Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Various Artists: Texas Tenors

Various Artists: Texas Tenors

By AAJ Staff
October 1, 1997
Sign in to view read count

Like Chicago, Texas is well known for its tenors—big-toned, fat, soulful, hard-blowing, gutsy tenors. This CD reminds us that Prestige did its part to document Texas-style tenors; even if a particular player on this CD didn't live in Texas his entire life, the Lone Starr connection was there. Texas tenors loved the blues, and we hear just how much thanks to Buddy Tate on "The Salt Mines," King Curtis on "Jeep's Blues," David "Fathead" Newman & James Clay on "Wide Open Spaces" and Wilton Felder on "Stomp" (a 1969 performance with organist Charles Kynard). Don Wilkerson's version of "Where Or When" and Arnette Cobb's 1960 recording of "Black Velvet" show how seductive and charismatic the Texas tenors could be. Except for John Hardee's blowing with altoist Russell Procope in 1946 on the swing number "Right Foot Then Left Foot," all of the recordings are from the 1960s.

Texas Tenors may not be the last word on the style, but it certainly illustrates its richness. Chile, anyone?

Reprinted with the permission of Myrna Daniels and L.A. Jazz Scene , the largest jazz publication in Southern California.

Personnel

Various Artists

various

Album information

Title: Texas Tenors | Year Released: 1997 | Record Label: Prestige Records

< Previous
Talkin' Square Biz with Arkadia Prez ...

Next >
The Squirrel

Comments

About Various Artists

Instrument: Various

Concerts

May 1 Wed

Community Open Mic

Jazz On Main
Mt Kisco, NY

For the Love of Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help

To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.