The Texas Horns

Biography

The Texas Horns are a three-piece horn section and band rooted in the Texas blues tradition, coalescing in the late 1990s around tenor saxophonist Mark “Kaz” Kazanoff, baritone saxophonist John Mills, and trumpeter Al (Adalberto) Gomez.[1][2][3][6] Kazanoff, originally from Massachusetts and seasoned in the Chicago and Austin blues scenes, had long worked as a saxophonist, arranger, and producer, playing with legends such as Big Walter Horton, James Cotton, Muddy Waters, and Otis Rush before settling in Austin and joining the house band at Antone’s in 1982.[1] Mills came from the jazz and roots milieu (including work on the 1999 “Lone Star Shootout” session), while Gomez brought experience from Doug Sahm’s “Last Real Texas Blues Band,” giving the trio a shared foundation in blues, soul, R&B, and roots music.[1][3] By the late 1990s they began appearing on records explicitly as The Texas Horns, quickly becoming an in-demand section for touring artists, festivals, and studio projects.[1][3][6]

For roughly their first decade, The Texas Horns focused on being a premier backing and festival horn section rather than a standalone recording act, serving as the house horn section for major events like Ottawa Bluesfest (where they have held a long-running residency) and working with American bands such as the Allman Brothers and many Texas-based blues and roots artists.[1][6][7] Their sound blends hard‑driving Texas blues, boogie‑woogie, and soul with tightly arranged horn lines and improvisational jazz elements, emphasizing punchy section work, melodic solos, and groove‑forward arrangements.[1][3][6] After years of supporting others, they stepped into the spotlight with their own debut album, “Blues Gotta Holda Me” (2015, Vizztone), followed by “Get Here Quick” (2019, Severn Records) and “Everybody Let’s Roll” (2022, Blue Heart Records), each featuring a large cast of guest vocalists and instrumentalists while showcasing their original writing and arranging.[1][3][4][6] Over more than two decades, The Texas Horns have earned a reputation as one of the preeminent modern blues horn sections, bridging traditional Texas roadhouse sounds with contemporary roots and soul, and leaving a distinct imprint on countless recordings and festival stages.[1][3][4][6][7]

Fun Facts

• Before The Texas Horns ever recorded under their own name, the trio spent roughly a decade primarily as a backing and festival horn section, only stepping out front with their debut album “Blues Gotta Holda Me” in 2015.[1][3][6][7]
• The core members—Mark “Kaz” Kazanoff, John Mills, and Al Gomez—first intersected on other notable projects, including Doug Sahm’s “Last Real Texas Blues Band” and the 1999 “Lone Star Shootout” album, before formalizing themselves as The Texas Horns.[1][3]
• At Ottawa Bluesfest, The Texas Horns have effectively become part of the festival’s sonic identity, serving as house horns for more than 15 years and backing a rotating cast of international blues and roots artists.[1][6][7]
• Collectively, Mark “Kaz” Kazanoff has played on around 200 recording sessions, so The Texas Horns’ sound is built on decades of cumulative studio and road experience distilled into a tight three‑piece section.[3]

Members

• Al Gomez - original, piano, trumpet
• Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff - flute, harmonica, lead vocals, original, saxophone
• John Mills - clarinet, flute, original, piano, saxophone

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Big Walter Horton - Early blues harmonica legend with whom Mark “Kaz” Kazanoff played in Chicago, shaping Kazanoff’s blues phrasing and tone that later defined The Texas Horns’ sound. (Live performances with Horton during Kazanoff’s early Chicago years (pre‑Austin).) [Early 1970s (Kazanoff’s early twenties)]
• Little Walter - Influential Chicago blues harmonica player who, along with other Chicago greats, influenced Kazanoff’s approach to blues sax and ensemble work. (Club dates and sessions in Chicago blues circles where Kazanoff absorbed Little Walter’s stylistic vocabulary.) [Early 1970s]
• Muddy Waters - Chicago blues icon with whom Kazanoff played, contributing to his deep grounding in traditional electric blues that underpins The Texas Horns’ style. (Live performances and band work in Chicago’s blues scene prior to Kazanoff’s move to Austin.[1]) [Early–mid 1970s]

Key Collaborators

• Allman Brothers Band - The Texas Horns have performed with the Allman Brothers, adding horn arrangements to the group’s Southern rock and blues repertoire at select events. (Festival and concert appearances featuring The Texas Horns as a guest horn section.[1][6]) [2000s–2010s (live collaborations)]
• Ottawa Bluesfest (various artists) - The Texas Horns served as the long‑time house horn section at Ottawa Bluesfest, backing numerous headliners and curating horn arrangements across the festival’s blues and roots programming. (Multiple live sets and residencies at Ottawa Bluesfest as featured festival horn section.[1][6][7]) [Roughly late 1990s/early 2000s onward (over 15 years)]
• Marcia Ball - Austin‑based pianist and vocalist frequently backed by Kazanoff and The Texas Horns on recordings and live shows, integrating New Orleans‑flavored piano blues with Texas horn arrangements. (Guest appearances on “Blues Gotta Holda Me” and other sessions where The Texas Horns provide section work.[1][3][4]) [1980s–present (via Kazanoff) and especially since the late 1990s as The Texas Horns]
• Anson Funderburgh - Texas blues guitarist who often collaborates with The Texas Horns both live and on record, contributing guitar leads to their albums and sharing stages at festivals. (Guest spots on “Blues Gotta Holda Me” and “Everybody Let’s Roll,” plus other Texas blues projects featuring The Texas Horns.[1][3][4]) [1990s–present]
• Carolyn Wonderland - Guitarist and vocalist featured prominently as a guest on Texas Horns recordings, blending her fiery Texas blues style with their horn‑driven arrangements. (Lead vocals and guitar on tracks such as the title cut “Everybody Let’s Roll,” along with other appearances on that 2022 album.[4]) [2010s–2020s]
• Doug Sahm’s Last Real Texas Blues Band - Pre‑Texas Horns collaborative context for Al Gomez, whose work with Sahm linked the eventual horn trio to the broader Texas blues and roots lineage. (“Last Real Texas Blues Band” (1994) album featuring Al Gomez and Mark “Kaz” Kazanoff.[3]) [Early–mid 1990s]

Artists Influenced

• Festival horn sections and contemporary blues horn arrangers (general) - Through their long tenure as a premier three‑piece horn section—especially as Ottawa Bluesfest’s go‑to horns and via extensive session work—The Texas Horns have provided a widely referenced model for compact, hard‑blowing blues and roots horn arranging, influencing how many modern blues bands deploy small horn sections. (Their albums “Blues Gotta Holda Me,” “Get Here Quick,” and “Everybody Let’s Roll,” plus numerous guest appearances that serve as templates for modern horn charts.[3][4][6][7]) [2000s–present]

External Links

• Spotify
• MusicBrainz