NYS Music sat down with Adam Chase, one of the founding members of JAZZ IS PHSH, to talk about two musical projects he’s currently involved with. Both JAZZ IS PHSH and The James Brown Dance Party were launched last year, and were well branded. They quickly gained notoriety due to the musicians involved in both projects. The James Brown Dance Party, however, tends to book more selective performances, such as the upcoming New Year’s Eve show at the Gramercy Theatre in Manhattan.
Both bands were formed by the Chase brothers, Adam and Matthew, and feature musicians from everywhere. The beautiful thing about both projects is that a constant variety of musicians can take the show in a completely different direction than previous performances. For the James Brown project, they try to do big and fun special performances, with some smaller runs of shows here and there. This year, the thought came up to reunite with the Giant Country Horns. It had been thirty years since they played together with Phish. Chase went on to say, “when we reached out to them, and proposed the idea of reuniting, they all got so excited. We have Clyde Stubblefield playing, who was James Brown’s original drummer. He’s the original funk drummer. Any funk beat can be traced back to him. Having someone prolific like that just adds to the whole fun energy. There will be lots of different musicians playing too. Elise Testone is singing, who’s a tremendous vocalist. I imagine there will be other special guests as well.”
The vibe that Phish puts out for their shows, especially on New Year’s Eve, will drift down the street into the Gramercy and maintain the positive energy until the sun comes up. As Chase said, “You take away the Giant Country Horns, you take away Phish, and that James Brown vibe alone is a high energy, funky awesome project that people love. Then you add the Giant Country Horns, and you add Clyde, and you add the fact that it’s after Phish and it turns into a big reunion. There will be a lot of love and a lot of good energy, and it’s just great music.” Expect the unexpected for this incredible New Year’s Eve show.
In addition, a new record is currently in production by JAZZ IS PHSH. Chase indicated that “it’s being mastered by a Grammy winning mastering artist who does all of the Dick’s Picks remastering. From an engineering standpoint alone, Bryce Goggin was the engineer who did the mixing on the record. We recorded it in multiple recording studios: in Atlanta, Baltimore, and New York at Trout Recording. Bryce mixes a lot of the Trey [Anastasio] and Page [McConnell] records. He also mixed Phish’s Round Room album. He was the main engineer on the record that Herbie Hancock did, where he recorded at Trey’s barn. The engineer that worked with Phish and Herbie Hancock made sense to us because we love the tones he came up with. That kind of pedigree made sense. We told him about the project and he was in love with the idea. We’re really pleased with the whole sonic experience.”
When the project was first announced, a lot of people were excited. There are almost 20 musicians on the record. It will reach not only Phish fans, but jazz fans who aren’t yet familiar with the music of Phish. Chase went on to say, “maybe musicians who study jazz, and might not venture too far outside, may get turned on to the music through this instrumental jazz funk medium we’ve created.”
Chase compared Phish’s music to the complexity of Frank Zappa’s arrangements. “There’s not always the same embracing by musicians of Phish as there is with Zappa. There should be just as much an embracing of Phish as Zappa because there are so many complex, amazing compositions that are mind-blowing. As a musician, that’s what turned me on to Phish. Watching them play songs, such as “David Bowie,” live was mind-blowing because of the arrangements. There is a barrier to entry with them, whether it’s with the jam or lyrics. I think it would be good for any musician out there to open their ears to the music of Phish. They have such a vast catalogue.”
With the new JAZZ IS PHSH record on the cusp of being released, Chase spoke about the arrangements and how he hopes the music affects new listeners by introducing them to the world of Phish. “I feel what I’ve done is cherry pick some of the more intricate compositions, such as “Foam.” Taking some of their rock tunes and making them into a jazz funk fusion shows off Phish’s melodic sense. While we’ve rearranged some of the melodies, they are intact. Even if they’ve changed and been recolored, it’s pretty accurate. I hope this record will open jazz musicians ears who haven’t yet been turned on to Phish. It’s something that should be celebrated.”
The scheduled release for their new album is currently slated for the end of February, but pre-orders are available at JAZZ IS PHSH’s official website, as well as at shows. Here’s a preview of what fans can expect at the upcoming James Brown Dance Party New Year’s Eve show at the Gramercy Theater in New York City.
https://youtu.be/SNB-IEMLJTc
The Salt City Waltz was created five years ago (the production took 2015 off) under the guidance of producer Stacey Waterman and music director Gary Frenay and has quickly grown to become a Syracuse must-see. 
The Levon Helm Studio Horns
The first guest of the night was Mark Gibson, singing “Who Do You Love.” This role is typically filled by Dugan Henhawk, who had to sit out this year’s show. Gibson gave props to Henhawk in his spirited rendition of the blues classic.
Fuzz and Carrie Sangiovanni, the husband and wife guitarists that front the band, accompanied by Nicole Scorsone on violin and Rich Zurkowski on upright bass, led a nearly full house through a rollicking two sets of high energy, foot-stomping, hand-clapping, finger-snapping songs. When not playing guitar, Fuzz played extended solos on what looked to be the world’s most make-shift percussion kit, comprising of a five gallon plastic water bottle, a sauce pan, a spring, a coffee can, what may have been half of a fifty-five gallon drum, and other instruments not readily identifiable. His drum solos added to the band’s “anything goes” attitude and brought smiles and thunderous applause.
The cover tunes were stunning in both their selection, and in their execution. The band put their own signature stamp on these pieces, rather than cookie cutter versions of the original recordings. These included a Beatles “Girl/Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” medley, an audience sing-along on Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and to begin their encore, an instrumental version of Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood,” followed by Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” I am going to go out on a limb and state that I’m fairly certain that no other band at any time or any place has ever played those two songs back to back.
Opening the set with a heartfelt “Sugaree,” the Capital Region crowd began to “shake it” on low gear while blissfully enjoying 
STS9
Reflecting the stardust of the universe and everything within it, this band knows how to become one with its audience and its surroundings. Being at a show like this makes you reflect on living in the moment and how everything circles in a glorious manner. Their tunes wrap around you with warmth and a comfort that is lacking in this world. STS9 is an identity of the planet and beyond, reaching and rewinding a sense of timeless nature.
The Nth Power’s latest release To Be Free – Live is exuberantly funky, bursting with spirituality, and clearly on a mission to inspire! After touring to promote their 2015 release Abundance, The Nth Power obliged their fans by creating this nine-track live recording during two nights of performances in Boston, Massachusetts and one night in the band’s hometown of Brooklyn, New York. 
