Travis Biggs is an American composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist whose services were widely employed on the jazz-funk and soul circuits throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. Under his own name, he released two albums during the late 1970s.
Spreading his talents over sides by John Kasandra and Bohannon, among others, Biggs adopted the little-used nickname “Hyena.” With an array of sundry instruments at his fingertips, he secured a deal with TB & C Enterprises in 1976 and assembled a sizable studio ensemble — including his brass/woodwind-playing brother Rayse — to record Challenges.
Retaining most of his backing players, Biggs jumped ship for Source Records, which issued Solar Funk in 1979 with a mix of new and repeat thrills.
With the brothers interlocked on flugelhorn and violin atop the slick, speedy hit-hat of Jerome Spearman, blows and fiddles along with steam-powered gusto. Though the albums is mostly wordless, Jeanette McGruder and fellow vocalists announce select titles at timed intervals with sheer exuberance.
Amidst the rhythmic rattle and thump of Don Mayberry scales up the octave of D-sharp as brother Rayse and saxist Vincent Bowens wiggle around the low and mid ranges. As the tune advances, our bandleader lays it on thick and foamy with turns at his synthesizer, organ, and clavinet.
Between albums, Biggs conducted sides for soulster Emanuel Taylor, played strings on Michael Henderson‘s Solid LP, and joined Herman Kelly & Life — a studio project that issued the danceable 1978 longplayer Percussion Explosion! Rounding out his career as the new decade dawned, the multi-talent lent his keyboard skills to Isaac Hayes and Linda Clifford and played assorted instruments on the 1981 sophomore effort by the S.O.S. Band.
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