Album Review: Ain’t Doin Too Bad from RJ Spangler’s Bop Insurgents featuring Bill Heid

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Artist:  RJ Spangler’s Bop Insurgents featuring Bill Heid
Album:  Ain’t Doin Too Bad
Label:  Eastlawn Records
Release Date:  October 9, 2026
Artist Website:  www.rjspangler.com
Label Website:  www.eastlawnrecords.com

Coalescing soul jazz, blues, swing, and bop, RJ Spangler's Bop Insurgents create an after-hours, cocktail club vibe on their 2026 effort Ain’t Doin Too Bad  from Eastlawn Records.  Led by percussionist RJ Spangler, he is joined by pianist/organist Bill Heid, saxophonist/flutist Russ Miller, guitarist Ralph Tope, bass player Kurt Krahnke, and drummer Jeff Shoup through a selection classic pop and jazz tunes.

Most desirably, the rumba sway of Bruno Martino's trademark"Estate" emotes sheer tranquility, as the sultry tone of Miller's flute creases gently along the melodic swells, honing a candlelight atmosphere.   The tune is countered by the bopping rhythm of the title track, written by Deadric Malone and festoon in the springy crackles of Heid's keys, as the throaty vocals personalize the track with a soul jazz insignia. 

The furling toots of Russ Miller's saxophone etch a curving path along Luiz Bandeira's cornerstone"Samba Blim," turning to a sombre mood through Alexandre “Sacha” Diste's score "The Good Life," swaddled in the sepulchral tones of the saxophone.  The swinging rhythm of Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne's staple "It's You or No One" contrasts the bluesy grooves of Bobbie Gentry's country-pop tune "Ode to Billy Joe," interlaced in the casual swagger of Tope's guitar strings and rhythmic throbbing of Krahnke's bass.

Spangler and Heid are both veterans of the Detroit jazz culture, where soul, jazz, blues, and swing found fertile ground for growth and expansion through the decades.  Coming together in the 1980's, the pair's long-standing relationship is a firm basis for their melodic musings and kinetic repartee.

Musicians:
Bill Heid — piano, Hammond organ
RJ Spangler — congas, shakers
Russ Miller — alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute
Ralph Tope — guitar
Kurt Krahnke — acoustic bass
Jeff Shoup — drums

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