Jake and Abe’s Debut Record As a Duo is a Feast of Vintage Funk-Jazz-Rock, Out Now

Photo by Charlie Weinmann
October 25 2024

Finally! is out now, buy/stream it here.

 

 

Today, Jake and Abe — keyboardist Jake Sherman and drummer / producer Abe Rounds, who are respectively behind some of modern music’s most acclaimed records (work with Mark Ronson, Sheryl Crow, Andrew Bird, Beabadoobe & many more between the two of them) — share their debut record as duo, Finally!, with focus track “A Good Man Is Hard To Find.” On October 28, Jake and Abe will play a (sold out) record release show at NYC’s The Sultan Room, hosted by the album’s executive producer Meshell Ndegeocello with support from Nick Hakim. LA release show to follow this December.

Listen to Finally! here.

“A Good Man Is Hard To Find” highlights the honest humor and meticulously indelible style of Finally!. Potent with danceable grooves, funky piano riffs, and adlibs perfectly and comedically timed to the lyrics, “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” proves itself a stellar standout from Jake and Abe’s eclectic collection of work.

Across Finally!, Jake and Abe serve a feast of vintage funk-jazz-rock, with both their instrumental and production prowess on full display. Melt together Stevie Wonder’s idiosyncratic harmonies with the yacht-rock breeze of Loggins & Messina’s chart toppers, Steely Dan’s detailed production with The Gap Band’s percussive zest and the levity of Flight Of The Conchords, and the gem that is Jake and Abe’s sonic world starts to form.

But to those with an ear for detail, this record is far more than just a retro recreation. Its pockets are deep as the duo fold magic tricks and stunning surprises into pop songs, serendipitously stemming from the vast range of their other musical work.

Abe has worked with prolific producers such as Rick Rubin, Blake Mills, and Mark Ronson; recorded with Sheryl Crow, Peter Gabriel, Seal, Beabadoobe, Lake Street Dive, Lizzo, and Marcus Mumford among others; worked with the great Robbie Robertson before his passing on the film score of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon; co written songs with Emily King and Robert Glasper; scored all seven seasons of Ava Duvernay’s Queen Sugar and 50 Cent’s Black Mafia Family; and played with Joni Mitchell as part of the Joni Jam Band this month at the Hollywood Bowl. This year Abe accepted a GRAMMY for his work as a co-producer, writer, and performer on Meshell’s Omnichord Real Book, which won the award for “Best Alternative Jazz Album.”

A maestro of the keys who played gospel organ at a Baptist church for almost a decade, Jake was the writer and pianist on Rosalia’s “Hentai” from her GRAMMY-winning Motomami, as well as playing the organ heard in Chance the Rapper’s GRAMMY-winning “No Problem.” He’s the keyboardist and writing partner of Nick Hakim, and played keys for Bilal for four years. Sherman toured and/or recorded with the likes of Andrew Bird, Blood Orange, Benny Sings, Luke Temple, and Doobie Powell as well as opening for Louis Cole’s album release tour with his solo project.

The duo met while playing with Meshell Ndegeocello for the first iteration of her “No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin” piece in 2016, which they just finished touring across the US with, ahead of a run of EU dates this November. They quickly bonded over a love of music and began writing songs — some now appearing on Finally!, material made up and gathered from seven years of work. With such in-demand solo careers, Jake and Abe have “Finally” found the time to release this eclectic collection of their own music.

JAKE AND ABE LIVE DATES

October 28 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Sultan Room
December 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Gold Diggers