It's a curious thing. The retro-swing schtick, it never really hit me. From the very first opening riff of the band, I knew they really could swing. Band A Bakersfield Jazz Festival standby, the Kern County Honor Jazz Band brings the best of Kern's high school players for a Saturday afternoon kickstart. The members of local blues act Fat Daddy aren't intending to brag when they say their group is the premier blues band in Bakersfield.
Every year brings a resurgence of interest.
We're starting to get a large following of people that really enjoy the blues. That's what we're all about. We just want to play the blues. But this quartet has a powerhouse axe-slinger in Frank Gambale, former guitarist for Chick Corea's Elektric Band. It's remarkable that any group performing and recording for over 25 years would be able to keep its sound fresh, but Hiroshima has been able to do that with popular results and still continue innovating well into the new millennium.