Artist:     Bloodest Saxophone

Album:     Texas Queens 5

Label:     VizzTone/Dialtone

Release Date:     2.8.2019

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This is one ridiculously three-part explosive mix. The first is Bloodest Saxophone, a group of 20-year veteran horn players and band from Japan, making this, their 12th recording. Add The Texas Queens 5 who are Houston’s Diunna Greenleaf, Lauren Cervantes and Angela Miller from Austin’s Soul Supporters, Jai Malano from Austin and Crystal Thomas from Shreveport, LA. Third, enter saxophonist Kaz Kazanoff and his crew of select Austin musicians, and you are have one dynamic outing across a dozen selections. Producer Eddie Stout conceived the session after luring Bloodest Saxophone to play Austin’s Eastside Kings Festival, getting them into the studio shortly thereafter for this can’t-miss project.

Bloodest Saxophone (BS) has worked with Big Jay McNeely and Jewel Brown, among others. They mostly hone the honking early R&B sax sound of the 1940s and 50s. BS is bandleader Koda “Young Corn” Shintaro on tenor, Coh “Colonel Sanders” on trombone, Osikawa Yukimasa on baritone, Shuji “Apple Juice” on guitar, The TAKEO “Little Tokyo” on upright bass, and Kiminori “Dog Boy” on drums and congas.

Powerhouse Diunna Greenleaf opens with Big Maybelle’s 1954 “I’ve Got a Feeling,” taking it at a faster tempo, and immediately signaling that the party is underway. On these kinds of projects, we often hear tunes that have been covered way too often. Fortunately there are only two of those here. Willie Dixon’s “I Just Want to Make Love to You” is sung by all five of the ladies, so that sets it apart from the usual cover renditions. The other is Rufus Thomas’ 1965 “Walking the Dog,” sung by Jai Malano. Here, both the ensemble horn parts, prominent baritone sax, and solo from Shintaro made this one special.

Crystal Thomas takes her turn with “Losing Battle,” a 1962 Johnny Adams cut, written by Dr. John. Although Shemekia Copeland and others have done this tune, it’s not one that’s extensively covered. Interestingly, Thomas played trombone for Johnny Taylor, giving her some instant cred. Thomas appears again Roscoe Robinson’s funky “Don’t Move Me No More.” Malano returns for “It’s Your Voodoo Working,” a tune many may recognize, this one replete with terrific ensemble work. The instrumental “Pork Chop Chick” was penned by Shintaro and features Kazanoff on a tenor in a cutting session with Shintaro , abetted by fellow Austinite and Fabulous Thunderbird guitarist Johnny Moeller. This is jump blues at its finest.

Lauren Cervantes treats the 1950 tune “Run Joe” with some calypso flavorings and encores on the swinging, jumping “The Grape Vine.” The tempo slows for “Don’t Hit Me No More,” recorded originally by Mable John in 1967 and perhaps misplaced, given today’s awareness of domestic abuse. In any case, Angela Miller takes the lead. Any jump blues project would naturally seem to include a tune from Amos Milburn And His Chickenshackers and sure enough, we get “I Done Done It,” with Milano in the lead. They conclude with another instrumental, “Cockroach Run” with especially impressive performance from Shintaro (tenor), Yukimasa (bari sax), and Moeller on guitar.

If you love jump blues and early ’50s R&B, this one’s for you. Terrific stuff!

—Jim Hynes