Bill Warfield and the Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra: Smile

Trumpeter Bill Warfield fronts a  big sounding ten piece band through a collection of his arrangements to pieces that will make you tap the toes, whether the song is the leader’s or a clever cover. There are two takes of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile” with Jule Michels’ husky voice relaxed and sublime teamed with Warfield’s flugelhorn, with an instrumental take featuring him on trumpet and Paul Shaffer’s Rhodes adding some CTI soul. The mood gets funky a la Tower of Power or The Average White Band with some wacka wooka guitar  and earthy Hammond work mixed with Jane Stuarts rural delivery of “ Ode To Billie Joe” , while the instrumental Memphis hit “Hip-Hug-Her” is a thick stew of joy. Stuart gets Pippy on the hard hitting take of “I’ve Got To Use My Imagination”  and the Hell’s Kitchen singers join in to Lou Marni’s searing soprano sax on a grooving “Theme From Law And Order”. The band stretches out on an eleven minute take of Annie Lennox’s “This City Never Sleeps” and it never loses interest, with rich solos by the leader, Marini on tenor and the lithe piano of Cecilia Coleman. Fun and funky.

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www.billwarfield.net

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