We’ve never done an exit interview before, but sadly, when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve (roughly), The New Mastersounds will call it a day when it comes to international touring.
Anecdotally, we were lucky enough to discover the band in 2018, when they performed at The Wonder Bar in Asbury Park. Since then, they’ve been a staple in this writer’s playlists, often serving as the soundtrack to the writing, editing and posting of thousands of articles posted on this site over the past seven years. So, it was a bit bittersweet to conduct an interview with a band you have such fandom for.
Yet, there is something admirable, and inspiring about artists who decide to bow out at the top of their game. The UK-born outfit have been the perfect purveyors of an instrumental fusion of funk/soul/jazz since 1999. Since their humble beginnings playing the Jazz Cafe in London, the band has been the blueprint for excellence within the genre. Their way to improvise and innovate to create a masterful (pun intended) sonic tapestry has made them a cornerstone of the improv/jam/funk scene for over a quarter century. The band’s latest album Old School is a perfect summation of their excellence — go listen to it, it’ll make your day that much better.
We caught up with Simon Allen, drummer and founding member of The New Mastersounds, to discuss the band’s decision to gracefully retire from international touring, future plans for the band, and so much more as they hit the Northeast United States this weekend.
Walk us through the decision to “gracefully retire” from international touring?
Playing a show in front of an appreciative and attentive audience when you have the right gear, perfect on-stage acoustics – and you have eaten healthy food and had enough sleep – is one of the most magical of all possible experiences. And to get paid for doing it is a huge privilege.
Unfortunately, it’s getting harder and harder to get those things to line up, and we are all getting on a bit. The band has been playing for 26 years, 21 of them in the US. We knew we would have to pull back at some point, we just decided to do it while we are still physically capable of delivering our best work, rather than gradually fizzling out and sullying our hard-won reputation for stellar live performances!
New Mastersounds has always been known as a great live band, however with this being your final US Tour, have you added something special for these shows whether it be some deep cuts, special covers, etc.?
Yes, indeed. We started this Fall leg with three days in what used to be The Record Plant studio in Sausalito and we came up with some great new original tunes that we have been playing in the live sets, plus covers of “Help on the Way” by the Dead, a Paul Simon song, and a Wes Montgomery tune.
Can you talk about the emotions you go through each time you leave a city in the US and it marks the final time you’re going to play there?
[The other night] we played two really special shows at Garcia’s in Chicago, a beautiful new intimate dinner-jazz style venue. Chicago is where our US adventure first started (at House of Blues in 2004) so saying goodbye to our fans was a very emotional experience. I actually started sobbing whilst trying to hold down the groove of “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” [by Sly and The Family Stone] which was tricky!
The title of the tour is “Ta Ta For Now” — the “for now” part of this title gives me a sense that there still may be a chance down the road that NMS will return for a show or tour in the future in the States? Would it be safe to assume that?
Not entirely safe to assume that, unfortunately. Because of US protectionism, the bureaucratic and financial obstacles in the path of foreign live acts like ours are so expensive and time-consuming. It’s not entirely out of the question for us to return one day, but the amount of money involved might be prohibitive, and very little, if any of it, would reach our pockets!
The band released the excellent album, Old School, last year. How would you say this album stands out from the rest of your catalog?
Old School is just the four of us playing together in a room. There are no musical guests, it’s heavy on the souljazz. It felt like a return to our roots, and has contributed greatly to our live repertoire.
Will the band continue recording original music in the future?
I’m pretty sure we will find a reason to come together again somewhere in the world to do that.
You all have dedicated a huge part of your lives to New Mastersounds — what is it about this band that you love that has fueled that fire for over 26 years?
This band has always been about the four personalities having joyful and fun musical conversations with each other and with audiences. It’s pretty honest and direct and down-to-earth and we are just being ourselves. That’s what makes it special.
