The Five Aces (R. Auld - Beat Bash Magazine)
By their own admission The Five Aces are "a rhythm & blues group based in Glasgow". They also claim to have an exciting live set designed for dancers. It is best to assume for now that they are referring to a troupe of Go-Go Dancers in skimpy costumes (or perhaps nipple tassles) rather than a dance floor of gyrating drunkards.
Armed with a hammond organ, a drum set and a singer (who brandishes other instruments), as well as the obligatory bass guitarist and guitar player, the band, in the words of top record producer Bosco Mann (Daptone Records) "successfully reclaim R&B" from it's "modern bastardization by major label pop".
Loosely speaking, their brand of music spans the period between the late 1950s and 1960s where rhythm & blues had almost started to develop into soul music and hammond organs played instrumentals that girls danced to. Rock n' roll was all about the twist, the monkey and 1001 other dance crazes and beat was not yet beaten into submission by the rock.
Within that description you will find them playing a generally uptempo selection of their own songs and interpretations of chart toppers previously performed by the likes of Eddie Bo, Lowell Fulson, Ray Charles, The Gardenias and of course the British Groups of yesteryear. The vocal side of their performances are augmented by instrumental toe tappers by the likes of Booker T & The MG's, Jimmy McGriff and The John Barry 7.
Although I find them and their silly little jokes rather annoying in person The Five Aces do seem to produce a thoroughly splendid musical and rhythmic presentation every time they perform. For the life of me I can't see why this type of dance beat music is even acceptable fare in today's curmudgeonly times. But something that sounds like "a perfect marriage of Stax and Chess Records" (Blues In Britain Magazine) can only ever be considered a good thing.