The Voodoo Trombone Quartet

by David Jeffries
Created in 2004 by producer and multi-instrumentalist Paul Thorpe, the Voodoo Trombone Quartet began as a joke. Thorpe had posted some tracks by the fictitious quartet on an Internet message board, claiming they were recently rediscovered recordings by a long lost combo. His fun mix of classic ska and modern breakbeat immediately took off, with the board receiving thousands of requests for downloads. The Freshly Squeezed label noticed, signed the "band," and released a self-titled debut album in 2005. Thorpe then recruited an eight-piece band, dressed them in suits and matching fezzes, and toured Europe. They were a hit at festivals and landed one of their tracks on the television show Ugly Betty. In 2008 Thorpe announced that a second album was in the final stages and the band would be hitting the road once again.