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RayL
Member
Have you had that experience of hearing a great piece of musicianship and, while knowing nothing about who played it, or the name on the label, or the name of the tune, know that you've just got to have that record?
Then, years later, you find that it was actually one of the world's top session players and that he'd contributed to all sorts of tracks that were in your music collection and you get a good feeling to know that you can recognise great quality even when it is completely anonymous?
In the spring of 1960 the Warner Brothers label in the UK issued 'Chi Chi' By Kalasandro. Against a fast, heavy latin-style 12-bar rhythm, twin tenor saxes wail in harmony. The saxes don't start each phrase right on the note, they ease their way in from a few cents below to give that 'yearning' sound that only a saxophone can make. The tune changes key twice, from E to F to F#. It's all over in 1 minute and 58 seconds. The record did nothing in the UK but I managed to find a copy in a tiny record store next to Muswell Hill railway station in North London (when Muswell Hill still had a railway station). I've still got it.
Then there was 'Image Part 1' by Hank Levene and Orchestra. If ever you wanted a piece of music that said 'sleazy, smoky night club at three in the morning', this is it. Soft bass and strings open the number. There's a five note alert from a xylophone. Wire brushes pick up the rhythm.As the xylophone alert is repeated, in flows a smooth, smooth, alto sax that once again doesn't just play the notes, it eases in from somewhere below with a wonderful control of dynamics and again that 'yearning' that comes from the blues. Piano and strings takes over for a while before the sax returns with yet another breathtaking demonstration of note control. The piano noodles its way through the fade ending.
It wan't until the 1990s that I discovered the sax player in both of these gems was Plas Johnson. If you don't know him for anything else, you'll know him for playing the original Pink Panther theme for Henry Mancini but in the 50s and 60s he was the session sax player par excellence for so many, many great records that came out of Gold Star and the other Los Angeles studios.
Although unrelated as far as the record-buying public was concerned Chi Chi and Image Part 1 share a lot in common and not just Plas Johnson. Co-writer of Chi Chi (with Barry DeVorzon) was Hank Levene who also played piano (if only you could hear him in that big dense rhythm mix with the saxes riding over the top).
On drums for both tracks was Earl Palmer, another master session player who, before he went to Los Angeles, provided the heavy backbeat behind many New Orleans sessions, particularly those of Little Richard. When Pete Thomas offers Lee Allan's solo in Lucille as a prime example of Lee's work, it is Earl Palmer's big snare sound that is driving it along. Before I owned any musical instruments I could whistle that solo and drive my Mum crazy by banging out the drum patterns with a table knife!
Some more influences?
Noble 'Thin Man' Watts who recorded many great rock'n'roll / R & B records in the 50s and 60s. Probably best known for Hard Times, which was covered by Steve Dougles for Duane Eddy's Especially For You album and which is still in Duane's stage set (played on last year's tour by Ron Dzubia). If you like loud, raucous, rockin saxophone, find Noble's LP Blast Off! (Flyright Records 1979) at a vinyl fair or on eBay and buy it - you won't be disappointed.
Sil Austin (Slow Walk and many other sax R&B records)
Gil Bernal, Steve Douglas, Jim Horn (and Plas Johnson) on Duane's Jamie material.
The guy who played sax on The Ponytails' Born Too Late
The guy who played sax on Paul Anka's Diana
The guy who played sax on The Kalin Twins' When
When I listened to the sample tracks from Pete Thomas's Mr Lucky album that are to be found on this site I realised that Pete probably knows a lot of the records from my list above - and although he can play in many styles he has a real 'feel' for those sort of records that I like and has the skill to recreate those sounds with his own compositions. Pete, I'm really enjoying the album (and thanks for the swift posting!).
After 50 years of guitar playing I've finally got a sax (and Sax Aquisition Syndrome is beginning to set in). It's going to be lots of fun trying to emulate those influences!
Ray
Then, years later, you find that it was actually one of the world's top session players and that he'd contributed to all sorts of tracks that were in your music collection and you get a good feeling to know that you can recognise great quality even when it is completely anonymous?
In the spring of 1960 the Warner Brothers label in the UK issued 'Chi Chi' By Kalasandro. Against a fast, heavy latin-style 12-bar rhythm, twin tenor saxes wail in harmony. The saxes don't start each phrase right on the note, they ease their way in from a few cents below to give that 'yearning' sound that only a saxophone can make. The tune changes key twice, from E to F to F#. It's all over in 1 minute and 58 seconds. The record did nothing in the UK but I managed to find a copy in a tiny record store next to Muswell Hill railway station in North London (when Muswell Hill still had a railway station). I've still got it.
Then there was 'Image Part 1' by Hank Levene and Orchestra. If ever you wanted a piece of music that said 'sleazy, smoky night club at three in the morning', this is it. Soft bass and strings open the number. There's a five note alert from a xylophone. Wire brushes pick up the rhythm.As the xylophone alert is repeated, in flows a smooth, smooth, alto sax that once again doesn't just play the notes, it eases in from somewhere below with a wonderful control of dynamics and again that 'yearning' that comes from the blues. Piano and strings takes over for a while before the sax returns with yet another breathtaking demonstration of note control. The piano noodles its way through the fade ending.
It wan't until the 1990s that I discovered the sax player in both of these gems was Plas Johnson. If you don't know him for anything else, you'll know him for playing the original Pink Panther theme for Henry Mancini but in the 50s and 60s he was the session sax player par excellence for so many, many great records that came out of Gold Star and the other Los Angeles studios.
Although unrelated as far as the record-buying public was concerned Chi Chi and Image Part 1 share a lot in common and not just Plas Johnson. Co-writer of Chi Chi (with Barry DeVorzon) was Hank Levene who also played piano (if only you could hear him in that big dense rhythm mix with the saxes riding over the top).
On drums for both tracks was Earl Palmer, another master session player who, before he went to Los Angeles, provided the heavy backbeat behind many New Orleans sessions, particularly those of Little Richard. When Pete Thomas offers Lee Allan's solo in Lucille as a prime example of Lee's work, it is Earl Palmer's big snare sound that is driving it along. Before I owned any musical instruments I could whistle that solo and drive my Mum crazy by banging out the drum patterns with a table knife!
Some more influences?
Noble 'Thin Man' Watts who recorded many great rock'n'roll / R & B records in the 50s and 60s. Probably best known for Hard Times, which was covered by Steve Dougles for Duane Eddy's Especially For You album and which is still in Duane's stage set (played on last year's tour by Ron Dzubia). If you like loud, raucous, rockin saxophone, find Noble's LP Blast Off! (Flyright Records 1979) at a vinyl fair or on eBay and buy it - you won't be disappointed.
Sil Austin (Slow Walk and many other sax R&B records)
Gil Bernal, Steve Douglas, Jim Horn (and Plas Johnson) on Duane's Jamie material.
The guy who played sax on The Ponytails' Born Too Late
The guy who played sax on Paul Anka's Diana
The guy who played sax on The Kalin Twins' When
When I listened to the sample tracks from Pete Thomas's Mr Lucky album that are to be found on this site I realised that Pete probably knows a lot of the records from my list above - and although he can play in many styles he has a real 'feel' for those sort of records that I like and has the skill to recreate those sounds with his own compositions. Pete, I'm really enjoying the album (and thanks for the swift posting!).
After 50 years of guitar playing I've finally got a sax (and Sax Aquisition Syndrome is beginning to set in). It's going to be lots of fun trying to emulate those influences!
Ray
