A Down Beat writer once asked Ft. Worth-born saxophonist Dewey Redman if there was such a thing as a “Texas sound”: “Is there a well that every tenor player from Texas drinks from?” Redman replied with a chuckle. “I think it’s a myth.” 

But there was something in the early 20th century that gave rise to a generation of Black players from far flung small towns like Dennison and Sherman, players whose wails could get mistaken for human hollers, a bluesy sound that could be hard and gritty like sand in a wind gust. “I was brought up in a very segregated society,” Redman said about those harrowing days as a Black man deep in the Jim Crow South. “I never even dreamed when I was a kid that I would ever travel the world.” 

That Texas sound would soon travel far and wide. Saxophonists and trumpeters from the Lone Star State ran the gamut, from R&B and early rock’n’roll to folk, blues, and jazz: Illinois Jacquet, King Curtis, Ornette Coleman, Arnett Cobb, Buddy Tate, Booker Ervin, John Carter, Julius Hemphill, Dewey Redman, David “Fathead” Newman, and many more would help spread that Texas sound around the world.

Houston-raised Illinois Jacquet first tasted fame at the ripe age of 19, when his sax solo on Lionel Hampton’s “Flying Home” propelled it to become a smash hit. His own 1957 date as a leader, “Swing’s the Thing”, finds Jacquet toggling between upbeat tunes and smoldering slow numbers like “Harlem Nocturne.”

Classic Texas Albums

Drummer Lawrence Marable was a prime mover on the mid-century West Coast jazz scene and he had a penchant for pairing well with transplanted Texas tenors who relocated to Los Angeles. Case in point is Marable’s lone record as a leader, 1956’s “Tenorman”. Despite it being the drummer’s date, the session wound up named for Dallas tenor force, James Clay. Eloquent and feisty on standards like “Willow Weep for Me” and “The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,” Clay is just as capable when handling Sonny Clark’s knotty originals. 

Marable soon backed another Texan, Curtis Amy. Chances are you’ve heard the horn of Amy before: that’s him soaring through the climax of the Doors’ “Touch Me” and adding a soulful kiss-off of Carole King’s “It’s Too Late,” so ubiquitous as to be in a listeners’ subconscious. But before pivoting to sessionman, Amy’s tenor could often be found in crisp post-bop/ blues-drenched jazz settings. “Groovin’ Blue” slots Amy’s smooth yet biting tone alongside trumpeter Carmell Jones and a 19-year old vibraphone wunderkind, Bobby Hutcherson. The very next year, “Tippin’ on Through” captured Amy in a live setting at Hermosa Beach’s famed Lighthouse, with Marable behind the kit. Split between standards and originals, the set also showcases an early outing from vibraphonist Roy Ayers.

Denison, TX’s Booker Ervin had to leave his home state to get heard, landing with the mighty Charles Mingus and becoming a crucial collaborator on his iconic album run, his tenor the perfect growling foil for the ferocity of the bassist. “Tex Book Tenor”, a quintet date, was originally cut in 1968, yet went unheard for many years. Stepping beyond post-bop, Ervin adds a bit of Afro-Latin influence to the selections, his horn finding fertile ground in his interactions with young up-and-comer Woody Shaw and pianist Kenny Barron.

Like Stonehenge situated out in the cattle yards of Ft. Worth, Ornette Coleman still seems like an enigma arising from the Texas soil. His arrival at New York’s Five Spot in 1959 with his legendary quartet was the rifle shot that signalled the arrival of “the new thing.” But listen closely to his tone and you can hear that Texas blues heritage shining through. It became even more evident when Ornette paired up with his Ft. Worth high school classmate Dewey Redman in the late ‘60s for a new quartet. “Round Trip” captures the two Texans in fine mettle. Oft-overlooked Blue Note titles like “Love Call” and “New York” is Now are here, the two reedsmen spraying sparks and digging deep into their blues bag, equal parts avant-garde and down home.

And even though Ornette soon moved into heady new terrain as his career continued, in the mid-1970s Redman teamed up with members from Ornette’s original quartet to pay tribute to their friend and bandmate and give his songbook a fresh interpretation. “Old and New Dreams” became in-demand and their 1979 ECM debut took some classic Coleman compositions, paired them with ethereal originals and pushed into beautiful new realms.

In the 21st century, that Texas sound can still be gleaned, especially in the hornwork of Walter Smith III. The title of his 2024 album ​​”Three Of Us Are From Houston And Reuben Is Not” puts their Texas pride front and centre. Hearkening back to those Texas tenor titans of yore, Smith glides effortlessly across the slippery chords and rhythms of his esteemed backing band, which includes fellow Houstonian, pianist Jason Moran. Maybe there is something in the water after all.

_{Header Image: Ornette Coleman, 1971 I Photo: P Roach}

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Andy Beta is the author of “Cosmic Music: The Life, Art, and Transcendence of Alice Coltrane”. He is based in New York City.

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