Sharp Dressed Men
Sharp Dressed Men, by Robert Dehlinger’s Alpha Rhythm Kings
“Louis Prima vibes in fine style.
A jumping good time of an album...hot players doing their thing, their way. ”
“Dehlinger sings like a street corner watch salesman as he jives around Fil Lorenz’s smoky tenor on pieces like “Fools Are Getting Scarcer” while Carroll Ashby’s trombone plunges lower than Kim Kardashian’s neckline on “The Anaheim Hop”. ”
“These guys really deliver it. I’m loving this new album. They indeed are SHARP!”
Sharp Dressed Men (2020)
"Sharp Dressed Men", the Alpha Rhythm Kings’ first full-length album, is one of the last recordings made at the world-famous Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California, before the legendary spot closed its doors for good. This classic recording environment perfectly enabled the band to summon and capture its authentic vintage vibes.
Kicking off the album is a fun track, upbeat and bluesy, with charming background vocals: Fools Are Getting Scarcer.
With “Keep a Dollar in Your Pocket”, the Alpha Rhythm Kings pay homage to fellow musical royalty, Oliver Hazart Perry, known in the music world as “King Perry”. Perry was an African American saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, and bandleader, who made his mark in the 1940s and 50s. The A.R.K. wish to honor King Perry by keeping his name and memory alive with this blistering, energetic old school track.
The A.R.K. love traveling to perform, whether it’s a glamorous trip abroad, or piling into a small car to drive up and down the California coast. The latter is celebrated here, with an original instrumental tune recalling their myriad round trips from San Francisco to Southern California. “The Anaheim Hop”.
Roy Milton is an oft-overlooked pioneer of 1940s rhythm & blues. Milton’s “Short, Sweet and Snappy” is faithfully recreated here by the Alpha Rhythm Kings, with jazzy, bluesy vibes and cool, shuffling drums.
It’s rare to catch the Alpha Rhythm Kings wearing anything other than a suit & tie. It is in this spirit that ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man” is reimagined here.
Do you remember your nursery rhymes? If not, don’t worry, here is a refresher course with a fast tempo, boogie-woogie piano, and a blistering trumpet solo: “School Days”!
The boys get wild with a swingin’ mid-tempo rendition of “The Sheik of Araby”. Inventive scat singing and a crazy sax solo are a true highlight!
One of the A.R.K.’s favorite sources of inspiration is Italian American singing trumpet wild-man, Louis Prima. “The Pump Song” was one of Louis’ lesser known recordings, covered here with much respect for the original version.
Julia Lee was known as a “dirty blues” singer, and although it wouldn’t be fair to categorize all of her music in this way, some say that “Snatch and Grab It (Opportunity Knocks But Once)” fits the bill. It’s playful lyrics are just as edgy today (perhaps more so) as they were in the 1930s and 40s.
Finishing off the album is a new take on Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life”. Uptempo and reminiscent of 1920s jazz, with a bit of broadway, it packs a punch!
