It is a well-known fact that the Toronto of the mid 1980s is not the stalwart and vibrant community that it is these days. No, those were bleak times where heavily-armed, extremely polite Canadians wiled their days away with dreams of hockey glory and how to better their already pretty good healthcare systems.
It fell upon a bunch of secondhandedly (albeit loudly and colorfully) clothed street jazz musicians to ride that Spadina bus and bring joy to the masses.
To say the Shuffle Demons are Canada's greatest jazz playing white devils is putting it mildly. These guys are a bunch of regal ragamuffins and globe-trotting warrior troubadours taking their street carnival riot to every corner of the continent. If you're not shaking your ass in their presence, these five clowns will surround you!
Currently comprised of bassist George Koller, dancing drummer Stich Wynston, and saxophonists Richard Underhill, Perry White, and Kelly Jefferson, the Shuffle Demons' brand of jazz funk contains elements of classical jazz, straight-up funk, call-and-response, light hip-hop, and enough rock 'n' roll attitude to shame fools half their age.
The Shuffle Demons. Saturday, February 12. The Van Dyke Café, 846 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach. The show starts at 9 p.m. and admission costs $7. Call 305-534-3600 or visit www.thevandykecafe.com.
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