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Fats Domino and the saxes!

thomsax

thomsax

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I often listen to Fats Domino. In the latest issue of the Swedish bluesmagazine "Jefferson" the Swedish pianoman Uffe Sandtröm wrote about Fats Domino. I found a nice picture (Hans Ekestang) of Fats and a band with five saxes (four tenors and one bari). I can see Lee Allen and Herb Hardesty. Who are the other saxplayers?
http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm201/thomsax/?action=view&current=fats.jpg

Beside Fats, Little Richard is also a man that worked a lot with saxes. And there is one name that appears on Fats and Little Richards recodings and that is Lee Allen. King Curtis, Red Prysock and Lee Allen were the the real Rock & Roll Saxophone players! They didn't need any guitarplayers in those days.

Thomas
 
thomsax said:
I often listen to Fats Domino. In the latest issue of the Swedish bluesmagazine "Jefferson" the Swedish pianoman Uffe Sandtröm wrote about Fats Domino. I found a nice picture (Hans Ekestang) of Fats and a band with five saxes (four tenors and one bari). I can see Lee Allen and Herb Hardesty. Who are the other saxplayers?
Click to expand...

On the left (in front of the piano), is Walter Kimble, the little guy next to lee is fred kemp. Both deceased. Not sure of the baritone player.
 
Hi Thomas,
I don't reconize any of the other guy's at all, but in those day's i would imagine there were plenty of sidemen knocking about. They will be old men know if they are still alive, so we may never know. But without them we wouldn't have the great music we have. They left us a great legacy. God Bless them all.
Rob.
 
compound said:
Hi Thomas,
I don't reconize any of the other guy's at all, but in those day's i would imagine there were plenty of sidemen knocking about. They will be old men know if they are still alive, so we may never know. But without them we wouldn't have the great music we have. They left us a great legacy. God Bless them all.
Rob.
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Yes, there were a lot ofcapable saxmen in those days. But I think there are still good players out there. Even if they are not so often heard!!

Thomas
 
Just as an afterthought Thomas i've got a C.D. in front of me called Full Gain, by Grady Gaines and the Texas Upsetters. Not a bad album, nothing special. His version of Soul Twist is pretty sloppy compared to King Curtis's version. But let's face it there aren't many who could compete with the king, just my opinion. But his work with little Richard was great. What do you think?
Regards Rob.
 
compound said:
Just as an afterthought Thomas i've got a C.D. in front of me called Full Gain, by Grady Gaines and the Texas Upsetters. Not a bad album, nothing special. His version of Soul Twist is pretty sloppy compared to King Curtis's version. But let's face it there aren't many who could compete with the king, just my opinion. But his work with little Richard was great. What do you think?
Regards Rob.
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I think Grady Gaines is a very good player. From what I know, he is still active with his band. I have his latest CD (?) "Jump Start" from 2002 and he had a big sound on the recordings. His guitarplaying brother Roy Gaines (Chuck Willis,....) joined him on some tracks. Otherwise it was not easy to compete with Lee Allen in Little Richard band. You can practically take every Lee Allen solo that Allen did with Richard Pennyman as a very good sample of Rock & Roll Saxophone. And Little Richard was The Rock & Roll frontman #1. Bill Haley, Elvis Presley .... it doesn't matter, Little Richard and Lee Allen was/is the thing.

IMO, King Curtis was one of the most complete saxplayers ever. His tone, technique ... and he was very good in the altissimo register as well. He really could play outside the sax. Not just a few tones, he could play licks and scales and add it to his songs. He could do a whole LP and still sound differnt and interesting on each track. There is a saxplayer David "Woody" Woodford (LA) who is, IMO, nearly as good as the King! He onced heard a booker say about him: ... and bring the white guy who sounds like King Curtis ... Can it be better for a Rocksaxplayer!?!?! Otherwise Woodford thinks that the saxplayer Jimmy Roberts (Rod Stewart ...) comes closest to the King Curtis sound . Woodfoord and Roberts have been working together in differnt bands and recording constellations.

My favourite Rocksax players from the early Rock & Roll and R&B days:
1. King Curtis
2. Red Prysock
3. Lee Allen
4. Earl Bostic
5. Freddie Mitchell
6. Big Jay McNeely
7. Noble "Thin Man" Watts
8. Willis "Gator Tail" Jackson
9. Sam "The Man" Taylor
10. Hal Singer

Lots of other great honkers, but these guys are often running in my CD player. And maybe I should do a contempory list as well ...

Thomas
 
Jimmy Roberts, now i haven't heard much about him. Is he a black guy? because if that's the one i've seen him and he is good. I've also seen a young blond woman playing tenor she was good too. I'll have to check jimmy roberts out. Seems like Rod Stewart changes his sidemen quite often. Thanks for the info Thomas.
Rob.
 
John Laughter said:
Gaines' style on this cut sent some shock waves through some young sax players minds in 1956. Raw energy that many of us had never heard before!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8GWQ_bhPag
Click to expand...

IMO, Grady Gaines and Clarrence Clemons have some things in common: big tenor sound, not using to many tones in thier solos, the necessary repetition, playing within the range of the sax, a heavy "growlish" vibrato ... and lots of energy! I compared thier versions of the song "Jump Start My Heart" (Desmond Child, Jeff Kent, Ellie Greenwich). They have both recorded this song. Of course they sounds differnt but they have something in common ... .

Thomas
 
Hi Thomas,
I noticed in your list of favorite player's you mention Sam the man Taylor. Have you by any chance got the album "It's Party Time with King Curtis." If not there's a good Tenor battle between Curtis & Sam, sound's like it's improvised mostly, interesting to compare their styles.Both giants as session men but the king still does it for me.
Rob.
 
compound said:
Hi Thomas,
I noticed in your list of favorite player's you mention Sam the man Taylor. Have you by any chance got the album "It's Party Time with King Curtis." If not there's a good Tenor battle between Curtis & Sam, sound's like it's improvised mostly, interesting to compare their styles.Both giants as session men but the king still does it for me.
Rob.
Click to expand...

Hi Rob.

No, I haven't heard the battle between Curtis and Taylor. Taylor was a great tenorplayer. His technique was very good. He could really control his sax in a very fast tempo. I think Taylor suffered a lot being in shade of Curtis. Same recordcompany, same time/era ... .

I got another Curtis battle. King Curtis is duelling/playing with Freddie " Taxi Mitch" Mitchell on the songs "Blowin' Steam Off" and "Soul Groove". It's on a LP from the UK label Red Lightnin' (1988). Nice to hear both Curtis and Mitchell on the same songs. Taxi is almost blowin’ the shirt off Curtis! Mitchell started to drive taxi in the 60's and he was seen in Spain in the 70's and 80's. He was a killer on the sax. How could things turn out like this? Good competent players couldn’t get any job! Do you have these recordings? Send a PM if you want more info!

Thomas
 

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