Are You Really Real

Modern Drummer

After 40 years and 11 records, Canada’s Shuffle Demons are at their creative height. Don’t let the name of the band mislead you, they are much more than shuffles. The distinctive sound of three saxophones (Richard Underhill, Kelly Je#erson, and Matt Lagan) bass (Mike Downes,) and drums (with occasional vocals from co-founder Richard Underhill) makes the Shuffle Demons extremely unique. Co-founder and drummer Stich Wynston brings a strong sense of groove and a robust sense of humor to the band. I don’t know if the Shuffle Demons are coming out of slightly similar bands such as Lenny Pickett’s Borneo Horns or Joey Baron’s Baron Down, or if they are just on the same musical page, but I $gured I’d mention the comparison for those who haven’t heard the Shuffle Demons. For those uninitiated, I’ll suggest “Good Mourning,” “Money is My Only Religion,”“In the Air” and saxophonist Kelly Je#erson’s “Nice Signal” as perfect introductions to the Shuffle Demons. Energetic, adventurous, uplifting, and entertaining, those are words that are often used to describe Canada’s cultural ambassadors. I’ll throw in funky, bombastic, and eclectic. Whatever your adjectives of choice are, the Shuffle Demons Are You Really Real brings all of it, and much more. It’s always fun to be surprised. Congrats to leaders Stich Wynston and Richard Underhill, I can’t wait to see what the next 40 years brings.

https://www.moderndrummer.com/article/out-now-april-2025/

Scott Yanow - LA Jazz Scene

The Shuffle Demons was originally a street band in Toronto and, 40 years later, it still displays the same boisterous spirit. Altoist/baritonist Richard Underhill and drummer Stich Wynston are original members and are joined on Are You Really Real by bassist Mike Downes and both Kelly Jefferson and Matt Lagan on tenors. The unusual three-sax two-rhythm instrumentation (which has been consistent throughout the group’s existence) gives the band not only its own sound but permits it to play as freely or as tight as the musicians desire.

While technically skilled and able to play quite melodically, the members of the Shuffle Demons enjoy stretching the music into more avant-garde sounds while retaining an exhilarating swing and wit. They allow one to imagine what the music might have sounded like if Charles Mingus had led a street band.

On Are You Really Real, the group performs 13 originals with each musician contributing at least one tune. The ensembles are sometimes riotous, the soloists are free to take their improvisations outside without worrying about the rhythms and groove being lost and, while their extroverted music is often quite sophisticated, the Shuffle Demons always sound as if they are having a great deal of fun.

The Shuffle Demons are an ideal party band for listeners who do not want to continually hear the obvious. Are You Really Real, which is available from www.almarecords.com, is an excellent example of their sometimes crazy but always wise music.

https://lajazzscene.buzz/waxing-poetic-reviews/

Ferell Aubre - The Jazz Word

Forty years in, thankfully, Toronto’s Shuffle Demons refuse to mellow out. Are You Really Real? bursts from the speakers like a reed-powered street party, equal parts groove, grit, and grinning mischief. It’s a fitting project for a band that built its reputation busking on the city’s sidewalks in the 1980s, a place where improvisation, audience interplay, and raw energy mattered more than pristine perfection. Somehow, even in a studio setting, they bottle that same magic, shaking up jazz, funk, Latin, blues, and even hip-hop into a kinetic, horn-fueled joyride.

For a band that swears by the lean bass, three saxophone, and drums setup, Shuffle Demons craft an impressively full-bodied sound. Credit goes to producer Jono Grant and co-producer Richard Underhill, who strike a balance between tight arrangements and a loose, spontaneous feel. Whether it’s Julian Decorte’s crisp engineering at Canterbury Music or John “Beetle” Bailey’s immersive audio mix, every note lands with clarity and punch. The horns sizzle, the rhythm section locks in tight, and the album breathes like a living, dancing entity.

At the helm is Richard Underhill, the band’s leader and founding member, whose alto and baritone sax lines define the Shuffle Demons’ signature sound. His compositions crackle with energy, his solos burst with character, and his charismatic vocals add an unmistakable swagger to the mix.

Kelly Jefferson holds down the tenor saxophone chair with a deep well of fluid improvisations and impeccable ensemble playing. Whether locking in harmonically with the front line or breaking free for a solo, he adds depth and dynamism to the band’s sound.

Sharing the tenor duties, Matt Lagan injects fresh energy into the brass brigade. His playing is equal parts technical prowess and boundless enthusiasm, seamlessly blending into the band’s intricate horn interplay while adding his own expressive stamp.

Holding it all together in the low end, Mike Downes lays down rock-solid grooves on acoustic and electric bass. An award-winning virtuoso, he navigates the band’s stylistic twists with ease, ensuring that every track moves with momentum and feel.

Driving the pulse, Stich Wynston is the rhythmic heartbeat of the Shuffle Demons. His drumming is controlled and explosive when the moment calls for it. Adding to the band’s layered textures, his backing vocals further enrich the group’s boisterous and unpredictable spirit.

The opener, “X Marks The Spot,” sets the tone with razor-sharp horn parts and a rhythm section that refuses to sit still. The groove pivots effortlessly between jazz-funk swagger and unpredictable rhythmic turns, proving that Shuffle Demons are just as precise as they are playful.

“Out To Sea” trades the streets for the ocean, gliding on a Latin-infused bassline and windswept sax melodies. Kelly Jefferson’s composition is full of bright harmonic shifts, mirroring the fluid motion of waves.

The title track, “Are You Really Real?” is an existential funhouse of buzzing reeds, tightly coiled grooves, and a spoken-word narrative that questions authenticity in a world of illusions. It’s the heart of the album, merging heady themes with streetwise bravado.

“Bottom Dollar” dives deep into shuffle jazz territory, melding jazz, blues, and funk into a gritty, groove-heavy jam. The horn punches hit like brass knuckles, while the bass and drums keep everything rolling effortlessly and cool.

For sheer motion, “Ride The Wave” delivers, propelled by cascading saxophones and a bassline that practically surfs through its changes. “Good Mourning” turns the clock back to classic swing, with just enough funk under the surface to keep things fresh.

Lyrical satire takes center stage on “Money Is My Only Religion,” a biting takedown of materialism delivered over a relentless funk groove. Underhill’s spoken-word passages and Stich Wynston’s backing vocals add to the wit and punch.

The unexpected gem, “Scala Rosa,” unfolds with colorful, harmonically rich passages that feel whimsical and intricate. The shifting textures and off-kilter funk-jazz stylings.

Closing out the album, “Run The World” channels four decades of high-energy jazz-funk spirit into one raucous finale. Horns wail, the rhythm section ignites, and the whole thing surges forward like a band refusing to let time slow them down.

With Are You Really Real?, Shuffle Demons reaffirms they thrive on the edge of spontaneity while maintaining the precision of master musicians. It’s a project that displays their chemistry, and after 40 years, they still sound like a band playing because of the sheer joy of it. For anyone who loves jazz brimming with funk, fire, and a strong dose of fun, this album is an essential listen.

https://thejazzword.com/2025/03/shuffle-demons-are-you-really-real-review/

Thierry De Clemensat - Paris Move

To celebrate their forty years of delightfully unhinged performances, the Shuffle Demons pose a question that is, in all likelihood, not truly a question at all: Are You Really Real,  perhaps an address to their devoted audience, to whom this album should be seen as a form of dialogue, a conversation woven across time with those who have steadfastly followed them. Skirting the edges of free jazz yet often rooted in tradition, their music embraces spoken word as naturally as others might a cigar, an invitation to drift into their chimerical universe, where musical codes are ceaselessly blurred, rhythms are toyed with, and the whole emerges as an astonishingly intricate architecture, whose arrangements render these compositions both delectable and eminently accessible.

Though vastly different in approach, their career bears some resemblance to that of the Yellowjackets, a highly distinctive compositional style, albeit with less emphasis on brass. Thematically, however, they stand at opposite poles: Shuffle Demons revel in an entirely acoustic sound, infused with a playful sense of humor and even a faint rock sensibility. Here, then, is a band that masterfully intertwines tradition and modernity, favoring an acoustic format that lends their creations a certain timelessness. Jazz, much like the blues, has often been a medium for protest, sometimes expressed in stark clarity, at other times through intellectual provocation. In this vein, a track like Money Is My Religion stands as a centerpiece of social critique, exposing the supremacy of money over all other values.

It is a song that resonates powerfully within the fabric of contemporary Western society. Jazz has long been a form of communal protest, though its modes of dissent differ between North America and Europe; yet, at its core, the impulse remains the same. Sometimes, the mere diversity of a jazz ensemble constitutes an act of defiance against those who cling to extremist views.

The Shuffle Demons are a band made for the stage, where they come alive, electrifying their audience, provoking cheers, laughter, and exultation. The very essence of this album follows that same philosophy, making one almost forget that these are, above all, extraordinary musicians, artists who have undertaken no fewer than twenty-five tours across Canada, five in the United States, and seventeen in Europe, not to mention ventures into the Pacific, New Zealand, Africa, and beyond. And it is easy to see why, for their boundless, generous music has the power to touch all hearts.

This renowned quintet earns its place among our Indispensable Albums of March—a discovery, or rediscovery, not to be missed!

https://www.paris-move.com/reviews/shuffle-demons-are-you-really-real/

Icrom Bigrad - Jazzsensibilities.com

To question reality is to engage in one of the oldest inquiries of art, philosophy, and music alike. In their 40th year, Shuffle Demons take up this challenge with Are You Really Real?, a musical statement wrapped in a swirl of saxophones, groove-laden basslines, and the percussive alchemy of drums. This thirteen-song album is a conversation between their signature blend of jazz, funk, blues, Latin, and spoken word. The Demons bring an energy to the music as they playfully bend jazz reality to their funky will.

From the earliest traditions of jazz, improvisation has been a dialogue between musicians, between artist and audience, between the known and the yet-to-be-discovered. Shuffle Demons, born of Toronto’s street scene in the 1980s, have always embodied this ethos. Their music is kinetic, alive with the kind of creative combustion that happens only in spaces unbound by convention. Here, on Are You Really Real?, they retain that urgency while embracing the studio as an extension of their ever-expanding stage.

The Shuffle Demons are led by Richard Underhill on alto and baritone saxophones. Kelly Jefferson and Matt Logan are on tenor saxophones, forming the rest of the reed frontline. Mike Downes is on an electric bass and an acoustic bass. Stich Wynston is on drums.

The album’s title suggests an existential pondering; it reflects the nature of jazz itself as an art form that thrives on invention, reinvention, and the delicate tension between structure and abandon. Recorded at Canterbury Music Company and mastered for immersive listening, the album’s sonics demonstrate that fullness is not about excess but about intent.

This record hums with echoes of jazz-funk’s past, Maceo Parker’s bite, Weather Report’s fluidity, and Tower of Power’s muscle, but it never succumbs to imitation. Instead, the Shuffle Demons take these ingredients and reassemble them into something unmistakably their own.

“X Marks The Spot” launches the album with precision and fire, its interlocking horn motifs cutting through the engaging rhythmic landscape of the bass and drums. The jazz-funk language of this track speaks with fluency to inspire us to dig deeper into the album’s expressions.

“Out To Sea” conjures images of vast horizons, propelled by a hypnotic bass figure and waves of saxophone interplay that ebb and flow like shifting tides. The title track, “Are You Really Real?” is the album’s centerpiece and thesis, fusing spoken word with impressive frontline parts and solos. Here, the Shuffle Demons tap into the philosophical heart of jazz—where the line between improvisation and composition, performer and listener, is a thin and mutable one.

“Bottom Dollar” is created with a gritty shuffle groove that has long been part of the band’s DNA, while “Ride The Wave” surges forward with a momentum of a jazz-funk feel that refuses stagnation, mirroring the ever-evolving nature of jazz itself.

“Good Mourning” swings with insistence; its harmonic subtleties allow the soloist to explore the blues vocabulary while nudging it towards modern jazz’s fluid and elusive patterns.

The spoken biting social critique of “Money Is My Only Religion” reminds us that jazz has always been an art of resistance as much as celebration. Underhill’s spoken-word delivery is influenced by hip-hop mixed with jazz.  The message is clear: in a world obsessed with material wealth, authenticity is a radical act.

As the album progresses, “Scala Rosa” and “Sunny Side Up” paint with different textures, one intricate and harmonically adventurous, the other buoyant and infectious. “Prism” lives up to its name, refracting ideas and motifs into shifting patterns, while “In The Air” floats effortlessly, its post-bop leanings a testament to the band’s versatility.

The album closes with “Run The World,” a defiant declaration that, after four decades, the Shuffle Demons are still commanding the funky space between jazz’s past, present, and possible futures.

If jazz is, at its core, an ongoing conversation, then Are You Really Real? is a particularly compelling chapter. The album reflects that they have not lost their curiosity or settled into complacency. The Shuffle Demons have a joyful listening experience waiting to confirm your expectations. If reality is found in the electric moment of creation, in the space where tradition and exploration, then The Shuffle Demons are as real as jazz itself.

https://jazzsensibilities.com/fusion/shuffle-demons-are-you-really-real-review/

George W. Harris - jazzweekly.com

Here’s a swinging team of saxes that know more about hip riffs than James Brown’s Famous Flames. The reed section of Richard Underhill/as-bs, Kelly Jefferson/ts and Matt Lagan/ts create a magma of music for the grooves dug in by “Mike Downes/b and Stich Wynston/dr. Downes and Wynston confidently hold their own, getting funky for the horns on “Nice Signal” and creating a rivulet for the palpable harmonies of “Are You Really Real” , which even feature some jivey rap for extra fun. . The saxes get bluesy and deep as Underhill’s alto sways on “Bottom Dollar” and bold around the  horns that  punch like Evander Holyfield on “Ride The Wave”. Reed rapture!

https://www.jazzweekly.com/2025/03/shuffle-demons-are-you-really-real-le-coq/