler did it. And no one got hurt.

Actually, the Monkey Butlers, led by singer Alice Spencer, did it.  
They put on an excellent show, built on antique music, Friday night  
(2/9) at Luna.

The Austin-based quintet of Spencer (vocals), Pops Bayless (banjo,  
vocals), Mark Rubin (helicon a relative of the tuba, vocals), Ben  
Saffer (clarinet, C melody saxophone) and Joe Cordi (piano) staged  
their first show outside of Austin and made new friends and fans in  
the process.

"This is a fun little band, isn't it?," asked Rubin. Indeed. Rubin, a  
veteran of Bad Livers and many other groups, and the other Butlers,  
had a good time making the music and that fun infected the crowd, a  
group that started out small but grew to fill the place by 11 p.m.

With her big, expressive, crystal clear voice, Spencer effortlessly  
did a fine job of turning back the clock with songs by Sophie Tucker,  
Louis Jordan, Memphis Minnie and other artists from the '20s into the  
'50s. Far from being some sort of museum piece band, the Monkey  
Butlers seemed to simply be playing, very well, songs they love to play.

Selections such as "I Miss You So," "Some of These Days," "Is You Is  
Or Is You Ain't My Baby" and "My Man Stands Out" sounded fresh, new  
and ready to be hits again.

When Spencer took a breather now and again, the band, experienced at  
playing everything from deep blues to hokum, from avant folk to  
klezmer, took over with the likes of "Limehouse Blues."

"Like jazz," Rubin said, "but fun."

Alice Spencer and Her Monkey Butler are hoping to work Luna on a  
regular basis. Good.

( http://www.alicespencer.com/monkey.htm has some music )