Wah Wah 45s are very proud to present Formerly, the second single to be released by 25 year old producer, song writer and piano player Billy Hare. This gifted young musician first made his mark on the UK contemporary jazz scene via his work with Tanhai Collective, penning and producing many of their tracks, drawing positive acclaim from the likes of Mixmag, Gilles Peterson and Crack Magazine.
His musical language pulls from soul jazz, Brazilian music and funk alongside the influences of expansive arrangers such as Gil Evans and Arthur Verocai, creating a sound driven by tight grooves and memorable hooks, whilst grounded with emotive yet direct songwriting and arranging.
Following on from the release of his debut single, Too Much, which found new fans in Jazz FM’s Tony Minvielle and Robbie Vincent, as well as finding itself immediately added to Apple’s Jazz Scene: UK playlist, Billy delivers the foot friendly Formerly.
It’s a tune that owes most of its DNA to the bluesy 70s soul jazz sound of artists like Donald Byrd, and Johnny ‘Hammond’ Smith, driven heavily by stacked horn arrangements and tight drum grooves. It starts off with the core earworm horn melody, kicking the song straight into gear before easing itself into Billy’s memorable piano solo. It’s a solo that shows off something of an idiosyncratic approach, mixing Stones-esque blues licks with Herbie Hancock style keys. On its crescendo, the solo then combines with the horns for the climax for the tune, before leaving the listener with that unforgettable horn hook.
Billy’s debut album, Room 12a, will be released in November this year on Wah Wah 45s. It’s a very personal LP, built upon a vision of a unique, melody-forward writing style with ambitious production including cinematic strings, flute, trombone, saxophone, percussion, guitar and more, all performed by a lineup of accomplished young jazz musicians.
Reactions & Radio Play
Radio play from Tina Edwards (Bandcamp Selects), Robbie Vincent (Jazz FM), Kev Beadle (Totally Wired Radio), DJ Nelito (Power FM)
No.2 in the Apple Jazz Scene: UK playlist
“We are into this!” Tina Edwards (Bandcamp Selects)
“Another good one!” Kev Beadle (Totally Wired Radio)
“Lovely.” Mad Mats (Local Talk, Sweden)
“Yes! Powerful!” DJ Soulist (Souleance, France)
“Beautiful!!” Jazzcat (Totally Wired Radio, Italy)
“Super!” Veronique Prebolin (Radio Krimi, France)
“Such confidence and ability from this young jazz artist whose reputation is rightfully growing fast. Hare’s piano-playing is highly accomplished as evidenced by the wonderfully fluid solo here and the influences on this recording come from the big sound jazz artists working in the 70s & 80s. Very, very good.” Drummie Dave (Various, UK)
