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Boots Randolph was a contemporary legend, a master of the saxophone who could shift comfortably between many genres and idioms. In addition to being a consummate musician, he was widely regarded as a true gentleman by the men and women with whom he played. This album is a collection of 16 songs, some of the last tracks that Boots recorded, which were near and dear to his heart. Tim Smith, producer and bassist, writes in the liner notes, "I spend most of my time playing Boots’ music with a smile on my face. I know that working with him is the highest honor I could have as a player." You're sure to have a smile on your face from the first track to the sixteenth!
Boots Randolph will always be best known to the general public for his cornball hit “Yakety Sax.” But later in his life, the tenor-saxophonist occasionally showed that he was a masterful jazz player. Some Favorite Songs is his definitive jazz recording.
He was born as Homer Louis Randolph III. in 1927, getting his lifelong nickname of Boots as a child. He started out playing trombone but at 16 switched permanently to tenor. Randolph played in the U.S. Army band in the mid-1940s. After returning to his home in Kentucky, he worked in the Midwest for a decade. In the late 1950s at Jethro Burns' suggestion, he moved to Nashville, the best move that Randolph ever made. His large tone, versatility and superior musicianship resulted in him becoming a very busy Nashville session musician and being signed to the RCA label by Chet Atkins.
After his tongue-in-cheek “Yakety Sax” became a big hit in 1963, Boots Randolph was a household name. His albums sold well for the next 15 years and he averaged around 250 sessions a year as a sideman including with Elvis Presley. In 1977 he opened his own club and continued playing regularly until June 2007, a few weeks before his death at the age of 80.
In 1982, Boots Randolph recorded jazz for the first time on a rather riotous set with altoist Richie Cole. Occasionally during the next 25 years, he could be heard playing jazz tunes. Some Favorite Songs, recorded in 2005 when he was 78, is Randolph's best jazz recording. He performs 15 standards and a blues mostly accompanied by a four-piece rhythm section (along with occasional synthesized strings) that formed the core of his regularly working band. Randolph is in the forefront throughout.
On such numbers as “Billie's Bounce,” an uptempo “Take Me Out To The Ballroom,” “Candy,” “Stompin' At The Savoy” and “Red Sails In The Sunset,” Boots Randolph displays his roots in Coleman Hawkins, Don Byas and Illinois Jacquet. His playing is extroverted, passionate and swinging on the hotter material, he caresses the melodies of the ballads, and he essays the chord changes with ease. Guitarist Randy Smith and pianist Steve Willets also take fine solos throughout the set.
Those who think of Boots Randolph only in terms of “Yakety Sax” and country records are in for a revelation when they hear this high quality and joyous music. –Scott Yanow
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