Search - James Clay :: Cookin at the Continental

James Clay was a Texas tenor player in the classic mold, with a big sound, pointed rhythmic attack, and a rough-hewn, soulful approach. He wasted few notes but probably recorded even fewer in a sporadic career that extended from the '50s to his death in 1994. He was an early associate of Ornette Coleman and made one distinguished recording with Don Cherry, but his idiom of choice was hard bop, not free jazz. On this excellent 1991 session, that's definitely his focus, with a strong repertoire drawn from early boppers like Charlie Parker and Babs Gonzales and soul-jazz stalwarts Horace Silver and Bobby Timmons, along with a couple of ballads. Fellow Texas tenor David "Fathead" Newman is present for some vigorous parrying, most notably on the title track, while Clay is also joined by some very youthful neoboppers, including trumpeter Roy Hargrove and bassist Christian McBride. The meeting of young and old is most pointed on Benny Harris's "Crazeology," a spare duet in which Clay and the 19-year-old McBride generate tremendous swing. --Stuart Broomer