A close parallel to Calvin Owens was Oscar Levant, official interpreter of the work and style of his good friend, George Gershwin. Levant opined that he could have been regarded as a pretty good composer if not for Gershwin. He is best remembered today as Gershwin's interpreter and for elegantly acerbic aphorisms.
Calvin Owens, a soulful, exciting, deep, mid-tempo trumpetist / bandleader, might have ruled the tuxedo blues big band circuit had there not been stellars like B.B. King, whom he and his orchestra backed during King's best period. It was, and is, a hell of a band, and Owens still uses the strategy of picking super solo talents to back and arrange for.
So you find some Calvin Owens records and get the release that only comes from imagining chicken grease and sweat staining formal wear, and you wish your speakers could push air like real, live horn sections used to massage and encourage listeners' dance muscles.
These three records are full of special guests, and I mean special like the ones Calvin Owens would find and work with, and they're full of sweat and chicken grease, too.
Calvin Owens records are a shortcut to hearing musicians' music. Be all about it, and don't worry about your dry cleaning bills.
http://www.myspace.com/calvinowens
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