The RARE GROOVE BAND was formed to keep alive the great groove tradition of artists such as Jimmy Smith, John Patton, King Curtis, Bill Doggett and many others. The common feature that all these great artists share is a musical style, deeply rooted in the blues, but with a strong, danceable beat or groove that invites the listener to snap their fingers, bob their heads, tap their feet, or, better still, get up and dance - a style that harkens back to the day when jazz was America's dance music.
"Rare Groove" is a style associated with "Soul Jazz" and "Acid Jazz" - a style that draws upon the music created largely outside the jazz mainstream by artists whose recordings found, for the most part, only limited exposure. This music sounds fresh today because its blend of organ, horns, guitar, drums and bass creates an infectious swing (or "groove") and because of its danceability - after all, this was party music that was played not in the concert hall, but in neighborhood clubs as these artists traveled the various circuits in support of their recordings.
So, it's RARE - music not widely heard today (or even when it first came out), and it's GROOVE - it's all about the groove - it's RARE GROOVE - and we hope you dig it!
