Houston has been a major center for urban jazz ever since native Houstonians the Jazz Crusaders started going electric in the late ’60s. You May Also Like: Richard Turgeon, “Wanna Make Love” (2020): One Track Mind Richard Elliot – ‘Authentic Life’ (2021)

Jazz has long drawn from show tunes, Tin Pan Alley, and a handful of great composers like Ellington, Strayhorn and Monk for material. Gospel? Not so much. You May Also Like: The Blind Boys of Alabama’s Down in New Orleans added a new musical wrinkle Al Green’s Secular Comeback WasRead More

Stationed in Houston, Texas, the independent label International Artists Records parented a plethora of prized platters between the years 1965 and 1970. Much of the imprint’s success can be credited to Lelan Rogers (brother of country crooner Kenny), who for a while there, held the dual role of promotion manRead More

Just when you think the well has run dry and all the great power pop records from the past have been uncovered and pressed on compact disc, along comes True Hearts, a band from Houston, Texas. Founded in 1979 and initially called the Flirts, the group cut an EP onRead More

Last year’s Opening made me a believer in the trumpet wizardry of one Carol Morgan, who blazed through a set of originals and standards in a small combo without a piano. Her brand new follow-up Blue Glass Music follows the same formula, with perhaps a bit more emphasis on theRead More

If you’re a jazz fan in the Houston, Texas, area, you’ve surely heard of saxophonist Woody Witt. A tireless music educator around town, the manager and artistic director of one of Houston’s few jazz clubs, and a recording artist in his own right, Witt has a long list of credentialsRead More

by S. Victor Aaron OK, I relent. I was forced by the overwhelming evidence to do it. I had to create a new tag “Houston TX” because even though we’ve long had a “Texas” tag, the richness and diversity of good music originating from the Space City was more thanRead More

By Mark Saleski This story travels a bizarre triangle from Portland, Maine to San Diego, California to Houston, Texas. To be honest, there’s nothing particularly exciting about either the story or the music, but it illustrates just how big the world of art is…and that there are plenty of waysRead More

by S. Victor Aaron It could be argued that Houston, Texas is one of the major gestation points for smooth jazz sax stars. Ronnie Laws and Kirk Whalum came from what Laws calls the Bayou City of the Future. Also, let’s not forget that Wilton Felder, Joe Sample and theRead More

by Pico Acoustic bassist Harvie S has appeared on over 350 recordings for a very good reason. He has an unshakeable sense of swing, a flawless tone and otherworldly dexterity on his instrument. For a example of his amazing technique, just eyeball the video I embedded in a recent reviewRead More