Arnett Cobb’s Sizzlin’ spinning this morning before we finish the sides that will be paired with the turkey for a small family Thanksgiving gathering in the “pandemic”. It’s an early, chilly morning here in Boise with snow frosting the tops of the mountains and the sun just peeking over and into our back windows. Cobb’s tunes helping to warm the room as we sip the first cup of joe by the fire. I’m not sure why I feel that now and this album should be the inception of this blog but here we are and we are going to talk about Arnett Cobb.
Born into the August heat in Houston, Texas in 1918, Arnett Cobb came to music first via piano and later the violin and eventually the saxophone that led him to the stage. In 1933 he got his start with Frank Davis’s band touring Louisiana and doing shows in Houston. In 1934 he joined Chester Boone and Milt Larkin before landing with Lionel Hampton in 1942. In 1947 Cobb left to form his own group. Cobb had garnered the nickname “Wild Man of the Tenor Sax” because of his honking and stompin’ style. In 1948 Cobb had to put the music on hold. At a prime 30 years-old, Cobb had to undergo major spine surgery. In 1955 Cobb caught a break when Ella Fitzgerald included his song “Smooth Sailing” on her “Lullabies of Birdland”. He did recover to play but then in 1956 Cobb was involved in a car crash that crushed his legs and rendered him to crutches for the rest of his life. It was just after his return to active playing in 1959 that he recorded Sizzlin’.
Cobb is joined by Red Garland on piano, George Tucker on bass and J.C.Heard on drums… all working with Cobb’s tenor sax. Rudy Van Gelder was the engineer. Recorded in 1960 at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, the album has six cuts with two being Cobb’s own. This is a very soulful jazz that is danceable yet, at times somewhat mellow and subdued. Cobb still honks at times but he is more melodic here than normal… or as normal as his reputation would have you believe. Everyone has their moments on this album but for me, Red Garland’s piano on stands out. I love the whole album but it seems that Garland delivers the most memorable performance even when he is playing rhythm to Cobb’s very smooth sax lead. This album certainly would lead anyone who didn’t know him to put a star beside Red Garland’s name for further exploration. Of course most would know Garland from his 3-years with the Miles Davis Quintet during the Prestige days.
“The great jazzmen in company with the legendary Arnett Cobb have crafted herein a particularly tuneful and danceable jazz presentation.” ~ Tom Wilson
The thing that strikes me as odd about Arnett Cobb is his obscurity. You can’t find this album at most of your popular digital music locations like Amazon Music, iTunes, and Spotify. I don’t know why but it is not there. There’s used vinyl out there and you might get lucky and mine a new version of this album from eBay but that seems odd to me. a guy who could find the resources and the respect to product 27 albums and you have to dig a few layers deep even to find his music. Even some of the “who’s who” guides overlook Cobb and don’t reference him, even when they do reference his bandmates… such as the John S. Diss Historical Dictionary of Jazz nor the Jazz Among The Discourse. It does seem odd to me that there’s so little out there about Arnett Cobb.
Sizzlin’ – Arnett Cobb
Release date: October 31, 1960
Recorded at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Original Label: Prestige (PRLP 7227)
Reissue Label: Analogue Productions AJAZ 7227
Reissue Format: 2 x Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Album, Limited Edition, Remastered, Stereo, 180g, released in 2008
Arnett Cobb Discography… as best I can tell:
1952 – Swingin’ with Arnett Cobb – Apollo Music
1959 – Blow, Arnett, Blow – Prestige
1959 – Go Power! – Prestige
1959 – Smooth Sailing – Prestige
1959 – Party Time – Prestige
1960 – More Party Time – Prestige
1960 – Movin’ Right Along – Prestige
1960 – Sizzlin’ – Prestige
1960 – Ballads by Cobb – Analogue Productions / Moodsville
1960 – Blue and Sentimental – Prestige
1971 – Chittlin’ Shout – ZYX Music
1973 – Again with Milt Buckner – Black & Blue
1974 – Live in Paris 1974 – Esoldun / France’s Concert
1978 – Arnett Cobb Is Back – Progressive
1978 – Live at Sandy’s! – Muse
1978 – More Arnett Cobb and the Muse All Stars Live at Sandy’s – Muse
1980 – Funky Butt – Progressive
1982 – Live – Timeless
1984 – Keep on Pushin’ – Bee Hive
1987 – Showtime – Fantasy
1988 – Tenor Tribute, Vol. 1 – Soul Note (Italy)
1988 – Tenor Tribute, Vol. 2 – Soul Note (Italy)
1991 – The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions: The Wild Man from Texas – Black & Blue
1994 – The Wild Man from Texas – Collectables
2002 – Deep Purple – Black & Blue
2002 – Ain’t That Funk for You – Black & Blue
2003 – The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions: Tenor Abrupt – Black & Blue
More about Arnett Cobb
Houston’s own, Saxophonist Arnett Cobb ~ African American Registry
The Jukebox Saloon 