The Joe Hurt Trio
Chicago Jazz Music
To book a artist/group please contact Joe Hurt at joehurt[at]yahoo.com
Isaac "Redd" Holt on Drums
(yes, that Redd Holt)
Is there anything cooler than a jazz drummer?...Probably not.
And is any jazz drummer cooler than Redd Holt?...Probably not.
Redd was the fuel for the perpetual motion machine of jazz that was the Ramsey Lewis Trio (The sparkplug was bassist Eldee Young). Their hits The In Crowd and Hang On Sloopy stand today as indelible classics, and a primer on how elegant funk can be. Can you listen to either of these songs and not tap your feet? Can you listen to them and be in a bad mood? It's the heartbeat of Redd Holt that makes that happen.
Redd was born in 1932, and following a move to Chicago, began advanced musical study in drums and percussion. 3 years after he graduated from high school, he linked up with Ramsey Lewis and his career hit high gear.
Moving beyond Ramsey in 1966 along with Eldee, they formed Young-Holt Unlimited and promptly scored another pair of R&B classics with Soulful Strut and Wack Wack. Touring and recording together until 1974, the group found success in movies and advertising. Since then Redd has toured the world as the leader of Redd Holt Unlimited to universal acclaim.
Perhaps even greater than his playing accomplishments, is Redd's work as a jazz educator. Who better to inspire young musicians to embrace America's native art form than this affable master? His many awards include the Jazz Master from the Midwest Arts, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indianapolis Radio Sounds Of Jazz, and the Grand Master Of Time from the Jazz Institute Of Chicago and the DuSable Museum of African American History.
Since 1998, Redd has been revisiting his roots in the Chicago Style of Piano trio of which he was a pioneer, with the gifted twenty-something pianist Joe Hurt. The seasoned vet and the young lion have brought out the best in each other, as demonstrated on their new CD entitled (what else?) The 'In' Crowd. Redd's joy is clearly evident throughout the disc, and his vocal exhortations are as essential as his skins and cymbals in propelling the group simultaneously into classic grooves, and down new roads.
How cool is that?