Tim Akers and the Smoking Section "Shake It Off" 

This is so incredible, but I fear that it can only be fully appreciated by musicians who know how amazing the playing is. The vocal is extremely well done; Ms. Keyes does a wonderful job taking a bubble gum-type song and elevating it. But the horns and the rhythm section, My God! That bass break, as complex as it was, was right in rhythm. The intonation, the time, the solos . . . Musicianship lives!

I listen 3 or 4 times every week because I never get tired of this incredible musicianship

RIP MAESTRO. Thank you for all the music.

Tim Akers & the Smoking Section. Every musician, every instrument, every voice contributing, INCLUDING Kim Keyes; now I'm going to say it, "Oh MY GOD". These highly talented musicians ~ each note, their tight rhythm, solos and timing, and yes, especially the sax player; ALL OF THESE PEOPLE epitomize the best of the "Baby Boom" generation musicians; and, our LOVE for music that has rhythm, grooves, LIFE, FUNK and SOUL! Tim Akers and all of you that comprise "The Smoking Section" ~ THANK YOU for bringing such life, energy and soul to this song. THANK YOU !

R.i.P. Tim Akers and thank you for your wonderful music!😧

There are exactly .0001 % of humans that can pull this off. Beautiful.

Every pop song they touch magically turns into REAL MUSIC :)

Just stumbled onto this cover. It is jaw-dropping awesome. Until I heard this I couldn't name a single TS song. I'll now never get this one out of my head!. I too went back to listen to her original version of it and, with all due appreciation for the lyrics (clever) and general arrangement of the song, THIS arrangement blows the original completely away. Such polished talent and incredible imaginative arranging. Wow!!

Those ppl who voted this down have no life

Best horn section I've ever heard!!! Outstanding band! KIM KEYES vocal is so hot!!! She is unbelievably talented.

I just don't see how there could be a better band. The bassist kills me!!!

So many great comments here to find. I am as you blown away about that sick, amazing formation. I will be always deeply sad about the passing of Tim Akers way to early.

this arrangement goes back and forth from lush to smokin hot...........I just keep grinning every time I hear it! just wow.....and the bell tones on bass???? just DAYUM! and the harmony guitar solos???? DAYUM! and the brass section? just DAYUM! and the, and the, and the...

J'adore ! Aujourd'hui c'est la fête de la musique en France, c'est la fête pour mes oreilles en écoutant cette version ! Bravo !

Best version ever!

And now I like this song. Excellent arrangement.

I've listened to this many times and it blows me away every time. Amazing

insanely tight and funky. that high trumpet? sick. all of it.

After listening to this incredible chart four or five times I wondered...is this a cover? OK, so sue me...I live under a rock....had no idea it was a Taylor Swift song...like, I'm almost 71 and am not hanging in breathless anticipation of every new TayTay drop. So...I gave her version a listen. Sorry, couldn't even make it to the end. Will never try again. But will listen to this version many, many, many times and forward the link to everyone I know. I won't even TELL them it's a Swiftsong--they might not know either and I'd hate for them to avoid listening to THIS version on that account. This just shows the magic that can be done by people with talent and ability on the level of Tim Akers and the Smoking Section. Rest In Peace, Tim. I've never been a smoker myself, but now I know there's a Smoking Section in Heaven.

Whenever I've had a bad day, I watch either this or their version of Uptown Funk and instantly I've got a big smile on my face and all is right with the world! Both covers are just absolutely perfect...fantastic playing, singing and arrangement and they look like they're having fun. Thank You, Tim Akers and all you smoking session players.

What could be added that hasn't already been said. Everyone involved is at the top of their game with a shout out out to the unseen players the engineers and video Grapher who documented it all. The musicians are on point, and the arrangement is superb. I hate to call out any specific musicians but I have a special fondness for the bass and this bass player is killing it.

This track is nothing but pure audio delight! The rhythm is so...SPICY. The chords are PERFECTION. The singing is FLAWLESS. Y'all need to release a CD of covers JUST LIKE THIS.

Impossible to shake this off … it just keeps playing in my head ALL THE TIME

Kim Keyes you are brilliant!!!

Such vocal power and finesse and just raw soul. Kim Keyes you are bringing tears of joy to my eyes. Wow.

1st) I wasn't a big fan of the original version but after hearing this arrangement; AMAZING.. 2nd), Kim keyes is just unbelievable.. 3rd) the bass player is naaasttyyyhh 4) both guitars, together with horns and keys it's just simply dissscusstiiiing...

The best version of this song I've ever heard. Period. :-)

Das ist immer noch die beste Version dieses Lieds seit Jahren! Leider kann man nicht zwei Daumen rauf halten!

AWESOME! As a teener, I've listened to these musicians on various Christian artists' albums (First Call, Sandi Patti, Bebe & Cece, among others), and seeing them together in a band just gives me great joy. They were all just names on the CD credits, now I can even see them play. I don't aim to compare, but this is what happens when studio musicians get together and make great music together - thinking of Fourplay, Toto and Steely Dan. What's missing here from the recordings I've been listening to is the Nashville String Machine. They go well together.

I got goose bumps listening this phenomenal art！FABULOUS！

....erm......this is fully cooking! Just wonderfull.

"Handmade" music. Simply fantastic. My mood always improves after listening to this peace of art. Phenomenal!

RIP Doug Moffett. Great musician, great human being. We miss you !!!

This is REAL music.

Gold standard.

HOLY CHRIST !!!! These arrangers are waaaay more beautiful than original songs !!"! BEAUTIFUL .... !!!!

Keeping coming back to this. Perhaps I'm still in love with Kim Keyes! X

Lead trumpet is SOLID. (Well, they all are really.) I now have a mild crush on Kim Keyes.

My lounge is no longer smoke free !! Great way to kick start a Friday night - many thanks

"Just think, while you've been getting down and out about the liars and the dirty dirty cheats of the world, you could have been getting down to this sick-ass bass fill."

Unbelievable. These guys are some of the best studio players in the world. Absolutely amazing and they make it look so easy.

Wow, reminiscent of 1970's Tower of Power horns, so good.

Ok ok....so I'm a little late waking up to these guys (can I use being South-African as an excuse?) but oh boy, this lot just totally blew my socks off!! THEY ARE STUPENDOUS !! Every single muso and singer here, in a league of their own..... soooooooooo awesome !!!

Just so many great things here - horns, vocals, guitar solos back and forth. Completely awesome!

Simply awesome. Elements of Maynard Ferguson. Pure talent everywhere.

Awesome ... can't say enough from us Orlando guys ...

State Of Art !!! What A BAND !!!! Greetings From Marathon Greece!!! God Bless You

A real good music storm!

Some of the best music artist you will ever hear. Singers were just the best I ever heard they were unbelievable. Go see them live one of the best group you will ever hear. I had a great time. I hope I get to meet them one day

An insanely talented group of people. John Hammond is rocking the drums on this one!

Words can not express how awesome this is.

Not one person mentioned KIM KEYES, she is the one singing the song. Kim is so talented.

They've done it again! Simply the best in this town! Saw them Saturday... live! They do not disappoint..the energy just flows from these guys! ...and the eighteenth Beatle, their engineer Doug Sarrett, kills this mix! I don't know how he fit it all in!

Love the horns, the voice, the Jay Graydon guitars, the skins, the whole arrangement, just an awesome production!

Nothing fake. This is music done right.

There is *so* much to like about this video!

Way to go Timbo... another fabulous chart! Nice solo Marky. ALL vox rock. Tom and Mark!!!.. A++. Gary.. stop being so dang cool.. you're killin' me.

Music is one of the places where young good dudes are no better than good old dudes. These musicians are just too cool for words. Fantastic.

wow Just Wow Amazing xxxxxx never miss a beat!!

Love watching people do what they love to do with this much passion. Very talented.

Just two days ago I was feeling proud of myself for the bass tracks I was recording in the studio, and then I come here and listen to a real master at work. I need to go practice and cry at the same time now...

I had to post this today on LinkedIn as it speaks to all that is going on in the world today, Major Props Tim Akers & The Smoking Section.

This arrangement and the version of Uptown Funk are just awesome. The harmony guitar solos complimented this song too and to top it off, the female vocalist... Wow! Loving this guys 10/10 from me

Great cover🎸🎹🎺🎤🎼🎵🎶🎧🎻I will share this great sound to my audiance. 🤟🤘🤙👍love it!!

In love with KIM!!! Killer!!!

Absolutely amazing!

Tim...GREAT BAND...!!!!!! and... Kim...WONDERFUL SINGER...!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS from Santiago de Chile.

The Ultimate Dad Band! Rock on!!

Wish I could loop a RU-vid. I've listened to this at least 25 times since I saw it posted on FB yesterday. AWESOME!!!

2:23 thats some monster trumpet playing

Uh... wow. First Uptown Funk, and now this. Superbly done.

Dammit Bobby!! Thats the sh!t from top to bottom! Arrangement, musicianship, mix, delivery, and that vox! Damn, what a vox! Excellent! Enjoyed it.....if ya cant tell.

Astonishingly great!

There isn’t a weak link in the writing or performance. An incredibly well-conceived arrangement performed by a killer band of world-class musicians. I play this for my commercial arranging class every year as an example of how to take a fine pop song and transform it into a masterpiece. It’s what pop music *could* be but rarely is.

That saxophone solo was absolutely fire

First Uptown Funk and now this masterpiece. Fantastic arrangement and great vocal performance too. Loved it!

Yay! Blair is in this one. Thank you Mr. Akers and TSS for raising the bar once again😀

I've listened to this tune about a thousand times.

Just a word : WOW !

There are no words to adequately describe how insanely good this is...

I have listened to this song over and over and over for the past 72 hours and it just seems to get better and better every time I listen to it. Insane Musicians and singers coupled with an even more insane arrangement. Wow, wow. Thank you

Funny how I keep finding myself back listening to this insanely wonderful performance. Excellent musicians all around!

WOW absolutely amazing version! The guitar duo is above everything!!!!

I play trumpet in a similar cover band here in the SF Bay Area. you are a great inspiration of how funk should be played. so many talented musicians having fun. great and keep it up. Our book is very similar to yours!

So this is how the song should sound when actual musicians and singers perform. Wow. I gotta share this with my daughters. Thank you for sharing your hard work and talent!

Rest in peace, Mr. Akers.

Gary Lunn is the sickest bass player I have ever heard! There are probably players out there that have faster chops but I know of NO ONE that knows what to do with those chops better than Gary. BTW - WHAT A BAND!!

Hi from Chile Im composer and arranger, and i pray to god to make productions as sophisticated and professional like what we see here.Thanks for share this jewel.

just like smooth jazz west coast style...excellent, groovy,awesome...helped me to forget Corona!

This is simply OUTSTANDING arranging & musical craftsmanship. The horns, guitar solos, sax solo, the backups, Kim Keyes, etc. This is at least a magnitude better than the original. I'm hooked for life! Keep it coming!!!

I'm watching this video for the tenth time. And it sounds great to me as the first time I watched it. Being a musician myself, I looked into every detail and it is all flawless -- the arrangement, the musicians -- all of them, individual takes, brass section, kbds, aand, of course, Kim and the backing singers, comanding the pulse, the tension and the release -- wow!. TAaTSS is fabulous!

I have the privilege of playing with John Hammond every Sunday. Such a solid drummer!

Better than original version!!

That blows me away......all the best from Berlin-Germany

This is what I call A "cover" of pop songs I really hope I can see the live version!

I had my stank face on for the entire song. Damn guys

I wish I could like this song more than once. So good!

Who else thinks Kim Keyes is one of the most beautiful women on the planet?

I just love the way that bands such as this one, Dirty Loops etc are resuscitating the methods of the (mainly) pre-bebop musicians of basing their material on popular music of the day.

Real MUSIC!!!