In the annals of ’70s post-boogie, The Amazing Rhythm Aces stand with such jazzy quasi-soul bands as Little Feat and Steely Dan. Head Ace Russell Smith perfected a sly, minimalist vocal style and wrote equally sly and minimalist narratives that the band rendered in a Nashville-meets-Memphis mode. The group’s 1975 version of Charlie Rich’s “Who Will the Next Fool Be” respects Rich’s song while subtly recasting it for the era of jazz-country-soul-rock, and you probably remember the group’s signature tune, that year’s sardonic “Third Rate Romance,” a masterful piece of phrase-making and ensemble playing. After disbanding in the early ’80s, the Aces resumed their career in 1997. Friday night’s show will feature Smith and keyboardist Billy Earheart, who has been with the band from the beginning. Rounding out the current edition of the mighty post-boogie aggregation are guitarists Kelvin Holly and Fred James, drummer Michael Dillon Curington and bassist Jimmy Clay. EDD HURT
Russell Smith w/The Amazing Rhythm Aces
