Biography
Joe Posada ranks among Tejano's premier saxophone virtuosos while also emerging as the most adept songwriter of the 1990s to merge jazz sensibilities with Tejano forms. Drawing on the work of John Coltrane, Jeff Lorber, and Alfonso Ramos, he wove jazz chord progressions and scatting into the polka rhythm, nudging the genre nearer to the eclectic fusion that its advocates frequently promised yet rarely delivered.
Born in San Antonio in 1954—the same year orchestra leader Isidro Lopez folded accordions into his ensemble in Alice, TX, a landmark step in the development of what became known as Tejano music—Posada grew up on the predominantly Hispanic West Side. He took up the saxophone at age 12 after his mother required formal lessons to distance him from peers she viewed unfavorably, even though his parents were not musicians themselves. He advanced through talent contests and neighborhood outfits before securing positions with established local ensembles Rudy Tee & the Reno-Bops and Zapata. During 1973, amid the period author Ramiro Burr identifies as Tejano's Golden Age, Posada moved up to the Royal Jesters, a top Onda Chicana group of the time, where he also assisted with musical arrangements.
In 1977 Posada aligned with former Jester David Marez in the band People, taking occasional lead vocals, overseeing rehearsals, and handling collections after shows. Believing himself ready for independence, he exited in 1979 and launched his own ensemble, Quinto Sol, in 1982, selecting the name from the fifth sun of the Aztec calendar. That year he and Quinto Sol signed with Cara Records, issuing five albums on the label through the 1980s that often featured brassy rancheras composed by Johnny Perez or Joe Revelez. He inserted saxophone solos that shifted from cool to fiery according to the material and lent his strong, occasionally unrefined baritone to romantic verses. His sound stayed progressive within Tejano, emphasizing wind instruments rather than accordion.
Although Posada had started writing material in the mid-1970s, he withheld his songs to prevent Cara president Bob Grever from gaining publishing control. On January 1, 1990, Capitol/EMI acquired Cara, and the new management allowed him to retain his own publishing rights. He did not rush to record his compositions, instead relying on songs by Humberto Ramon and Revelez for the 1991 CD Playin' It with Style, which contained the ranchera "Valiente" ("Valiant"), a major hit featuring a singalong chorus that anticipated later Tejano/jazz fusions. He asserted his compositional identity fully on 1993's Breakaway, writing every track and adding a salsa number, a saxophone instrumental, and the jazz-soul title song for his audience. It was the 1994 album Canción para Mi Padre ("Song for My Father"), however, that integrated jazz and polka without seams, placing him well ahead of formulaic, repetitive bands. The 1996 release J Posada proves slightly deceptive—only his son, Gen-Xer Joe Posada, Jr., appears on the cover, yet the elder Posada sings lead on eight of the ten tracks.
In the late 1990s Posada Sr. worked toward a music degree in San Antonio while performing more jazz dates both solo and alongside Small World and Los Jazz Vatos.
Born in San Antonio in 1954—the same year orchestra leader Isidro Lopez folded accordions into his ensemble in Alice, TX, a landmark step in the development of what became known as Tejano music—Posada grew up on the predominantly Hispanic West Side. He took up the saxophone at age 12 after his mother required formal lessons to distance him from peers she viewed unfavorably, even though his parents were not musicians themselves. He advanced through talent contests and neighborhood outfits before securing positions with established local ensembles Rudy Tee & the Reno-Bops and Zapata. During 1973, amid the period author Ramiro Burr identifies as Tejano's Golden Age, Posada moved up to the Royal Jesters, a top Onda Chicana group of the time, where he also assisted with musical arrangements.
In 1977 Posada aligned with former Jester David Marez in the band People, taking occasional lead vocals, overseeing rehearsals, and handling collections after shows. Believing himself ready for independence, he exited in 1979 and launched his own ensemble, Quinto Sol, in 1982, selecting the name from the fifth sun of the Aztec calendar. That year he and Quinto Sol signed with Cara Records, issuing five albums on the label through the 1980s that often featured brassy rancheras composed by Johnny Perez or Joe Revelez. He inserted saxophone solos that shifted from cool to fiery according to the material and lent his strong, occasionally unrefined baritone to romantic verses. His sound stayed progressive within Tejano, emphasizing wind instruments rather than accordion.
Although Posada had started writing material in the mid-1970s, he withheld his songs to prevent Cara president Bob Grever from gaining publishing control. On January 1, 1990, Capitol/EMI acquired Cara, and the new management allowed him to retain his own publishing rights. He did not rush to record his compositions, instead relying on songs by Humberto Ramon and Revelez for the 1991 CD Playin' It with Style, which contained the ranchera "Valiente" ("Valiant"), a major hit featuring a singalong chorus that anticipated later Tejano/jazz fusions. He asserted his compositional identity fully on 1993's Breakaway, writing every track and adding a salsa number, a saxophone instrumental, and the jazz-soul title song for his audience. It was the 1994 album Canción para Mi Padre ("Song for My Father"), however, that integrated jazz and polka without seams, placing him well ahead of formulaic, repetitive bands. The 1996 release J Posada proves slightly deceptive—only his son, Gen-Xer Joe Posada, Jr., appears on the cover, yet the elder Posada sings lead on eight of the ten tracks.
In the late 1990s Posada Sr. worked toward a music degree in San Antonio while performing more jazz dates both solo and alongside Small World and Los Jazz Vatos.
Albums
Singles