JOEL GUZMAN & SARAH FOX

www.myspace.com/guzmanfox

When accordionist Joel Guzman and singer/songwriter Sarah Fox got together in 1978, they dreamed of a future that would allow them to make a living doing something they loved. Though they knew it wouldn’t be easy – even Guzman’s fieldhand father warned him picking crops was hard, but being a musician was harder – the pair chose to pursue their passion anyway. Almost 30 years and a few Grammys later, they’re actually living that dream – and loving it. You can hear their happiness in the grooves of their latest album, “Latinology.”

Guzman and Fox’s story has an almost Hollywood-like beginning. A third-generation musician born in Sunnyside, Wash., Guzman moved to Texas to play with the famed Tejano band Little Joe y la Familia. Fox, the Temple, Texas-born daughter of a Mexican mother (singer Guadalupe Reyna Castillo) and Cuban father, started singing with Little Joe at 16. After being introduced in a Temple recording studio during a Little Joe session, they fell into a classic band-member-meets-band-singer romance.

Since then, they’ve led many bands of their own, including Motion, a pop act; Human Touch, a contemporary jazz group; Trocadero, a sassy salsa band; Los Aztex, their Tex-Mex/R&B incarnation; and Aztex, a Latin rock outfit that morphed into the entity known as Joel Guzman & Sarah Fox (backed by drummer Phil Bass, bassist Abraham Humphrey and lead guitarist Bradley Kopp).

“After many years of going back to the drawing board, we finally arrived at a concept that complemented my singing style and Joel’s cross-genre accordion playing,” Fox says of their latest formation.

It’s not that they can’t make up their minds regarding how they want to sound. It's that they’re so versatile, with so many influences, they need to explore different avenues from time to time. As Guzman says, “I may play a box, but I don't want to be put in one.”

Guzman describes the couple’s style as Latin R&B – more specifically, a hybrid of Latin music with American rock and blues. That, of course, is simplifying things a bit. One blogger at letspolka.com called Guzman “probably the best three-row diatonic player in the country,” and added, “he can play anything from traditional conjunto to jazz.” And beyond.

Guzman actually intended to become a jazz pianist and music arranger, studying with a private teacher after deciding the University of Washington at Seattle was just a distraction from his career plan. By then, the child accordion prodigy known as “El Pequeno Gigante” (the Little Giant) had been playing professionally for years.

“I already knew where I wanted to go in my life,” he explains. “The big stage – playing with big-name artists, recording on important records and composing movie soundtracks.”

Now a sought-after session player, arranger and producer, Guzman's worked with Joe Ely, Chris Smither, the Flatlanders, Tish Hinajosa, Tom Russell, Wayne Hancock, Rick Trevino, Lloyd Maines and many others. He and Fox also have recorded with Tejano greats Ram Herrera and Ruben Ramos.

Fox, who studied music and business at Temple Junior College, recorded her first single, “You Let Me Down,” with saxophonist Kirk Whalum in 1983. Her work can be heard on the soundtrack for the film “Deep in the Heart (of Texas)” and on the award-winning TV documentary, “Split Decision”.

A few years ago, the pair launched their own label, Guzman Fox Records, which produced a Latin- and American-Grammy-winning album on its first at-bat (2004’s “Polkas, Gritos y Acordeónes,” by David Lee Garza, Guzman and Sunny Sauceda). Both also can be heard on the Grammy-winning 1998 “Los Super Seven” album (Fox duetted with Joe Ely on the Woody Guthrie classic, “Deportee”). Their Los Super Seven participation led to having famed Los Lobos/Super Seven producer Steve Berlin helm their 1999 album, "Short Stories." He called it a labor of love.

But with their current release, “Latinology,” their partnership has reached full fruition. Produced by Guzman and partly recorded at their own Guzman Fox Studios in Kyle, outside of Austin, the disc is a bi-lingual reflection of their memories, their love, their spirituality and their hope for a more peaceful world. Fox wrote or co-wrote most of the songs, and Guzman arranged and played a variety of instruments. Special guests included four electric guitarists considered true musical luminaries in (and far beyond) Texas: Jon Dee Graham (who plays on three tunes, including his own “At the Dance”), Stephen Bruton, Mark Towns and Tomas Cruz. Not to mention their 10-year-old son, Joel Gabriel, who sang backing vocals on two songs.

Says Guzman: “Our vision is to just put out really honest music, music that has a lot of integrity, so when we bring our shows to the stage, we can touch on traditional music and capture your heart that way.”

As for the accordion, he says, “To me, it’s every bit as big as a grand piano. It is a grand piano. When you add up the bass keys on one side and the treble keys on the other side, it’s like any instrument. It’s just buttons. But there’s so much history involved in it. For me, being an accordionist in Texas, I’ve learned that I can communicate with my instrument to all people, because it’s a universal language. I’m always trying to find ways to preserve the tradition of it, but at the same time, go beyond.”

To which Fox adds, “I remind myself every day that music is a blessing and we are doing something we love.”

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Artist Information:
Bio
Fact Sheet

Press Release:
Jul. 23, 2007

Press Coverage:
Sep. 7, 2007
Aug. 26, 2007

Listen:
"Got Love"
"A Place"

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