The Yards - Wit - Hammond Beat - CD € 14,25       product# 137557 cat# HBR005CD release date   country US picture sleeve YES grade disc NEW grade cover NEW release info 2006 compilation NO distributed item YES   listen listen listen         tracks 01.    - Sweet Potato Soup 02.    - Here Comes The Yard Man 03.    - Bridges 04.    - La Pelota 05.    - Wish I Knew 06.    - Miss Misty 07.    - You Are The Thing 08.    - You Got It 09.    - KTA (Comin’ Back) 10.    - Sunday Night 11.    - BMW         Lawrence, Kansas quartet THE YARDS conjure mind-bending polyrhythms and add tantalizing horn arrangements and fold them into a funky format reminiscent of The Meters and Medeski, Martin & Wood. THE YARDS play instrumentals--or, more to the point: groovescapes. Inspired by the powerful growl of the Hammond organ, lead songwriter Bradford Hoopes churns out chart-busting melodies that are nimbly interpreted by guitarist Michael Hamm, bassist Brad Maestas and drummers Kelly White & Danny Rojas. THE YARDS mash up jazz and funk with R&B and sweet soul, add some Latin sounds and a stiff shot of gospel’s stomping rapture, and then turn on the heat. “Wit” showcases these elements along with Tom Johnson’s epic horn arrangements and Colin Mahoney’s righteous production skills. When THE YARDS debuted in 2000, they were all about The Meters. Now the recipe includes a chunk of Jimmy McGriff, a seasoning of Steely Dan, and, with all the horns surrounding THE YARDS lately (“Wit” features trombone, tenor sax and trumpet) a heaping dose of Tower of Power. When THE YARDS opened for jazz guitarist John Scofield in St. Louis in 2002 he called their set “blazing”. The sound of THE YARDS’ is the sound of old jazz; Ellington, pop-friendly and swinging; but still it’s a riff on jazz because the intellectualism of pure jazz can be scary, and THE YARDS love the funk – they love to make you move!