****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Rob Dixon: Naptown Soul

I’ve never recalled hearing any work by tenor man Rob Dixon, but this one’s got my attention. He’s got that old soulful big toned tenor sound like a Stanley Turrentine or Ike Quebec, and he uses it perfectly in this nice and greasy session with Dave Stryker/g, Sam Fribush/org and Rochard Floyd/dr, taking on juke joint originals and some covers.

Ok, so he also plays the soprano on a shuffling “I Want You”, but that’s just to break up the pattern a bit. He rolls in like a fog on a pair of Wes Montgomery tunes, the strutting “Bumpin’ On Sunset” and the simmering “Naptown Blues”, and he pounds the pulpit on “The Earth, The Sky” and plays the funky chicken on “Sly Vibe”. This is how I want my tenor to sound, grilled and overflowing with mushrooms and onions.