The
Greyboy Allstars emerged out of the acid jazz scene of the early '90s to become one of the leading purveyors of rare groove rhythms, organically blending old-school funk, jazz, Latin, psych-rock, and electronic elements. Borrowing their name from co-founder DJ
Greyboy, the group, who are led by saxophonist
Karl Denson, built a cult following playing high-energy live shows and releasing club-friendly productions like 1994's
West Coast Boogaloo and 2007's Top Ten Billboard Jazz Album
What Happened to Television? While the members have taken time away from the group to pursue other projects, including playing with
Denson's
Tiny Universe, they have remained a vital ensemble, releasing vibrantly cross-pollinated albums like 2013's
Inland Emperor and 2020's Come de Allstars.
Formed in 1993 in San Diego, California, the
Greyboy Allstars initially began as a collaboration between noted acid jazz luminary DJ
Greyboy (aka Andreas Stevens) and saxophonist
Karl Denson, who was best known for his work with
Lenny Kravitz.
Denson and
Greyboy contributed two tracks to Ubiquity Records' Home Cookin' compilation before continuing their work on
Greyboy's 1994 solo album
Freestylin', also released on Ubiquity. The pair launched their own Greyboy Records and began putting together a house band, eventually bringing on board guitarist
Michael Andrews (aka
Elgin Park), bassist
Chris Stillwell, drummer
Zak Najor, and keyboard player
Robert Walter. Naming themselves the
Greyboy Allstars, they began playing live shows, including a storied residency at San Diego's Green Circle Bar. In 1995, they released their debut album,
West Coast Boogaloo, which showcased their vibrant mix of '60s- and '70s-inspired grooves, an aesthetic underlined by the guest appearance of legendary funk trombonist
Fred Wesley. Tours followed that year throughout Europe and the States (as did a second solo album from
Greyboy). The group also issued a concert album,
Live, in April 1997 that landed at number 23 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.
The
Greyboy Allstars' sophomore studio album, Town Called Earth, arrived in June 1997 and found them continuing to expand their sound, dipping into '60s psychedelia, '70s fusion, and fuzz-tone '90s-style alt-rock. The following year, they contributed to the soundtrack to director
Jake Kasdan's film
Zero Effect before taking time off for the members to pursue other creative avenues.
Greyboy returned to his solo work with 2001's
Mastered the Art, while
Denson also released a number of highly regarded funk- and jazz-informed albums, including 2001's
Dance Lesson #2 and 2002's The Bridge. Similarly, keyboardist
Walter continued his run of inventive solo albums like 2003's
Giving Up the Ghost and 2005's
Super Heavy Organ. Guitarist
Andrews expanded into film work, scoring the music for the buzzed-about 2002 sci-fi drama
Donnie Darko, as well as director
Miranda July's 2005 dramedy
Me and You and Everyone We Know.
In 2007, the
Greyboy Allstars reunited for
What Happened to Television?, which would be their last album with
Najor, who had decided to stop touring with the band. Also featuring contributions by DJ
Greyboy, the record reached number seven on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. Following a series of live shows with other percussionists, the group added San Diego-native
Aaron Redfield as their official drummer. He made his studio debut on 2013's
Inland Emperor, which also fared well, peaking at number 16 on the jazz charts. Individual projects would keep the members of the
Greyboy Allstars busy for the next several years.
Denson released 2014's New Ammo with his
Tiny Universe ensemble, also featuring
Stillwell.
Redfield stayed active working with artists like
CeeLo Green,
Paloma Faith, and
Hozier. In 2020, the band returned with their fifth studio album, Come de Allstars, which they recorded in a quick three-day session. ~ Matt Collar