Tuba Skinny

Discography

Tuba Skinny also appears on:

Membership

Although the band's members have changed slightly from their début in 2009, their ensemble in 2015 included the following musicians.

Repertoire

Their material, while it includes some original material they have composed, is drawn from the lesser known compositions of the early jazz era. Their repertoire has been documented by their honorary archivist to include over 300 songs. He has praised their selection of deserving tunes, and selected the following as being especially noteworthy: New Orleans Bump, You Can Have My Husband, Jackson Stomp, Deep Henderson, Banjoreno, Treasures Untold, Russian Rag, Oriental Strut, Minor Drag, Michigander Blues, In Harlem's Araby, Me and My Chauffeur, A Jazz Battle, Droppin' Shucks, Fourth Street Mess Around, and Carpet Alley Breakdown.

The singers and composers whose material they favor include Jelly Roll Morton, Lucille Bogan, Victoria Spivey, Memphis Minnie, Jabbo Smith, Georgia White, Skip James, Merline Johnson, Ma Rainey, Hattie Hart, Blind Blake and Clara Smith. The bands whose material Tuba Skinny has interpreted in their own manner are The Memphis Jug Band, The Dixieland Jug Blowers and The Mississippi Mud Steppers.

Musical Style

Their music has been praised by music critics for its originality and technical competence. One review of their 2014 performance at the Melbourne Music Festival captured the quality of their music well.

Musically, Tuba Skinny mines a rich seam of traditional jazz and blues from the '20s and '30s. And, while it's evident the band treasures the sense of history evoked by these vintage tunes, the players' natural exuberance makes the music feel irresistibly alive. Erika Lewis' vocals have a wonderfully earthy quality, her phrases often pulling behind the beat with a languid, world-weary drawl. On the instrumental numbers, Cohn's cornet outlined the melody and also engaged in spirited three-way conversations with Barnabus Jones' trombone and Jon Doyle's agile clarinet. Washboard player Robin Rapuzzi frolicked on the sidelines, his rhythmic explorations as captivating to watch as they were to listen to – even when the band was temporarily upstaged by a troupe of swing dancers, who launched into an athletic routine peppered with break-out solos and acrobatic air steps, offering a physical manifestation of the joy Tuba Skinny seem to bring with them wherever they go.