| ALVIN
JETT & THE PHAT NOIZ BLUES BAND
:: BIO |

A native of East St. Louis, Alvin Jett has been entertaining audiences
throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area for twenty-five years.
Although Jett came from a musical family, he didn't seriously start
playing guitar until he was 20 years old. Jett quickly learned the
rudiments, and received his formal blues education playing with Tommy
Bankhead & the Blues Eldorados honing his skills into his own
fiery brand of hard driving St. Louis blues.
The
Phat noiZ Blues Band is Jett’s means for delivering to the
audience his brand of in-your-face, hard driving blues. The band
performs its own unique style of original blues music as well as
blues, R&B and rock standards. Currently operating as a four-piece,
the Phat noiZ Blues Band consists of Alvin Jett on guitar and vocals,
Frank Bauer on saxophone and background vocals, Corey "Woody"
Woodruff on drums and Matt Davis on bass and background vocals.
Frank
BauerSaxophonist Frank Bauer led his own band, Blues Attitude, for
some five years before hooking up with Jett in 1999. A fan and player
of both jazz and funk; Bauer is rooted in the blues sounds pioneered
by Dexter Gordon, Gene Ammons, Maceo Parker as well as local St.
Louisian’s Oliver Sain, Corky Blake, and Dennis “Chicago
Slim” Lansing. Having given up playing sax for sports as a
child, he returned to his true love back in the early 90’s
and has been performing in front of audiences ever since.
Matt
Davis Literally a student of music, bassist Matt Davis, who joined
the band in 2003, is a graduate of the Webster University music
program. Describing his music as Saikyou-Ryuu, Davis toured with
nationally renowned jazz vocalist Erin Bode, the Mighty Big Band
and Stoned Walls.
Corey
"Woody" WoodruffIn 2007, Corey "Woody" Woodruff
began drumming with the Phat noiZ. In his 22 years of playing, Woody
has performed with an eclectic mix of artists including political
funksters 9-1-1, guitar-pop whizkids Big Red G, and alt-country
rebels Whiskey Daydream. A student of the late Ren Hoeck, Woody
is also a professional drum maker and an avid writer.
In
addition to a demanding regional tour schedule of over 200 gigs
a year, Alvin Jett & the Phat noiZ performed at the 2005 King
Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas in addition to festivals
throughout the nation. Alvin has also been a featured performer
in the Guitar Masters Concerts promoted by the St. Louis Blues Society.
Alvin
Jett & the Phat noiZ Blues Band were finalists at the 2006 International
Blues Challenge, sponsored by The Blues Foundation, and their first
CD, Wet My Beak (Self-released 2005), made the final four for the
title of Best Self-Produced CD. In 2007 the band's song "Angels
Sing the Blues" was honored as Best Blues Song at the Independent
Music Awards. The song appears on the 2006 release Milk & Cookies.
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"The
Phat noiZ Blues Band hail from St. Louis, but their blues represents
the crossroads of St. Louis more than strictly the St. Louis blues—although
it begins in the Missouri-Mississippi basin. Track 1, “Boogie
to the Blues,” with its St. Louis horn soul (and some touches
of neo-swing) finds Jett’s voice taking you right in. It reminds
me of a New Year’s Eve I spent at a blues club in St. Louis’
Soulard neighborhood, soaking in the grime, joy, and passion of the
region’s blues style."
-- Full review at www.musicspectrum.org
by Benjamin C. Squires
"Alvin
is the next generation of blues here. He's educated by people like
Tommy Bankhead, and respectful of Bennie Smith, and taking it to
a different place. Alvin Jett is an ideal continuation of the legacy
of the St. Louis blues guitar tradition. "
-- John May, President - St. Louis Blues Society
“….Next
on my Blues itinerary was a band from St. Louis that is rapidly
working on becoming a household name in the Blues community, Alvin
Jet & The Phat noiZ Blues Band. Having recently placed high
in the International Blues Challenge, the band is aggressively touring
the country promoting the newest CD Milk & Cookies. Joining
Alvin Jett on lead vocals and guitar are Frank Bauer on sax, Matt
Davis on bass, and Jeremy West on drums. The band put on a strong
performance of a real nice mix of Blues, Jazz, and Funk, with Jett
and Bauer constantly switching leads. They literally blew away the
crowd with a song that I felt should have been last year's Blues
Song of the Year - "Angels Sing The Blues." This is a
band you should all keep your eyes and ears out for…..”
The entire article can be viewed at www.blueswax.com.
-- Pete “Blewzzman” Lauro of Mary4Music.com
reviewing the Riverwalk Blues Festival in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
"...Wet
My Beak is an impressive mix of modern Blues and R&B, with a
healthy dose of funk mixed in."
-- Graham Clarke of bluenight.com
"This
album represents to me, the current state of Saint Louis blues.
That is where Alvin and band reside and they seem to imbue this
recording with a deep sense of place. Alvin's baritone voice, abstractly
reminds me of Big Joe Turner and leans heavily on, Soul influenced
Jazz with doses of Gospel."
-- SierraBluesSociety.org
"If
you ask me, this is a good representation of the blues aching for
some more hip hop and phunk. I really like it and listen to it quite
often. It represents East Saint Louis and the Saint Louis Blues
scene very well."
-- Dave "Mad Dog" Madlener of mnblues.com
"They
possess a massive stage presence, their playing is tight and Alvin’s
solo’s are in-your-face hot electric blues."
-- Cornbread of STLblues.net
"Wow!
-Ever walked onto a joint and got your a** kicked by some band you
never heard of? Well, ever since these guys came down from St. Louis,
MO and participated in the Blues Foundation's International Blues
Challenge this band has made giant strides. Funk you up now! This
is high energy stuff, with Alvin Jett kickin' great guitar licks
and this band, including brass backers, kicking it up to the max.
If you got to dance, what won't you do in the way of moves here?
From the very first lick to the very last, the Phat noiz is just
that-PHAT! Sometimes ya gotta bump & grind. Here is the music
to do that thing to." -- Gary W. Miller of bluessource.com
"Milk
And Cookies is a groovalicious brand of blues fueled by jazz, funk,
and soul... Alvin’s guitar style has a deep-seated passionate
vibe… Catch them live or do the next best thing and getcha
a big plate of Milk And Cookies!" - Sheryl and Don Crow, Music
City (Nashville) Blues Society Newsletter
"Alvin
Jett & the Phat noiZ Blues Band are on the money… Delivering
a set of amped up urban blues fresh from the Delta migration. Milk
And Cookies is no exercise in nostalgia, but a heady mix that classic
blues fans will love." - Chris Sector, Midwest Record Recap
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Wet
My Beak |
Your
Blues Ain't Like Mine
•
DRUMS
•
BASS AMP
•
KEYBOARD AMP
•
GUITAR AMP / LEAD
•
GUITAR AMP/ RYTHM
•
PA SETUP WITH AT LEAST 8 MIKES
•
Two double rooms
• One
meal for each band member
• Ice
cold bottled water
• A
fruit tray (cut cantelope, cut watermelon, oranges)
• A
fifth of Jack Daniels
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