Wed. April 9th @ The Five Spot in Little Five Points, Atlanta, GA
with Barry Richman's Blues From MarsThough saxophonist Tomas Ramirez began his formal schooling at Del Mar School of Music (Corpus Christi, TX), his musical education truly began much earlier as a 12-year-old member of his Uncle Wally’s professional dance and party band. From this young start came his move to Del Mar and, eventually, The University of Texas at Austin in 1970 to study arranging and composing with distinguished professor Dick Goodwin.
In certifying his name as a Texas horn legend, Ramirez has jammed with a venerable crew of talented musicians over his 35 year career, sharing stage and studio space with the likes of Jerry Jeff Walker on numerous studio albums including Walker’s “Best of†collection, Christopher Cross’ Grammy Award winning 1980 self-titled project, Eric Johnson’s The Electromagnets on their 1998 self-titled album, and making appearances on three albums from renowned Atlanta-based guitarist Barry Richman – including perhaps his most well known work, Temporary Eternity. Other projects and sit-in sessions include Jeff Sipe’s projects The Zambiland Orchestra and The Apartment Complex. Beto y los Fairlanes, The Lost Gonzo Band, Dan del Santo and his Professors of Pleasure, Tex Thomas and the Dangling Wranglers, Steamheat, Calvin Russel, and many more.
In addition to his projects stateside, Ramirez has been in high demand in the international performance market, playing in Russia, France, England, Ireland, Italy, Holland, Scandinavia, South Africa, and Australia.
Sin Palabras (Spanish for “without wordsâ€) is the third studio release for Ramirez, though it marks his first recorded solo effort since 1990’s critically acclaimed Tejazz. Recorded at All-Star Studios and Red Tuxedo Studio in Atlanta, Georgia during 2007, Sin Palabras features an all-star band backing band of guitarist Steve Cunningham, bassist Neil Fountain, drummer Marcus Williams, percussionist Count M’Butu, keyboardist Tom Grose, and the “Hook ‘em Horn Section†of Alex Lowe and Bob Lewis.
Released in early 2008 by INIO music, the album is quickly becoming a crown jewel for the label as it explores almost every side of the musical imagination, testing the waters and stretching the boundaries of scorching funk, heartfelt ballads, and smooth jam, with all tracks showcasing not only a virtuosic performance technique but also the intricate compositional skills for which Ramirez has become widely known. In short, the label describes the work simply as “jazz with a backbeat. Gorgeous and shimmery, funky and hot tremendous performances from all.â€
