Texas Platters

Black Red Black

Variously termed "soul jazz," "barbecue jazz," and even "acid jazz," the heavy backbeat and blues-drenched intonation mined here preserve a groove music that had its heyday decades ago, yet is still very much alive here in Austin with this colorful trio. Individually, trumpeter Ephraim Owens, B3 organist Red Young, and drummer Brannen Temple are all local (and national) veterans, and collectively they've worked as a unit for years. On a single disc divided into audio and video portions, two feisty originals and a slew of inspired covers – Miles, Duke, Mingus, and Horace Silver – highlight the band's lean, soulful sound. While everyone solos, it's Owens' expressive horn that provides the out-front voice, gliding effortlessly about Young's sinewy basslines and Temple's funky beats. When guest guitarist Gary Clarke Jr. lays into Eddie Harris' "Sham Time," it recalls the classic Jimmy Smith Trio. Black Red Black by admission, but their primary color is blue.

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