By John Morthland

Texas Music News
Top Ten Music Events--Early August

It's About Time
Chris Perez, Selena's widower and the guitarist in her band Los Dinos, is reportedly putting together a rock en Espanol group--which would make him the first person in the Selena axis to pursue music not tied specifically to her memory. Bassist Rudy Martinez has left La Mafia to join him.

97 for'97
Old 97 of Dallas, arguably the finest of the state's many rocking country bands, has signed with Elecktra, with the major-label debut due out early next year.

Sacred Harp Singing Convention
Shape-note singing is a traditional form of gospel music that dates back to the beginnings of this nation. Hymns are sung a capella, with four-part harmony, the vocalists sitting in a square with the leader in the middle. The tradition continues at Henderson Community Center August 10-11, with a covered-dish meal in the middle of each day.

Ornette Coleman: Sound Museum (Three Women) and Sound Museum (Hidden Man) (both Harmolodic/Verve).
Two CDs, each containing different arrangements of the same songs, played by the same musicians. The Fort Worth avant-gardist did this to demonstrate his theory of harmolodics, a philosophy best explained elsewhere--especially since this music, by turns driving and playful and meditative, haunting and surprisingly sentimental, is so much more consistent than other recent recordings, and is thus eminently rewarding on its own. Hidden Man is more focused, and only diehards need both.

Johnny Copeland: Jungle Swing (Verve)
This third-generation Houston blues guitarist has experimented with African fusions before. This time it's mainly in the percussion, which provides a polyrhythmic underpinning both firm and floating, with Johnny's bristling guitar and vocals screaming the blues on top.

Steve Earle: Ain't Ever Satisfied (Hip-O)
The gutsiest progressive country singer-songwriter the state has produced in the last couple decades has bounced back from heroin addiction with a vengeance, as his recent album and tour triumphs prove. This double-CD revisits the early material ("Guitar Town," etc.) that made the San Antonio native's name the first time around.

Sue Foley: Walk in the Sun (Antone's/Discovery).
The farther she stretches out from strict blues, the more interesting this young Austin singer-guitarist becomes. Steve Bruton is the ideal producer, keeping her rooted but with a sense of adventure.

Tutu Jones: Blue Texas Soul (Bullseye Blues)
This obscure Dallas bluesman comes on like gangbusters, without overplaying his hand. His showy, eclectic blues are right in the genre's contemporary mainstream, and are sure to jumpstart a national career.

Rick Orozco: Buscando Una Estrella (Arista Latin)
With "Tejano Rose," this San Antonio heartthrob reclaims the Tex-Mex country sound associated with Marty Robbins. The rest of this EP (some songs in English, some in Spanish) has trouble matching such a sublime performance.

A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan (Epic)
It's always a pleasant surprise when celebrities get together for any reason, if the gathering doesn't go auto-erotic for them, but such is the case here. High points are Bonnie Raitt's uncharacteristically funky "Pride and Joy," Buddy Guy's edgy "Long Way from Home," and bro Jimmie Vaughan's ragged-but-right presence throughout. The set also features B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, and Dr. John (and the performances are captured on a feature-length video, which is in stores now and airs on PBS later this month).

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