Song:Earl Blows A Fuse
Album:The Very Best Of Earl Bostic
Alto sax player Earl Bostic had the technical ability to be an all time jazz great. But he preferred playing R & B or what was known in the late 40s as Jump Blues. Think Louis Jordan. So Bostic was underappreciated though many jazz musicians went through his band and have credited him as an influence. Earl Blows A Fuse was recorded in 1949. His most successful period was in the early 50s. He was born Apr. 25, 1912 in Tulsa, OK. He started out at age 18 with Terence Holder's Twelve Clouds of Joy and made his recording debut with Lionel Hampton in 1939. In the early 40s he worked for Arnett Cobb, Hot Lips Page, Rex Stewart, Don Byas and many others. Just as big band music was starting to slow down in 1945, Bostic started his own band. It started out as a jazz band. But by 1948 when Bostic signed with King Records, it was more of an R & B group influenced by the Jump Blues of Louis Jordan. Earl Blows A Fuse was recorded in 1949 with Bostic's usual band at the time including Roger Jones on trumpet, Vernon King on bass and Shep Shepherd on drums. Lowell "Count" Hastings from Tiny Bradshaw's band was a new addition on tenor sax along with Jaki Byard on Piano. Byard would go on to play with Charles Mingus. Bostic's only number one R & B hit and signature song was Flamingo in 1951. You can get all his hits on this Collectables comp. John Coltrane was in Bostic's band in the early 50s and always credited Bostic as a big influence especially as it relates to his technical skill. Stanley Turrentine also was in Bostic's band. In the late 50s, Bostic smoothed his music so where it was more easy listening than R & B. Then he suffered a heart attack and was out of action for a while. He returned in 1962 and died on stage when he suffered a heart attack in Rochester, NY Oct. 28, 1965 at age 53. Here's a video of Earl Blows a Fuse by Earl Bostic.
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