Our Music

We are working on some new recordings and videos for you to listen to. Coming soon!
Meanwhile, here is a selection of some of our tunes.

Visit our YouTube Channel to see and hear us

Full House

Upbeat performed Full House by David Sandorn at the nor’easter Music Festival in Lennon Head on 25 February 2023.

https://youtu.be/ZB3sqrIXF8o

Comin’ Home Baby. 
This head-bobbing, toe-tapping crowd pleaser is often our opening number. Originally popularized by flautist, the great Herbie Mann, and then later with added lyrics by Mel Torme, we lean more towards the instrumental version by Dave Sanborn that helps feature our two sax players though everyone gets a chance to shine on this tune. A great way to warm up the set.

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.
This fabulous Wayne Shorter tune was written for Cannonball Adderley. We have retained some of its old time feel before funkin’ it right up! Kapow!

Footprints.
Another Wayne Shorter tune, this one is in six-eight and gives our flugel horn player a chance to shine.

Thieves in Temple.
Did someone tell Prince we renamed his song as Steve’s In The Temple? Here it is as an instrumental very much inspired by the incomparable Herbie Hancock from his album The New Standard. Oh, how we worship Herbie! Listen for the fabulous blues harp in our version.

Black Orpheus
Enter the Bossa Nova with this delightful and popular film score composed by Luiz Bonfá. It is not unknown for our audience to sing along to this one!

Modadji.
Dave Grusin is nothing short of brilliant when he wrote this beautiful and edgy funk number. Somehow, we manage to reinterpret it without a keyboard player. We love playing this tune.

Pessimisticism. 
Time for some funk with fabulous Crusaders tune! Oh yeah!

Song for my Father
Well, we know it as Riki Don’t Lose That Song for my Father. Yes, this is the Horace Silver tune that inspired the Steely Dan hit. It inspired us too – see if you can pick where we change the rhythm into a Samba.

Little Sunflower.
You know you will want to move your hips to this gem by Freddie Hubbard. Lovely melody and with a driving rhythm where everybody in the band gets a workout.

Cissy Strut.
Nothing could be funkier than this tune originally from The Meters. The crowd loves it.

Cantaloupe Island.
It is back to Herbie Hancock with this timeless classic from the era of cool. We give it a bit of extra edge and everybody in the band gets a workout.

Mr Magic.
Groovers it’s time for Grover with this funky toe tapper from Grover Washington. A lovely fun tune to play.

Wakafrica.
Time to get dancing everyone with this fabulous tune from Manu Dibango. We defy you to not feel upbeat as we get a little bit African! 

Snakes.

Oh, it twists, oh it turns, and keeps us all on our toes – band and audience alike! This is a great Marcus Miller tune from the David Sanborn album Upfront.

Blue Bossa.

This Kenny Dorham tune has become a much-loved standard, originally introduced by Joe Henderson. What is not to love about Blue Bossa, especially when the solos come in.

Morning Dance.
What a happy tune this is, originally by jazz fusion group Sypro Gyra.

Pick up the Pieces. 
Pick Up the Pizza? Just what the audience ordered! Another funk classic from the Average White Band.

Grazin’ in the Grass. 
Time to shake it up folks with this Boney James and Rick Braun inspired version of a cruisy tune made popular by Hugh Masekela.

Mercy Street.

This haunting tune from Peter Gabriel’s first solo album was reinterpreted by Herbie Hancock with emphasis on a Brazilian feel. We give it a crack too, without a keyboard player. It has its own magic in the interplay between sax and drums.

Tenor Madness
What can we say about the great Sonny Rollins other than RESPECT. The heads are bobbing, the toes are tapping and the saxes are going off – its madness!