Hailing from the Triangle area of North Carolina, the Atomic Rhythm All-Stars is a 7 piece band dedicated to authentically recreating the sounds of the 1920’s and 30’s. Their three horns, three rhythm, and one vocal lineup faithfully recreate the red hot jazz bands of the mid-late 1920s and early 1930’s. Influences range from Louis Armstrong to Bix Biderbeck, Paul Whiteman to Jimmy Lunceford, and Bing Crosby to Fats Waller. If Art Deco had a soundtrack, the Atomic Rhythm All-Stars would be it. Bandleader George Knott recreates historic arrangements to present the most authentic prohibition era musical experience possible.
Started in 2007 by George Knott, the Atomic Rhythm All-Stars fills a void much neglected in the Jazz world. As a Bassist, George has toured with regional bands and has played major music festivals including the JVC Jazz festival. He has appeared at Carnegie hall and the Birdland Jazz club in NYC. Because of his dedication to understanding the function and roll of both the bass and tuba in early Jazz he is often first call for national touring bands, singers, and musical productions that travel thought the eastern US.
As an Arranger, George draws inspiration from many sources. Paul Whiteman’s chief arranger Ferde Grofe, who was one of the first to orchestrate music for the new ‘Dance bands’ made of mostly wind players that gained popularity in the 1920’s; Don Redman; who’s work for Fletcher Henderson defined what was to become the vocabulary of the big bands a decade later; Duke Ellington, who was able to capture the ‘sounds of Harlem’ using non-traditional forms of musical expression within the context of an arranged band; and Charlie Shavers, who was able to condense a full big band into the six pieces that made up the John Kirby sextet. Many of the All-Stars repertoire are note for note transcriptions of original recordings.
