Red Holloway Promotes his Jazz Catalogue of Music on Jaijai Jackson's "Woman of Jazz" Radio Show on Xradio.biz at 8PM PST on October 25th, 2005

Red Holloway talks about his jazz catalogue of music featuring "Coast to Coast," "Keep that Groove Goin," "Standing Room Only" and "Live at the Floating Jazz Festival 95" along with his life and musical journey on Jaijai Jackson's "Woman of Jazz" radio show.

(PRWEB) October 20, 2005 -- Red Holloway has always been an explosive soloist, but when he teams up with another horn player, as he does with fellow saxophonist Frank Wess on "Coast to Coast", the impact can be more than double dynamite.

Holloway started out jousting in Chicago boxing rings before turning to music as a profession.

The California-based saxophonist has locked horns with some of the finest during a career than spans more than half a century. Along with a five-year saxophone-battle with heavyweight champ Sonny Stitt. Holloway has teamed up on disc with trumpet giants Clark Terry and Harry "Sweets" Edison.

On his very bluesy Milestone release "Keep That Groove Going!", Holloway matched tenors with Plas Johnson.

For his second Milestone album, "Coast to Coast", onetime Count Basie sideman Wess serves as Holloway's sparring partner along with organ master Dr. Lonnie Smith. Soul-jazz titan Melvin Sparks, who played so nicely on "Keep That Groove Going!", is back on guitar and Paul Humphrey on drums.

In addition to playing tenor and alto saxophones on "Coast to Coast", Holloway demonstrates his gifts as a blues singer with a humor-laced treatment of the Helen Humes classic "Million Dollar Secret." "I worked with all the blues singers," he states. In 1948, he spent a year touring the deep South with singer-pianist Roosevelt Sykes. Later blues credits include

Memphis Slim, Sunnyland Slim and Jimmy Reed.

Holloway was born in Helena, Arkansas and settled in Chicago at the age of five. He studied piano for a period and then took up tenor saxophone in 1940 after hearing Lester Young's monumental solo on Count Basie's "The World Is Mad." While he was still in high school, a steady gig with bassist Eugene Wright's Dukes of Swing led Holloway to put aside boxing in favor of music.

In the 1950's Holloway was the most-recorded saxophonist in Chicago, regularly contributing his fat tenor to sessions by the Flamingos, Moonglows, El Dorados, Danny Overbea, B.B. King, James Cotton, Otis Rush, Junior Parker, Bobby Bland and countless other rhythm 'n' blues artists and was in constant demand by Chess, Chance, Cobra, Vee-Jay, and other labels.

While a member of Bill Doggett's R&B combo in 1963, Holloway was hired by old friend Jack McDuff to play on the Prestige album "Brother Jack McDuff Live!" Holloway spent four years on the road with McDuff's quartet, which also included guitarist George Benson as well as a recorded series of albums of his own for Prestige.

Holloway began a 15-year stint as musical director for the Parisian Room when he relocated to Los Angeles in 1967. While there, he formed a musical partnership with Sonny Stitt that lasted from 1977 until Sonny's death in 1982. Stitt was the one to encourage Holloway to play alto.

"The alto is a singing instrument," he explains. "The tenor is a punching instrument. When you're playing those fast, hard tempos, you act like you're in the ring with Joe Louis--you're punching, you're jabbing." He uses the alto primarily for ballads, as in his gorgeous rendition of "Indian Summer" on "Coast to Coast." "When you're playing something sweet," he says, "you act like you're making love to a woman. You're just feeling, hugging, and kissing. You're not trying to do no punching. You're just in love."

While still much in demand as a session player--most recently on the acclaimed Joey DeFrancesco/Joe Doggs album "Falling in Love Again". Holloway is proud of the music he presents, he shows his saxophone prowess as a lover, a fighter, and an all-around winner.

Hear Holloway speak of his life, music and personal journey on Friday October 21, 2005 with Jaijai Jackson on her "Woman of Jazz" radio show at www.xradio.biz/lasvegas at 8PM Pacific Standard Time.

Holloway can be contacted through his website at www.redholloway.com to purchase his array of CD projects.

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