Ben Basile - "74 Leonard Street"

Bassist Ben Basile (Big D and the Kids Table) has a new single out that's an instrumental tribute to the old Knitting Factory in New York City. While previous single "Mountain Road" was along the lines of classic ska, "74 Leonard Street" sounds more like a jazz song to me. It's heavy on horn solos, and while it does have that classic ska guitar strum, I hear more jazz on this one. Basile is making smooth jazz sound cool and hip on "74 Leonard Street," but that could also be the dalliance into ska. Either way, this is a great single and one of the more captivating instrumental tracks we've heard so far this year. Plus, something about this one makes me desperate to be driving around in warmer weather.

Ben Basile says of his latest single:

“I wrote this as a tribute to the old Knitting Factory when it was still in Manhattan in the early 2000s. It was at this venue that my love and appreciation for the genre grew even deeper. This was where I first saw many artists who would influence my career: The Skatalites, New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, Pilfers, Westbound Train, and Victor Rice. Fast forward ten years, and I would later have the chance to perform with both New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble and the Pilfers!”

You can listen to "74 Leonard Street" below. Benergy is due out Mat 2 on Sleep Walk Sounds, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Ben Basile, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the song, and include a June 7 date in Boston with the venue to be announced.

Thursday, June 5th: All Points West - Newark, NJ
Friday, June 6th: Reason & Ruckus - Poughkeepsie, NY
Saturday, June 7th: TBA - Boston, MA
Sunday, June 8th: Hutghi’s - Westfield, MA