Sax for Stax
Sax for Stax is the thirteenth studio album by saxophonist Gerald Albright issued in 2008 by Peak Records. The album rose to No. 4 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, No. 7 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart and No. 24 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Critical reception
Anthony Tognazzini of AllMusic exclaimed, "On 2008's SAX FOR STAX, Albright returns to his personal and professional roots, offering up tasty interpretations of classic Stax/Volt soul sides... Laid back and mellow, Albright's tribute to Stax is designed to go down smooth."Brian Soergel of JazzTimes noted, "Stax, of course, had and still has a gritty rep that contrasted with rival Motown's sweet soul music. Albright, a veteran, conveys that style to maximum effect while clearly enjoying the contemporary sounds he's known for."
Accolades
Sax for Stax was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Album at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009.Track listing
- "Theme from "The Men"" - 5:08
- "Knock on Wood" -4:04
- "Never Can Say Goodbye" - 4:17
- "Memphis Passion" - 4:54
- "Respect Yourself" - 5:05
- "I Stand Accused" - 5:11
- "Cheaper to Keep Her" - 4:22
- "Walkin' Down Beale Street" - 4:30
- "What You See Is What You Get" - 4:50
- "Who's Making Love?" - 4:16
- "W.C. Handy Hop" - 4:36
Personnel
- Gerald Albright – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, arrangements, flute, percussion, bass, vocal arrangements, horn arrangements
- Tracy Carter – keyboards
- Rex Rideout – keyboards, arrangements
- Arlington Jones – keyboards
- Errol Cooney – guitars
- Rick Watford – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, guitars
- Darrell Crooks – guitars
- Melvin Lee Davis – bass
- Teddy Campbell – drums
- Lenny Castro – percussion
- Kirk Whalum – tenor saxophone
- Mark Cargill – strings, string arrangements
- Will Downing – vocals
- Ledisi – vocals
- Selina Albright – backing vocals
- Philip Bailey – vocals
- Mabvuto Carpenter – additional backing vocals
Production
- Andi Howard – executive producer
- Mark Wexler – executive producer
- Gerald Albright – producer, recording
- Rex Rideout – producer, recording
- Marc Green – recording
- Steve Sykes – recording
- Josh Blanchard – assistant engineer
- Seth Presant – assistant engineer
- Don Murray – mixing
- Eric Boulanger – mastering
- Sangwook "Sunny" Nam – mastering
- Valerie Ince – label coordinator
- Yvonne Wish – project coordinator
- Sonny Mediana – cover design, package design
- Carl Studna – photography
- George Duke – liner notes
- Ross Moss – management
- Chapman Management – management
- Recorded at Castle Oaks Productions ; KAR Studios ; Bright Music Studios ; CCI Media ; The Green Room.
- Mixed at G Studio Digital ; The Firehouse.
- Mastered at The Mastering Lab.