Search - King Curtis :: Soul Time

King Curtis and his bubbling, stutter-style tenor sax playing brought a touch of jazz and a whole ton of R&B to countless rock & roll tracks in the early '60s, and his funky edge is one of the reasons records by the Coasters, for instance, continue to sound good 40 years later. Curtis recorded for a variety of labels during his career, including stints at Capitol and Atlantic, but what is arguably his finest session came for Bobby Robinson's Harlem-based label Enjoy Records in 1962. King Curtis never officially "joined" Bobby Robinson's Enjoy label, rather, he came aboard only provisionally, willing to cut a couple of sides and see if they hit, and once they did, he would sign. Robinson ran the session for "Soul Twist" and the record became Curtis's first hit, and an album followed. Robinson managed to convince Curtis not to blow the house down every second of every track, and the ensemble feel that emerged between the saxophonist and organ player Ernie Hayes and guitarists Billy Butler and Joe Richardson is strong, loose, and darn near perfect. Curtis was a more versatile musician than many people realize (he did sessions with artists as varied as Lonnie Donegan and Andy Williams, and shows it here by going sans sax, playing a solid electric guitar and handling the vocals on a two-part version of the Ray Charles classic "What'd I Say." This collection kicks off with his first hit, "Soul Twist," and its B-side, "Twisting Time.â � Curtis shows himself right at home in Memphis soul territory, too, with the Booker T. & the MG's-styled "Hot Potato (Piping Hot)." The haunting and slightly ominous instrumental "Midnight Blue" is another highlight included here. Soul Time makes for a fine introduction to this extraordinary musician.