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Chilled down and grooved up, the masters of the U.K.’s jazz scene, Down To The Bone, issue another powerhouse with Spread Love Like Wildfire. Killer horns, funked rhythms, and Neil Cowley’s signature down-tempo keys give the set a cool, retro vibe that begs to be danced to. Play it loud. “The sound on this album,” reflects founder and architect Stuart Wade, “is much funkier and more energetic. The jazz/funk and fusion of the ’60s and ’70s had a great deal of influence on me. Put this all together with today’s retro/club/dance influences and you have the sound I am trying to create. I feel this is exactly what the band’s sound is.” To do so, Wade brought on an incredible horn section — Richard Wargent (sax), Mike Kearsey (trombone), and Jon Scott (trumpet) — that gives the tunes a powerful punch of funk.

Musicians

jeremy steig : flute

neil cowley : rhodes, hammond B3, piano, clavier

richard sadler : bass, percussions

paul "shilts" weimar : sax solos

tony remy : guitar

neil angilley : rhodes, Hammond B3, piano, clavier

n'dambi : vocals on 'angel baby'

neal wilkinson : drums

grace ackroyd : lead vocals on Wildfire Woman

ian crabtree : acoustic guitar

simon t. bramley : bass

tim best : rhodes, piano

julian crampton : bass

adam riley : drums

bruce knapp : acoustic guitar

jon scott : trumpet solos

m.j.r. horns : horns

mike kearsey : trombone solos

Artist Bio:

Carefully orchestrating sound and rhythm, Stuart Wade artfully constructs tunes that have rocked the charts on both sides of the Atlantic since Down To The Bone’s 1996 debut powerhouse, FROM MANHATTEN TO STATEN. His success is all the more amazing considering Wade cannot play a single note on an instrument. Wade’s ability to create music comes from within. First, he lays down a groove, and then he hums an overlying melody into a dictaphone. Then, from this initial simple recording, he is able to hear in his head whether the melody is a piano rhythm or a horn riff. A keyboard player is then called in who listens to the dictaphone, and together they search for the right chords. This unique method of finding melodies and rhythms works beautifully. The albums that Wade has produced with Down To The Bone over the years are testament to this creative process.