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The Savoy Sultans

There have been two different Savoy Sultans however they were carefully related however you like. The initial group was led by saxophonist Al Cooper and performed frequently on the Savoy Ballroom during 1937-1941 and continued to be active until 1946. Regarded among the hardest-swinging of most small sets of the period, the band contains two trumpets, three reeds including altoist Rudy Williams, and (for a while) tenor saxophonist George Kelly, and also a three-piece tempo section. The Sultans got seven recording periods for Decca during 1938-1941 but they are a little erratic because of a number of the horns getting somewhat out of tune. The Savoy Sultans’ popularity therefore is basically because of the praise distributed by contemporaries including Dizzy Gillespie. The next Savoy Sultans had been formed by experienced golf swing drummer Panama Francis in 1974 to try out a concert; five years afterwards, he shaped the ensemble as a normal music group. Using the same instrumentation (plus tempo acoustic guitar) as its forerunner, Francis and his warm combo (that was superior to the initial band) documented for Dark & Blue in 1979 and Stash during 1982-1983. Among the sidemen had been trumpeters Francis Williams, Irv Stokes, and Spanky Davis; the reeds of Norris Turney, Howard Johnson, Bobby Watson, and George Kelly (who was simply in the last group); and pianist Crimson Richards.

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