When they formed a year ago, the Soul Traders faced the dilemma of deciding on a musical trade.

The five-piece of bassist Ralph Coleman, guitarist William R. Harsma, drummer Ross Moe, saxophonist Chris Sawyer and trumpet player Jim Sorendo eventually settled on R&B. They combine the genre's classic staples with newer material by Stevie Wonder, James Brown and other performers.

“Having a horn section with a trumpet and saxophone really gives it that old R&B sound,” Sawyer said, “and we want to base our songs around that.”

Establishing the arrangements for each song presents another challenge for the Soul Traders, but Sawyer feels the five players have found ways to skillfully recreate the R&B classics they cover. They frequently record their performances and listen for spots where they can polish their approach to the songs.

“Most bands have three to four horns, keyboards and backup singers,” Sawyer said. “So we have to be careful with our arrangements to make it still sound full, but we're able to pull it off.”

With a Blues Brother-esque ensemble of sunglasses and black ties, the Soul Traders go the extra mile to ensure their faithful R&B catalogue gets a faithful response in kind.

“We're a dance band, and we're about getting people out there boogying and having a good time,” Sawyer said. “It's all about having a party out there.”

David Wilcox

253-5311 ext. 245

david.wilcox@lee.net