David "Fathead" Newman (1933-2009): The Last Decades

David “Fathead” Newman (1933-2009): Zijn vroegste jaren (Nederlands) David “Fathead” Newman (1933-2009): De laatste twintig jaren. (Nederlands) David “Fathead” Newman (1933-2009): His early days in music. (English) David “Fathead” Newman (1933-2009): The last decades of his career. (English)

A (limited) list of tunes played by Fathead Newman.

Hank Crawford R.I.P.

DAVID "FATHEAD" NEWMAN (1933-2009): The Last Decades Of His Career.

Hans Koert

Last week we got the sad news that David Newman, known as David "Fathead" Newman , passed away on the age of 75. He was one of my favourite tenor saxophone player I heard in concert eleven years ago and love to commemorate him in this two-part blog. The first part is titled: David "Fathead" Newman (1933-2009): His Early Days in Music and the second: David "Fathead" Newman (1933-2009): The Last Decades Of His Career. James Clay - Cookin'at the Continental (Antilles 314-510 724 (1992)
The concert, eleven years ago, was with Houston Person as well, in a series of concert titled Boss Tenors accompanied by the Rein De Graaff Trio ( Rein De Graaff – Koos Serierse and Eric Ineke). I remember this concert, the first day of February 1998 at the Porgy en Bess Jazz Club in Terneuzen, in the southwest part of The Netherlands, as a very inspiring one. As far as I know this tour was never recorded (although I do have some airshots from a concert of this group from the 5th of February 1998 at the Boerenhofstede in Laren ( centre of The Netherlands), but a previous tour (1990) with David Fathead Newman and Marchel Ivery and the same Dutch rhythm section was released on an album titled Blue Greens & Beans.

The two "Boss Tenors" at the Porgy en Bess - Terneuzen concert. f.l.t.r. Fathead Newman and Houston Person ( February 1998) (photo courtesy: Hans Koert)

In fact Rein had invited James Clay to play besides Fathead Newman, but two weeks before the tour should start, he had to go to hospital for a surgery. Both James Clay as Fathead Newman had been students on the same high school in Dallas. Fathead Newman recorded some tracks with James Clay, who plays the tenor sax too, in a 1991 recording titled Cookin’ At The Continental. Also a young Roy Hargrove played some tracks (Sister Sadie and Moanin’) on this album. (Didn't Roy actually grew up in Dallas too?)

Kansas City Band - KC After Dark (More music from Robert Altman's Kansas City) (Verve 537322) (1997)

Roy loved to have Fathead Newman on his recordings. You can find David on the Vibe album (1992) and Family (1995) and much later on his 2005 funky styled RH Factor album Distractions. David Fathead Newman also played the flute and that’s not one of my favourite instruments; I like him playing the saxophone. The 1994 album Mr. Gentle Mr. Cool is a tribute to Duke Ellington which surprises because of the use of a bass (Peter Washington) and a piccolo bass ( played by Ron Carter).

David "Fathead" Newman - Mr. Gentle Mr. Cool - A Tribute to Duke Ellington ( Kokopelli KOKO 1300). With autograph!

In the mid 1990s Fathead Newman was one of the members to play in the movie soundtrack of Kansas City and I love to share with you a fragment of the tune Indiana as played in a "jam session" with the Hey Hey Club All-Stars (or Kansas City Band) featuring Fathead Newman on the alto sax, Geri Allen on piano, Christian McBride on bass and Victor Lewis on drums: Indiana.

"Fathead" Newman (Porgy en Bess - Terneuzen (The Netherlands) (February 1998) (photo courtesy Hans Koert)
Love to finish this small homage to David Fathead Newman with a film fragment made during a 2005 recording session for the new album by Freddy Cole titled This Love of Mine. This fragment was used in the documentary The Cole Nobody Knows

A great saxophone player has passed away ....: David Fathead Newman (1933-2009)

Hans Koert - keepswinging@love.nl

Hank Crawford (1934-2009)

In the first part of this contribution, posted in David "Fathead" Newman (1933-2009): His Early Days In Music, I talked about his cooperation with Hank Crawford. Yesterday I learned, that Bennie Ross Crawford, Jr., Hank for friends, passed away last Thursday (29th of January 2009), aged 75 years too, a few days after his close friend and colleague Fathead Newman.

An (incomplete) list of tunes played by FATHEAD NEWMAN:
A more complete discography is to be found here .
dream bags - ray charles band (541100)
ain't misbehavin' - ray charles band (5611200
blues waltz - ray charles with the raylets (5807050
hard times / willow weep for me – ray charles band (581105)
it had to be you - ray charles band ( 590623)
sonic boom / fathead / mercenary / mumbo jumbo / sneaky pete- lee morgan quintet (670428)
clincher - david "fathead" newman sextet ( 701103)
jubilee craw / precious lord / roadhouse symphony / say it isn't so / sugar ditch / time is on our side / tragick magick - hank crawford band ( 850405)
four buster - david "fathead" newman sextet ( 860000)
candy - david "fathead" newman - dr. john ( 890900)
skylark - david fathead newman-rein de graaff trio ( 900501)
blue greens & beans / good bait / montana banana / night in tunesia / wide open spaces - marchel ivery-david fathead newman-rein de graaff trio ( 900501 )
cookin' at the continental / wide open spaces / moanin' / sister sadie - james clay sextet ( 910618 )
alter ego - roy hargrove quintet (920100)
almost cried / azure / come sunday / creole love call / don't get around much anymore / happy reunion / i let a song go out of my heart / jeep's blues / mr. gentle & mr. Cool / prelude to a kiss / what am i here for? - david "fathead" newman sextet ( 940627)
nearness of you / thirteenth floor - roy hargrove quintet ( 950126 )
blues in the dark / cherokee / froggie bottom / harvard blues / i left my baby / indiana / king porter stomp / moten swing / prince of wails / st louis blues – kansas city band ( or hey hey club all-stars) ( 950511)
all the things you are / all the things you are - pete christlieb-david fathead newman-toon roos-reinn de graaff trio ( 960400 )
sky blues / under a woodstock moon blue - david "fathead" newman sextet ( 960617 )
delilah scot - shirley scott trio (960711)
softly as in a morning sunrise / blue bossa / blues up and down / pennies from heaven / you changed- david fathead newman-houston person-rein de graaff trio ( 980205 )

fast lane - david fathead newman quintet (20030000 )
out in the cold again / this love of mine - freddy cole quintet (20050215 )
bu bop bass / flankin / flower is a lonesome thing / goldfinger / here comes sonny man / it was a very good year / pharoah's gold / sneakin' in / suki duki - david fathead newman septet ( 20050817)
can't stop / distractions ( intro) / distractions-2 / distractions-3 / distractions-4 / family / on the one - roy hargrove rh factor (20051000)
Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Some sites you should visit too:
Sounds From The Heart - Danilo Brito Daniel Volovets The Paull Sisters Oscar Alemán Flexible Records Latest Keep Swinging News Letter