The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble

Drawing from the wellsprings of classic funk, jazz, fusion, and soul, the nine-piece instrumental outfit known as the Sure Fire Soul Ensemble forged its hard-hitting original compositions. Influences spanning the Meters’ greasy funk through hip-hop-informed rhythms surfaced across the group’s numerous singles as well as on albums such as the fiery 2019 release Build Bridges.

San Diego keyboardist and songwriter Tim Felten established the Sure Fire Soul Ensemble in 2012. Guided by funk and soul precedents ranging from Herbie Hancock to Dr. Octagon, Felten recruited a sizable ensemble to animate his instrumental soul-jazz material. The initial roster featured Felten on keys and percussion alongside guitarist Nicholas Costa, bassist Matthew LaBarber, saxophonist and flutist Chris Lea, drummer Pete Williams, and trumpeter-flugelhornist Bill Caballero. This configuration first captured the deep funk tracks that comprised the limited-edition 7-inch Layin’ Low, issued in a pressing of 500 copies during 2013 while the band maintained a steady West Coast performance schedule. A follow-up single pairing “City Heights” with “Strollin’ Adams” appeared in 2015, coinciding with the ensemble’s self-titled full-length debut. That album incorporated an expanded lineup that added percussionists Kiko Cornejo, Jr. and Sheryll Pasis plus second saxophonist Jesse Audelo.

The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble persisted in issuing standalone 7-inch singles, and its second long-player, Out on the Coast, emerged in October 2016. By then the original lineup had undergone adjustments that included the addition of tenor saxophonist Robert Dove and the name change of Sheryll Pasis to Sheryll Felten. In March 2019 the group collaborated with vocalist Kelly Finnigan on a faithful rendering of the Honey Drippers’ 1973 anti-Nixon political funk number “Impeach the President.” Their third album, Build Bridges, arrived the following September.