Artist description The Ambassadors are a young St. Louis band with a flare for melody and deep groove music. Their sound embodies the high spirited energy of Motown accentuated by a sublime mix of new wave, funk, bosa nova, and reggae. Their pop smarts and penchant for soul music has drawn comparisons to Squeeze, Elvis Costello and the Talking Heads.

Music Style high spirited energy of Motown accentuated by a sublime mix of new wave, funk, bosa nova, and reggae

Musical Influences New Wave, Motown and show tunes

Similar Artists Squeeze, Elvis Costello and the Talking Heads

Artist History The Ambassadors were born out of St Louis Frederick’s Music Lounge’s weekly Hootenanny. Bassist/vocalist, Dave Simon and drummer/vocalist, Jill Aboussie discovered their mutual love for the groove amidst a Hootenanny free for all. At the time native son, Simon had just moved to St. Louis after spending the last 10 years in San Francisco and New York. Aboussie had also recently returned home to St. Louis after playing in a variety of Latin, fusion and funk bands in Lawrence Kansas. Simon was a key figure on the St. Louis music scene in the 80’s while he wrote and played bass for Blank Space and Filet of Funk while also sharing song writing credits with the seminal 80’s band the Unconscious.

Group Members Dave Simon Jill Aboussie Jon Parsons

Instruments Bass, Drums, Vocal, Keyboard

Albums The Ambassadors

Press Reviews This St. Louis band occupies a pop music space that's breezy and, in some ways nostalgic. Songwriter Dave Simon came up in the mid-80s, and cut his teeth playing in local funk-influenced combos. So, rhythm is primary for him, and he's acquired a very talented drummer, Jill Aboussie, who can handle every one of the stylistic variants he wants to play, from funk to ska to rock to soul. The nostalgia comes, for me, anyway, in the firm belief Simon holds that all these styles can sit side by side in the same band; nowadays, most everybody seems insistent on creating an instantly identifiable sound. Or, if they are diverse stylistically, they forget you're supposed to write songs first. Simon writes catchy tunes (or, on occasion, appropriates catchy bits from familiar tunes, sort of an analog sampling). If you want gravity, go somewhere else. If you want well constructed pop tunes, this is a fine place to get some.

Location St. Louis, MO - USA

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