Backcountry inspires 'Tetons' jazz CD

Don't let the rustic hats and gruff appearance fool you. These two "mountain men," Brian Booth and Kevin Stout, don't carry deadly instruments — they carry jazz instruments.

Having recorded their third album together, trombonist Stout and saxophonist Booth are looking forward to this weekend's CD release celebration concert for "Tales of the Tetons."

"We found a lot of inspiration from the beauty of that area," said Booth, "so, as we wrote the material from this new disc, we did it with specific sites or specific emotional things that took place up there in the Tetons in mind." Interestingly, it was the Tetons that initially inspired the two high school pals to collaborate professionally in the first place. "Kevin and I both went to Cottonwood High School back in the '70s, and then we both met up again at the University of Utah," said Booth.

But, he added, Stout went his own way, moving to Las Vegas and touring with the Freshman Four for eight years, while Booth stayed here.

Years later they reconnected at a high-school-band reunion concert, which featured Stout as one of the headliners. Booth asked Stout to play a gig up in Jackson Hole, and after the performance the two went for a hike. "We got up into the backcountry and talked about getting together and doing a recording and doing some things," Booth said, "and everything kind of fell into place."

He also pointed out that they've been going back up every year since then. "It's been about four or five years, but we have spent a lot of time up in the Tetons."

And in the past few years, they've also put out two CDs. "The first one climbed the charts to No. 24, entitled 'Good Pals.' The second one was called 'Up Jazz Creek,' (and) made it into the top 40 at No. 37," said Booth, clarifying that "this is the Jazz Weekly chart, where they track radio play."

Booth hopes that in the future the two will be able to break into the jazz-festival circuit.

In the meantime, there's a fourth CD in the works. "We're talking about going into the studio in April to record that disc, and we've almost got the material together to do that."

That material is primarily straight-ahead jazz, with a little Latin mixed in. "For the most part, we refer to it as 'happy jazz.' "

They also have an interesting twist with the sound combination of trombone and tenor saxophone. "We had someone that reviewed our first disc who called it a 'saxobone' because it's got a real vibrant quality that's really unique. You can tell it's a saxophone and a trombone, but the sound merges."

Booth also expressed appreciation for Music in the Box for supporting local musicians and for sponsoring this concert.

If you go

What: Kevin Stout and Brian Booth

Where: Black Box Theatre, Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 138 W. Broadway

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

How much: $12 in advance, $15 day of show, $9 students and seniors

Phone: 355-2787 or 888-451-2787

Web: www.arttix.org

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E-mail: rcline@desnews.com