Bio
A native of East St. Louis, Alvin Jett has been entertaining audiences throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area for twenty-five years. Although Jett came from a musical family, he didn't seriously start playing guitar until he was 20 years old. Jett quickly learned the rudiments, and received his formal blues education playing with Tommy Bankhead & the Blues Eldorados honing his skills into his own fiery brand of hard driving St. Louis blues.
The Phat noiZ Blues Band is Jett’s means for delivering to the audience his brand of in-your-face, hard driving blues. The band performs its own unique style of original blues music as well as blues, R&B and rock standards. Currently operating as a four-piece, the Phat noiZ Blues Band consists of Alvin Jett on guitar and vocals, Frank Bauer on saxophone and background vocals, Corey "Woody" Woodruff on drums and Matt Davis on bass and background vocals.
Saxophonist Frank Bauer led his own band, Blues Attitude, for some five years before hooking up with Jett in 1999. A fan and player of both jazz and funk; Bauer is rooted in the blues sounds pioneered by Dexter Gordon, Gene Ammons, Maceo Parker as well as local St. Louisian’s Oliver Sain, Corky Blake, and Dennis “Chicago Slim” Lansing. Having given up playing sax for sports as a child, he returned to his true love back in the early 90’s and has been performing in front of audiences ever since. 
Literally a student of music, bassist Matt Davis, who joined the band in 2003, is a graduate of the Webster University music program. Describing his music as Saikyou-Ryuu, Davis toured with nationally renowned jazz vocalist Erin Bode, the Mighty Big Band and Stoned Walls.
In 2007, Corey "Woody" Woodruff began drumming with the Phat noiZ. In his 22 years of playing, Woody has performed with an eclectic mix of artists including political funksters 9-1-1, guitar-pop whizkids Big Red G, and alt-country rebels Whiskey Daydream. A student of the late Ren Hoeck, Woody is also a professional drum maker and an avid writer.
Alvin Jett & the Phat noiZ Blues Band were finalists at the 2006 International Blues Challenge, sponsored by The Blues Foundation, and their first CD, Wet My Beak (Self-released 2005), made the final four for the title of Best Self-Produced CD. In 2007 the band's song "Angels Sing the Blues" was honored as Best Blues Song at the Independent Music Awards. The song appears on the 2006 release Milk & Cookies.
Phat noiZ Discography |
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Wet My Beak, 2005 What Must a Player Do
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Milk and Cookies, 2006 Boogie To The BluesBest Friend You Ever Had Ain't Been The Same My Baby's Place It's A Cinch Milk And Cookies Borrowed Time Angels Sing The Blues 7:47 Central Time Down In The Delta |
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How Long, Music Avenue 2008 (European Compilation) Boogie to the Blues
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Press / Reviews
"The Phat noiZ Blues Band hail from St. Louis, but their blues represents the crossroads of St. Louis more than strictly the St. Louis blues—although it begins in the Missouri-Mississippi basin. Track 1, “Boogie to the Blues,” with its St. Louis horn soul (and some touches of neo-swing) finds Jett’s voice taking you right in. It reminds me of a New Year’s Eve I spent at a blues club in St. Louis’ Soulard neighborhood, soaking in the grime, joy, and passion of the region’s blues style." -- Full review at www.musicspectrum.org by Benjamin C. Squires
"Alvin is the next generation of blues here. He's educated by people like Tommy Bankhead, and respectful of Bennie Smith, and taking it to a different place. Alvin Jett is an ideal continuation of the legacy of the St. Louis blues guitar tradition. " -- John May, President - St. Louis Blues Society
“….Next on my Blues itinerary was a band from St. Louis that is rapidly working on becoming a household name in the Blues community, Alvin Jet & The Phat noiZ Blues Band. Having recently placed high in the International Blues Challenge, the band is aggressively touring the country promoting the newest CD Milk & Cookies. Joining Alvin Jett on lead vocals and guitar are Frank Bauer on sax, Matt Davis on bass, and Jeremy West on drums. The band put on a strong performance of a real nice mix of Blues, Jazz, and Funk, with Jett and Bauer constantly switching leads. They literally blew away the crowd with a song that I felt should have been last year's Blues Song of the Year - "Angels Sing The Blues." This is a band you should all keep your eyes and ears out for…..” The entire article can be viewed at www.blueswax.com.-- Pete “Blewzzman” Lauro of Mary4Music.com reviewing our show at the Riverwalk Blues Festival in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
"...Wet My Beak is an impressive mix of modern Blues and R&B, with a healthy dose of funk mixed in." -- Graham Clarke of bluenight.com
" This album represents to me, the current state of Saint Louis blues. That is where Alvin and band reside and they seem to imbue this recording with a deep sense of place. Alvin's baritone voice, abstractly reminds me of Big Joe Turner and leans heavily on, Soul influenced Jazz with doses of Gospel." -- SierraBluesSociety.org
"If you ask me, this is a good representation of the blues aching for some more hip hop and phunk. I really like it and listen to it quite often. It represents East Saint Louis and the Saint Louis Blues scene very well." -- Dave "Mad Dog" Madlener of mnblues.com
"They possess a massive stage presence, their playing is tight and Alvin’s solo’s are in-your-face hot electric blues." -- Cornbread of STLblues.net
"Wow! -Ever walked onto a joint and got your a** kicked by some band you never heard of? Well, ever since these guys came down from St. Louis, MO and participated in the Blues Foundation's International Blues Challenge this band has made giant strides. Funk you up now! This is high energy stuff, with Alvin Jett kickin' great guitar licks and this band, including brass backers, kicking it up to the max. If you got to dance, what won't you do in the way of moves here? From the very first lick to the very last, the Phat noiz is just that-PHAT! Sometimes ya gotta bump & grind. Here is the music to do that thing to." -- Gary W. Miller of bluessource.com
"Milk And Cookies is a groovalicious brand of blues fueled by jazz, funk, and soul... Alvin’s guitar style has a deep-seated passionate vibe… Catch them live or do the next best thing and getcha a big plate of Milk And Cookies!" - Sheryl and Don Crow, Music City (Nashville) Blues Society Newsletter
"Alvin Jett & the Phat noiZ Blues Band are on the money… Delivering a set of amped up urban blues fresh from the Delta migration. Milk And Cookies is no exercise in nostalgia, but a heady mix that classic blues fans will love." - Chris Sector, Midwest Record Recap