Shanghai Woolies
The Shanghai Woolies play "hot music," the 1920’s and 30’s jazz and pop of Chicago and New York City. The eight-piece ensemble, founded by Pink Martini trumpet player Gavin Bondy, swims in the magical sounds of the young Duke Ellington, the big band swing of Benny Goodman, and the orchestral soundscapes of Paul Whiteman. The vocalist and songwriter, Mel (Melanie) Kubik, is the centerpiece of each performance. Her early training (classical piano from age 3, saxophone from age 9) and her experience in traditional jazz (Timbuktu + 5) and pop rock (Quarterflash) combines with her Bohemian lineage and down-home Kansas upbringing to give her versatility, personal accessibility, and musical depth and beauty that is rare. Gavin plays trumpet, writes songs and creates arrangements for the band. Brought up in Portland, Oregon, he studied from old-school horn players who showed him how commercial American music was made in the first part of the twentieth century. They had worked in live radio orchestras and in the bands of people like Glenn Miller and Charlie Barnett. It became Gavin’s task to reconcile this early training with the newer sounds he heard. Along the way, he discovered beauty in elements others had discarded in the name of progress. So, he chose the earlier sounds of the 1920’s when, in 1999, he began work in ernest on material for the Shanghai Woolies. In its day, this jazz was energetic, inventive, colorful, rebellious, sometimes scandalous, but always fun. The Shanghai Woolies approach it in the same spirit. From purist and postmodern viewpoints, they combine traditional and new elements in order to recall the energy of the original idea and to communicate it to every generation. These world-class musicians will break your conventions with a variety of moods, good humor, and a great chance to dance. On April 17, 2004, the band released their debut CD, Jungle Nights, to an enthusiastic house at the Aladdin Theater in Portland, Oregon. National Public Radio later put the third track, Concerto for Trumpet, on their Open Mic website, where it garnered one of the very highest public ratings.
