Georgia-born and Detroit-raised pianist
T.J. Fowler led a series of smart, jazzy
r&b bands in Detroit during the late '40s and throughout the 1950s. This fascinating Classics chronological compilation lines up all of
Fowler's first recordings as a leader. It opens with a couple of mood pieces issued on the Paradise label. While "Sultry Moon" has a wistful charm similar to
Earl Bostic's ballad style,
Freddie Johnson's pidgin West Indian vocal only cheapens "Mango Blues," a counterfeit Caribbean lament in rhumba time.
Fowler's subsequent recordings, originally issued on the National and Sensation labels, provided the spark that ignited his career and led to his tenure with Savoy Records in 1952 and 1953. Teamed with bassist
Henry Ivory and drummer
Clarence Stamp behind a smoky front line of trumpeter
John Lawton and saxophonists
Walter Cox and
Lee Gross,
Fowler presented hot music for dancing and the occasional slow grind. Aside from a couple of
Billy Eckstine imitations committed by an unidentified crooner, the only voices heard on the National and Sensation sides are group vocals with handclapping over
jump blues based in
boogie-woogie and
swing. Adding singer and
blues guitarist
Calvin Frazier to his lineup,
Fowler made his first sides for Savoy in Detroit on March 28, 1952. While the singalong rockers like "Oo-La-La" and "Yes I Know" were designed and presented as crowd-pleasers, the ominous slow groove called "Night Crawler" and the broiling "Fowler's Boogie," issued back to back as Savoy 843, stand among
Fowler's most enduring achievements from this time period, along with "Back Biter," "Wine Cooler," "Gold Rush," and "Camel Walk." With gutsy solos by guitarist
Calvin Frazier and saxophonist
Walter Cox, this is early Detroit
r&b at its fundamental best. This portion of the
T.J. Fowler story ends with three of the only recordings he ever made outside of the Motor City. Recorded in Chicago and issued on the States record label, these tracks feature the pianist in the company of trumpeter
Dezie McCullers, alto saxophonist and singer
Frank Taylor, home boy tenor
Walter Cox, bassist
Gene Taylor, and drummer
Floyd "Bubbles" McVay, who switches to congas on the two groovin' instrumentals, "The Queen" and "Take Off." ~ arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide
