Sax Gig

Sax Gig

This high quality gig bag features exceedingly soft, distinctive leather or Cordura nylon. Super heavy deluxe foam padding and shoulder strap for easy carrying or, for some models, “knapsack” behind the back style. A fantastic value. Available in black only.

Curtis Ousley sure ended up with the perfective nickname! King Curtis was in truth the “king” of the rock & roll saxophone. His sound was big, rich, sweet and very expressive. One of the few that you just recognise who it is when you listen it.

Born in 1934, he was just a young teenager as the jump blues and rhythm and blues scene of the 40′s gave birth to rock & roll by the end of that decade. He had made his move from Texas to New York in the early 50′s and landed a gig with Lionel Hampton’s band. This was the same band that Illinois Jacquet played with in regards to 10 years earlier. Jacquet of coarse had rocked the sax world with his screaming sax solo on Flying Home with this same band.

King Curtis had noted alto players Earl Bostic, Louis Jordan, and 2 fellow Texan tenors, Illinois Jacquet, and Arnett Cobb as his main influences on the saxophone. He had his origins with resolute determination planted in this honking and screaming rockin’ R&B sax style that eclipsed this genre of music in the 40′s and 50′s. But as the 50′s wore on, the music changed and so did King Curtis.

His skillfulness showed as he went from the swingin’ big bands and littler jazz combos like Horace Silver through the rock & roll groups like The Coasters and Buddy Holly to soul like Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett. One of the last recordings he did was in July, 1971 for the John Lennon album Imagine. Curtis was killed later that summer, August 13th.

Here are just a little handfull of the a heap of album’s King Curtis recorded. From left to right; Live at The Fillmore West, 1971 – Blow Man Blow!, 1962 – The Best of King Curtis, 1962 – Soul Meeting, 1960 – Live at Small’s Paradise, 1957

There are close to 60 King Curtis albums counting all the compilations and imports. He was the most in demand session saxophonist of his time and appears on close to 220 other albums as a sideman!

Here is a little list;

Big Joe Turner – Buddy Holly – Ruth Brown – Delaney & Bonni

Aretha Franklin – Goerge Benson – Sam Cooke – The Rascals

Waylon Jennings – Freddie King – Esther Philips – Nina Simone

Lavern Baker – The Coasters – John Lennon – Eric Clapton

Duane Allman – Fats Domino – Roberta Flack – Otis Redding

Wilson Pickett.

And…

Besides playing outstanding sax solos on tons of records he developed and arranged a great deal of of his recordings and other artists as well. But the best thing in regards to King Curtis is how lyrical his phrasing was and how gorgeous his tone sounded. As a player he inspired each saxophonist who was fascinated in blues, R&B, rock & roll, jazz and soul.

Speaking of soul, he was evidently a huge fan of Ray Charles. Much of the soul and R&B stuff he recorded had that feel to it. Like Curtis’s version of One Mint Julep, a song likewise recorded by Ray Charles.

I don’t know if he invented that “slapping” sound on the reed but he was the primary guy I knew of who did it… it’s a cool affect.

Al Caiola is a guitarist who was just as busy in the New York recording studio scene as King Curtis. These guys did numerous sessions together and in the end in 1962 freed a fantastic and fun instrumental called Guitar Boogie. This guy Al Caiola starts it with galore genuinely good rock & roll picking and King Curtis sounds like he picked the perfective reed that day… listen to a bit of Guitar Boogie with Al Caiola and King Curtis.

Long live the king!

Sax Gig Picture

Sax Gig Picture

Sax Gig Picture

Sax Gig Picture