Return of King Zepha

Starting with the sleeve, reminiscent of comic book style album covers from the 70’s and 80’s like The Upsetters Return of the Super Ape and Scientist’s Scientist Encounters Pac Man, you know this album is straddling the decades of ska, rocksteady, dub and reggae.  King Zepha recorded vocals, sax, woodwinds, keyboards, guitar and percussion at his home studio, with his fellow touring band members adding “the stuff I can’t do particularly well” backing vocals, brass, double bass and drums. The resulting album was mixed down and mastered in true analogue style by Ross Holden at Bradford’s Hohm Studios. The sound is nostalgic for heavy bass sound systems with the wit and energy of early two tone.  

It’s clearly the sound King Zepha worships.  Citing his most memorable gigs supporting Owen Grey and the Skatellites.  But this is no history lesson, the album has it’s fair share of jazz incursions.  “I’ve seen Ezra Collective a few times and I enjoy their energy and inspired to see an instrumental jazz quartet selling out large venues and reaching young and old audiences alike.”

The lyrics are personal, sometimes whimsical, but the overriding feel is joy and celebration.  From Arabic influenced rub-a-dub instrumentals, through party ska stompers, even a reinterpretation of Sammy Davis Jnr’s “I’m a Brass Band” King Zepha knows exactly where he came from, slowing down the tempo from today’s crop of “ska punk” bands, the sounds perfectly fits the traditional double bass and and the low end trombone tremor this album delivers in spades.

King Zepha aka Sam Thornton got his name from his trusted musical weapon of choice, the King Zephyr saxophone.  He’s come some way from listening to his dad’s jazz tapes in Leeds.  “My first love was the trumpet, but I couldn’t get to grips with it, and it gave me a headache, so I switched to clarinet at the age of 8.”

No headache guarantee with The Return of King Zepha.