If you haven’t noticed, horns are making a return to modern music. They’re not only adding punch to studio recordings but bringing an energy to live performances that hasn’t been this prominent since their heyday in the 1970s. From rock, pop, soul and funk to jazz fusion, horn sections have long had a way of elevating a song, delivering some of the most memorable moments in popular music.
In the jam world, bands like Tedeschi Trucks Band recognize the power of horns while making each player an integral part of the live experience. The result is an ensemble in which every musician has a distinct voice and presence. In funk, artists like Cory Wong use horns to add another dimension to already electrifying performances, pushing the energy higher with arrangements that can be as intricate as they are explosive.
The Huntertones sit comfortably at the center of this movement. Founded at Ohio State University in 2014 by saxophonist Dan White, trumpeter Jon Lampley and trombonist Chris Ott, the group built a following in Columbus before relocating to New York City. Along the way, its members have become part of a broader musical community that includes Lake Street Dive, Cory Wong, O.A.R., Charlie Hunter and Kurt Elling. White and Lampley, in particular, have brought their horn work to an impressive range of projects, with Lampley also serving as a longtime trumpeter on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The group’s lineup is rounded out by guitarist Joshua Hill, bassist Adam DeAscentis and drummer John Hubbell.
The band’s latest album, Transmission, brings those varied experiences and influences together in a record that expands the possibilities of horn-driven instrumental music. Moving between soul, funk, jazz and other styles, the album makes room for both tightly-arranged ensemble playing and unexpected turns. Friends from the band’s musical orbit add another layer, including Lake Street Dive’s Rachael Price, who brings her unmistakable voice to the Bonnie Raitt classic “Thank You,” and Kurt Elling, who puts his own spin on Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman.”
The Huntertones, Transmission, album cover.
Transmission is an entertaining showcase for a band helping fuel the horn resurgence, balancing respect for the music that came before with a sound that looks firmly ahead. We spoke with Dan White about what sets The Huntertones apart, how the members’ varied musical tastes and influences come together, and what it takes to reinterpret a classic while making it your own.
Ray Chelstowski: There have been distinctive horn sections throughout the years. The Memphis Horns, the Miami Horns, Tower of Power, and more. What best describes the sound your three horns make?
Dan White: It’s kind of like water because it shapeshifts depending upon the situation we’re in. But it’s always in service of the music. One of the special things is that we’re all extremely active composers and producers, in addition to being soloists. The [main idea] is that we solo and trade, but the trading isn’t just about passing it on. We are able to “mind meld” and take things to another place. That, in addition to the writing, where we can write ourselves into shows with bands like Lake Street Drive is a combination that is sort of dual threat. Then you have the doubles [other instruments] that we all play. Chris beatboxes and plays bass trombone, I play all of the saxes, Lampley plays sousaphone and trumpet. He sings as well. It becomes more than a triple threat. There’s a kind of athleticism that we all bring to it; a team sports energy to every performance, and it’s fun.
RC: You met at Ohio State and got things going in Columbus. What triggered the move to New York City?
DW: We got to a point where we were graduating from Ohio State and we were playing a lot of the rooms that we wanted to play in. But there were greater ambitions for all of us, and we all felt it at the same time. There was no better time to give it a shot and to move as a unit. There wasn’t anything lacking in Columbus. The roots of a lot of what inspires us are there; from the jazz, pop, and funk side of things. We continue to draw on that well and we are really grateful to have come from that place and to all the people that helped us find our sound.
RC: Is this an album that was in the works for a while or did it come together quickly?
DW: It’s a mixed bag. About half of the record, we had been workshopping earlier this spring. Sometimes getting more reps can improve the result, and then again sometimes it can’t. Sometimes the freshness of an idea is the best place where you are going to play it. There were a few like “Transmission of the Lamps” that were late to the party additions because there was magic that appeared when we were recording. So it really is a mixed bag.
RC: In a way the album almost sounds like a sampler. You kick off with “Valley Bee” that is very reminiscent of The Meters, then move to “Melodian” which reminds me of 1970s Chuck Mangione or Maynard Ferguson.
DW: We don’t ever try to rein in an idea because it’s too much of an outlier. I think that the record reflects our influences which are far ranging. On any given day we are listening to music from the 1930s through present day. Vocals, instrumentals, pop. In my opinion there are two kinds of music. The “good” bucket and everything else. It’s reflected in the range of bands we play with, whether its play Minneapolis funk with Cory Wong, indie pop with Lake Street Dive, to very in-the-pocket Sly and the Family Stone groove with Kurt Elling, the variety forces us to draw from all of the influences that we love.
RC: You have referenced the intent to apply polar opposites on this record to pull more out of each other in other interviews. Is this a reflection of that?
DW: Yes, absolutely. Our differences are a challenge at times, but when things are firing on all cylinders our differences are an immense strength. Whether it’s Josh on guitar coming from country to Freddie King or Led Zeppelin, the corner of music that he lives on is so diverse. Or if its Lampley coming from the church traditions and modern gospel music, Chris being inspired by Frank Zappa or the Brecker Brothers, or me being influenced by Wayne Shorter and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and everything in between, this become a thing where we are all trying to share the good and elevate through different angles.
RC: You obviously have history with Rachael Price. What came first? The idea of having her tackle that song or have her sing on the record and then find the perfect track?
DW: Honestly, we were going to go with a different song. It wasn’t a perfect pairing, and she let us know that. This song arrived in a conversation about Plan B. There was a Lake Street Dive gig that had been rained out and we were backstage waiting to get the call, and began talking about songs, because we had sessions at the studio booked in a few months. Then there was the trust she placed in in us. There was no rehearsal, she just showed up with demos, and after a couple of takes, cut live in the room with us there. There’s something magical when a band plays music together and you are playing something for the very first time. It’s a moment when we all create something beautiful and I think we bottled that. We weren’t trying to reinvent the wheel on Bonnie’s arrangement, but we made some pretty distinct changes, and that alone made it ours and thankfully had video to prove it.
RC: Another interesting addition is “Wichita Lineman,” with an arrangement that feels open and fresh.
DW: We needed to plant a flag in the ground with that song, to say that this was different. There are so many recordings of that song and it’s having another moment right now. In a recent interview Billy Joel said he thought it was the greatest song ever written. I don’t disagree. There’s something magical about it. Because of that the stakes were high. So the first decision to [give it a different rhythmic feel] is drastically effective in showing that this was going to be a different story. The Glen Campbell version is about as perfect as you can get, so we just went in a completely different direction and created a canvas for Kurt to knock it out of the park.
RC: It seems like horns are making a comeback in modern music. Is that an accurate read?
DW: That’s the flag that we wave. Going back to that thing that makes our section unique, I am hesitant to talk about horns as a generality because it’s [often] a subgroup of a [complete] band. When it is a horn “section,” it’s a shared experience of playing with different bands in different situations. It’s really great to be part of that.
Header image courtesy of Pete O'Hare.
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