PLAYLIST NEW ALBUM RELEASES TRUE SAX APPEAL.Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer VARIOUS: ``Honkers & Bar Walkers Vol. 3'' (Delmark) IT WAS MUSIC made for 1950s Saturday nights - the gritty sound of honking tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax. It is perhaps the most well known of all saxophones and is a transposing instrument, pitched in the key of B♭, and written as a transposing instrument in the instrumentals designed to get people moving toward the dance floor with a quick stop at the bar. Thanks to archival blues and jazz labels like Chicago's Delmark Records Delmark Records is the oldest independent record label in the United States. It records jazz and blues and is one of jazz's best-known imprints. It was founded by Bob Koester who had become a jazz fan after hearing artists like Lionel Hampton. , that music, which was often recorded strictly for jukeboxes, has been saved from the dustbin of history. In a trio of separate albums titled ``Honkers & Bar Walkers,'' Delmark - the country's oldest independent jazz and blues imprint - has unearthed Unearthed is the name of a Triple J project to find and "dig up" (hence the name) hidden talent in regional Australia. Unearthed has had three incarnations - they first visited each region of Australia where Triple J had a transmitter - 41 regions in all. the tough tenors and bluesy rhythms of Jimmy Forrest Jimmy Robert Forrest Jr. (January 24 1920 - August 26 1980) was a jazz musician who played tenor saxophone throughout his career. He is famous for his first solo recording of "Night Train," with its irresistible hook and classic tenor solo. , Tab Smith Talmadge (Tab) Smith (January 11, 1909–August 17, 1971), was an American swing and rhythm and blues alto saxophonist. In the 1930s and 1940s he spent several years in the bands of Lucky Millinder and Count Basie, as well as spending long periods freelancing both as a , Charles Ferguson and others. The just-issued third volume includes gems by J.T. Brown, Wild Bill Moore William M. Moore (b 13 June 1918, Houston, Texas – d 8 August 1983, Los Angeles, California), known as Wild Bill Moore, was an American R&B tenor saxophone player. and Floyd Taylor, among others. Delmark owner Bob Koester talks about the practice of vinyl archaeology and how it applies to the strip joint. Q: What does the ``bar walkers'' in the title refer to? In the '50s, guys would get up on the bar and walk back and forth playing their saxes. It was rhythm and blues rhythm and blues (R&B) Any of several closely related musical styles developed by African American artists. The various styles were based on a mingling of European influences with jazz rhythms and tonal inflections, particularly syncopation and the flatted blues chords. show biz designed to generate maximum excitement in a small club. This was gutsy drinking music for working people. We're not talking about Perry Como here. A lot of these guys worked in strip joints. And we originally sold a lot of these records to strippers. Q: There must've been some confusion among people who think because it's sax, it's gotta be jazz. Most of these players wouldn't have been called jazz, they were really playing r&b. But they gave that r&b label to Jimmy Forrest, Johnny Hodges, Earl Bostic - some really fine jazz musicians - and there weren't a lot of people back then who knew the difference. Q: Delmark has been around for more than 50 years. How did it start? I started the Delmark record store in Chicago, then launched the label in 1952. Along with classic blues albums by Junior Wells, Magic Sam and Big Joe Williams, I've always felt jazz also meant ragtime ragtime: see jazz. ragtime U.S. popular music of the late 19th and early 20th centuries distinguished by its heavily syncopated rhythm. Ragtime found its characteristic expression in formally structured piano compositions, the accented left-hand . I talked to two people recently who were thinking about starting a jazz label but I had to tell them they weren't going to sell many records. A good sales figure for an indie like us is 1,500 copies. So, if you don't love the music there's no reason to do it. We're releasing 18 to 24 albums a year. And some of the artists are getting paid in CDs they can sell straight off the bandstand. CHECK THESE OUT (other new releases): BUDDY MILLER, ``Midnight and Lonesome'': Forget Ryan Adams. This is genuine contemporary country-rock at its deepest. THELONIOUS MONK, ``Paris at Midnight'': The be-bop prankster never played a wrong note he couldn't turn into something right. BILLIE HOLIDAY, ``Billie Holiday for Lovers'': A dozen jewels including ``Body and Soul'' and ``They Can't Take That Away "They Can’t Take That Away" is a single by New Zealand Idol season one winner, Benjamin Lummis, released in 2004. It went to number one in its first week, where it remained for seven weeks. From Me.'' Next Tuesday: JOHNNY SMITH, ``The Complete Roost Small Group Sessions'' CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1) J.T. BROWN (2 -- 4) no caption (CD covers) |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion