Ebi Soda is a curious name. It sounds like a soft drink or a foreigner’s pronunciation of ‘episode’. But, in fact, it is neither of those things. It is a 5-piece contemporary jazz band based in the seaside resort of Brighton on the south coast of England. The Crotchety Library contains almost no other information about them. Even the great goggly-eyed online oracle struggles to come up with anything useful. The hastily convened research team, however, has done some digging and managed to excavate artefacts on which are inscribed the members of the band and their primary instruments. They are:

• William “Vvilhelm” Heaton – Trombone
• Conor Knight – Guitar
• Louis Jenkins – Keys
• Hari-Lee Evans – Bass Guitar
• Sam Schlich-Davies – Drums

The archaeologists have found no evidence of any Ebi species before March 2019 when E. Soda released their self-titled 4-track EP. This was followed by another EP, Bedroom Tapes, in June that same year and, in 2020, their first full album, Ugh.

The music is a kind of melodic, funky jazz, much like the under-rated Landscape. The similarity goes beyond the obvious use of a lead trombone over offbeat rhythms and electronic effects. There’s an uplifting joie de vivre in the tunes that makes you want to groove along with the players. It’s easy listening in all the right ways.

Here are a few tracks to whet your appetite, one from Ebi Soda, two from Bedroom Tapes and two from Ugh:

Pull up a chair, pour yourself a drink and settle in for a twenty-minute break from the pressures of modern living. Me? I’ll have scotch with my soda, please.