THE TEXAS HORNS * EVERYBODY LET'S ROLL *
Bio
The Texas Horns, widely recognized as the preeminent hard-blowing three-piece blues, soul and roots music horn section, bring 25 years of stellar live performances, acclaimed session work, and solid album production to their every effort. Based in Texas in Austin and San Antonio, The Texas Horns are Mark “Kaz” Kazanoff, tenor sax, harmonica and vocals; John Mills, baritone sax and flute; and Al Gomez, trumpet and flugelhorn.
The Texas Horns have performed live with literally hundreds of artists at major festivals and world class venues, including Ottawa Bluesfest, Tampa Bay Blues Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, Edmonton Blues Festival, Waterfront Blues Festival, King Biscuit Blues Festival, Calgary Blues Festival, London’s Royal Albert Hall, The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise and Austin’s Antone’s Nightclub. Over the years, The Texas Horns have performed frequently with artists such as Marcia Ball, Earl King, John Nemeth, Ronnie Earl, Carolyn Wonderland, Lonnie Brooks, Diunna Greenleaf, Sue Foley, Gary Nicholson, Guy Forsyth, and Curtis Salgado. Recent touring with Jimmie Vaughan has included opening for Eric Clapton in September of 2021.
In addition to their stellar horn section work, The Texas Horns’ session work with dozens of major artists includes a Grammy nomination with Delbert McClinton for Live from Austin, a Handy award with Anson Funderburgh for Sins, and recent critically-acclaimed work with Jimmie Vaughan, (Grammy-nominated Baby, Please Come Home), Sue Foley (The Ice Queen) and many more. They won the 27th Annual Living Blues Critics Poll for Most Outstanding Musician (Horns).
The new album, Everybody Let’s Roll (Blue Heart Records, August 2022), includes special guests Jimmie Vaughan, Mike Flanigin, Carolyn Wonderland, Carmen Bradford, Johnny Moeller, Marcia Ball, Anson Funderburgh, Mike Zito, Matt Hubbard, Guy Forsyth, and Michael Cross. It follows their critically acclaimed 2019 release, Better Get Here Quick (Severn Records) and their 2015 debut effort, Blues Gotta Holda Me (Vizztone).
“The Texas Horns is a treacherous trifecta of hornsters.” – Bill Bentley, Bentley’s Bandstand, Americana Highways
“While each member of The Texas Horns is a skilled performer, the three musicians are a force of nature when playing together." – Jon Kleinman, Living Blues
“Mark ‘Kaz’ Kazanoff (tenor saxophone), John Mills (baritone saxophone) and Al Gomez (trumpet) render a specialized synthesis of Lone Star State blues, Southern soul and jazz.” – Frank-John Hadley, Downbeat
The Texas Horns
The Texas Horns – Everybody Let’s Roll
Format: CD – Digital / Label: Blue Heart Records
Release: 2022
Text: Peter Marinus
The Texas Horns is a trio consisting of the very experienced horn players Mark 'Kaz' Kazoff (tenor saxophone, harmonica, vocals), John Mills (baritone saxophone) and Al Gomez (trumpet). Horn players who have played with countless artists such as Jimmie Vaughan, Marcia Ball and Anson Funderburgh.
Assisted by a large group of musical friends, the trio now comes with their third album 'Everybody 'Let's Roll'. And this has become an album that will turn every party or performance upside down.
They open with the title track Everybody Let's Roll with singer Carolyn Wonderland with her powerful soul vocals and Anson Funderburgh as guests. The party opens with this song in a languid funky way with a New Orleans-like swing.
Mike Zito performs in Why It Always Gotta Be This Way. A soulful groover with Mike's lived-in vocals and piercing guitar and the pumping soul organ of Mike Flanigan. I Ain't Mad With You is a light-hearted swinging cover of the rhythm & blues classic with of course the horns in the lead role.
Alligator Gumbo is sultry funky New Orleans heaving, languidly grooving with a Meters/Neville Brothers-like sound. Guy Forsyth can be heard in the soulfully swinging Die With My Blues On. Then the Horns surprise with a cover of the Beatles song I Want You (She's So Heavy), which sounds warmly heaving and funky in their hands Then it's time for Jimmie Vaughan in the funky shuffle Too Far Gone in which his biting guitar playing stands out.
The surprise of this album is jazz singer Carmen Bradford from New Orleans. She proves in the powerful shuffle Watcha Got To Lose that she can also sound damn soulful. Mark 'Kaz" Kazanoff shows in this song that he also gets along well with the harmonica.
Also surprising is the tropical calypso swinger Apocalypso that is guaranteed to make you happy. Marcia Ball can be heard swinging on her piano in the driving Ready For The Blues Tonight.
It concludes with the instrumental J.B.'s Rock, a cover of the J.B. Lenoir song. A song in which Jimmie Vaughan lets his guitar bite hard.
After listening to this new album by the Texas Horns, I found out that my dancing shoes are already showing wear spots. And that can only count as a recommendation to buy this party album soon!
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