sussex

Sussex (from the album The Ocean Wide available on Lucky Bear Records)
The heart of Sussex cannot be found on a map. The centerpoint for Sussex is in the sound, the fingerpicking style of Rob Lutes and the rhythmic tones of vibraphonist Michael Emenau. The Montreal, Quebec-based duo return with a new musical experience, The Ocean Wide, backing the songs of Sussex with accents from trumpet and flugelhorn (Ivanhoe Jolicoeur) as well as clarinet and saxophone (Bruno Lamarche) alongside the playing of Rob Lutes (guitar, banjo, vocals) and Michael Emenau (vibraphone, pianica, percussion). Filling in the background of the project, Rob Lutes recalled that ‘when Michael and I made Parade Day (2016), we looked at it as a well needed break in our busy (solo) musical schedules. We were just having fun playing together after many years, and we loved the blend of vibes and guitar. But the album did so well that we ended up being picked up by a great agency in Montreal and touring it pretty extensively. We had so much fun tweaking the sound and bringing new tunes to the show and the audience reaction was so off the charts, we felt a momentum to get back into the studio and make a second album. This time, we stepped outside any normal musical boundaries we had had and just tried stuff. A slide guitar/pianica minor blues (“Train #7”). Some bebop horns and vibes over a guitar and banjo-driven folk tune (“The Ocean Wide”)’.
Musically, The Ocean Wide spreads the Roots encompassing soundscape to include its origins in Tin Pan Alley, Dixieland, and Ragtime. Sussex open The Ocean Wide on a Blues shuffle with “Everything I Wanted”, asking “Why Dance Alone” on a soft Country sway with a bounce skipping among the rhythms of “Waiting on You” as they group cruise through “Caught in a Flood” and cool in the effervescent pops of “Bap Mountain Rag”. The Ocean Wide puts a rumble in the groove that carries “Renous Highway” while Sussex re-imagine Steve Goodman’s “Lookin’ for Trouble” with Bluesy moods.
Listen and buy the music of Sussex from AMAZON
https://roblutes.com/sussex
 

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