The Blue Hornets

The Blue Hornets have built a rabid Albuquerque fan base with a bright mix of ska, reggae and jazz. The Blue Hornets’ perky ska version of the notoriously difficult to pull off, 5/4-timed Paul Desmond/Dave Brubeck jazz classic, “Take Five,” is a bittersweet triumph for longtime Albuquerque guitarist/vocalist Otto Barthel.
“Rehearsing that tune was the final straw that busted up my last band,” Barthel wryly informed Local iQ in a recent interview. “It was kind of like The Beatles’ last recording session for Let It Be; there was plenty of drama simmering within our band, and then we just could not get “Take Five” right.”
That band, Sub-Agencia, broke up soon after. Years later, the song is still effectively chasing down Barthel’s musical ruminations. “I knew The Blue Hornets just had to work it out and do a version of ‘Take Five,’ if only to get past that jinx,” Barthel added. “And we did it.”
The Hornets’ instrumental cut of “Take Five” is indeed a highlight of both the band’s live shows and its delightfully eclectic debut EP, the soon-to-be-released Selekta. Formed just a short pair of summers ago, this nine-member ska/reggae/ jazz-infused band has quickly built a rabid base of fans that spans from western Colorado to Taos to Santa Fe and back home in Albuquerque.
“We try to keep it balanced between old school covers and originals,” Barthel said of the group’s live performances, “because you need two or three hours of music — good stuff that people can listen and move to.”
As well, the musical skills possessed by the band’s individual members are decidedly noteworthy. Keyboardist Camille Pansewicz is jazz trained, as is guitarist John Sandlin, who also stars in local gypsy-jazz outfit, Le Chat Lunatique.
“We’re so happy to have John join us when he can,” said Barthel.
Though a noticeable jazz foundation adds a certain complexity to the band’s arrangements, Barthel pointed to “rock steady and second wave ska” as prime influences, specifically citing ‘80s-era Jamaican/British ska acts like The Selector, Madness and The English Beat, alongside The Clash, Steel Pulse and The Specials. Selekta sports a checker-board pattern on the EP’s cover, in tribute to Two-Tone Records’ black-and-white artwork, which signified a joyfully anti-racist stance in repressive Thatcher-era Britain and featured upbeat songs like “Stand Down Margaret” and “Free Nelson Mandela.”
“I’m a little politically driven myself,” Barthel noted of his lyrical songwriting contributions to the band, adding that, “Brad Spalding, our bass player and co-songwriter, is really into lovers rock, so we tend to do material that encourages our audiences to have a good time and enjoy.”
Besides Barthel, Spalding, Sandlin and Pansewicz, The Blue Hornets line up includes drummer Jerome Oubichon, trombonist Leland Webb, saxophonist Alan Kuntz, trumpeter Lucas Romero and the band’s newest recruit, percussionist/vocalist Chemanji Shu-Nyamboli, whom Barthel praised as, “Our great new lead singer who had never been in a band before.”
The Cameroon-born Shu-Nyamboli, Barthel explained, “sings every Sunday in his church choir in Old Town, but when I heard him sing at a picnic, I knew we just had to ask him to join our band.”
The band was originally founded by Giant Steps alumni Barthel, Spalding and Travis Williams (who has since moved on), and named in tribute to both The Green Hornet and legendary ska label Blue Beat Records. The Blue Hornets has another international
connection in that Selekta was co-produced by Grammy-winning producer, and N.M. native Stacy Parrish. During the EP’s production process, Parrish relocated from New Mexico to faraway Sweden.
“We had to communicate via e-mail while making the EP,” said Barthel, “and that was a little challenging, but overall I’m very pleased with the result.”
http://www.thebluehornets.com/