Three great tenor players. But, the best? Wow! I don't know how its possible to list the three greatest and not include Trane and Sony Rollins. My top three.
Coleman Hawkins
Trane
Sonny
Coleman Hawkins
Trane
Sonny
Charles, agree on Dexter, and "Prez" would have been on my list if it had been four instead of three. I listed three only because the OP listed three. Since he didn't say "favorite" but "greatest", "greatest" seems to imply "most influential" since anything else is subjective. I think who the most influential have been is pretty well established and agreed upon by knowledgable fans and critics. I also like Acman3's choice of Wayne Shorter, besides being a great player was one of the very best jazz composers. So, for stature and influence: Hawkins, Prez, Trane, Sonny, and I am tempted to add Joe Henderson For listening pleasure: The above and I would add Dexter, Getz, Zoot Sims, Charles Lloyd, Johnny Griffin, Hank Mobley And for sheer virtuosity (ability to do anything on the instrument from a technical standpoint), IMO the greatest ever virtuoso on the instrument has to be Michael Brecker. |
Charles, all good points. Michael Brecker had an ability to overcome the technical obstacles posed by the instrument that put him in a league of his own. I know some will be surprised by this comment, but not even Coltrane had such a flawless facility and ability to play in any register, at any speed, with flawless intonation and utter control; he was a freak of nature. His ability to play in the the"altissimo" register of the instrument is a case in point. This is an extremely difficult technique used more and more by modern players, and involves playing above the natural range of the instrument by manipulation of the harmonics created by the notes in the natural range. This allows the player to play in the range of the alto and soprano (much higher). He was able to do this in an effortless way and as if it were the natural range of the horn and not just an "effect". Stylistic considerations are a different matter and subjective. There is only so much that I can take of his post-Coltane/with-a-little-funk-thrown-in style. Still credit should be given where credit is due. Brecker: v=m5l1OTkNGFk>http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m5l1OTkNGFk Coltrane: v=03juO5oS2gg>http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=03juO5oS2gg I find it interesting that after listening to Brecker's version, Coltrane's seems almost polite; slower, less fire. Until one feels the slow simmer in Coltrane's; the incredible building of tension. Brecker can fly down the highway because he has driven it many times before and was given directions by Coltrane. Coltrane is driving down the road for the first time, looking for the address and exploring. That's what made him the genius he was, and his version is, ultimately, better music; IMO. Still, as far as playing the instrument Brecker was like no one else; but, a little bit like a great ss amp that does every thing "perfectly": amazing clarity, incredible bass, staging, etc. and still.....something missing. v=fJt3qeuPdns>http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fJt3qeuPdns Regards. |
Charles, we are, as they say, in violent agreement; and I think my last post shows that. My point is simply that there is more than one perspective and consideration when appreciating and judging (if we must) what any given player brings to the table. Understanding "both sides of the coin" enhances our appreciation of each; and it certainly doesn't have to detract from our appreciation. In a nutshell, the point is: a technical virtuoso is not necessarily an artist, and an artist is not necessarily a technical virtuoso. Regards. |
Agreed! Oscar Peterson has never been a favorite. Ask piano players, however, and Peterson will be preferred in more cases. Interesting you should mention Jimmy Dorsey and Charlie Parker. It is well documented in the various Bird biographies that Dorsey was one of Bird's favorite alto players. Another fascinating account is that Bird died in his hospital bed while watching the Dorsey Brother's TV show. It's a fascinating subject, that of personal preferences. My feeling, which obviously doesn't have to be everyone's recipe for musical enjoyment and appreciation, is that the growth and development of our musical acumen (wether one is a listener or a musician) is an important goal and only helps us to enjoy our preferred genres and artists even more. When I read that Bird loved Jimmy Dorsey I want to try and understand why that was. BTW, it was mutual admiration between Parker and Dorsey. Once, when Dorsey went to hear Parker play he gave Parker one of his saxophones as a gift. Bird proceeded to pawn it :-) |
While it certainly could be argued that Miles didn't quite have the "chops" of some of the other great jazz trumpeters, he certainly had enough. I would agree with Tubegroover that he was not the technician that players like Clifford Brown or (later) Freddie Hubbard were, but he could definitely play the trumpet. His contribution was much more than being a conceptualist band leader; there are few jazz trumpet players whose playing is completely free of Milesisms. Anyone who could keep up with Bird in a bebop setting clearly had a lot of chops. I think that in keeping with his enigmatic persona, his playing, from a technical standpoint, reflected a certain "attitude" that is sometimes misconstrued as lack of chops. It is sometimes pointed out how often he "fracked" (missed notes) or played with a sloppy and less than perfectly focused sound. I think a lot of that was by choice and not because he couldn't play otherwise. It's an attitude of "the feeling is what matters and if the note doesn't come out, well, whatever..." This attitude is in keeping with another aspect of his concept that defined him: "the spaces between the notes (the silence) is more important than the notes themselves". This is why his playing was so sparse at times; it wasnt about playing a lot of notes, but letting a single note "tell the story". Wayne Shorter is the same way, his playing got less and less notey over the years; perhaps it was Miles' influence. |
O-10, busted, guilty as charged! You are correct about where he was when he passed. Brain fart likely due to recently having been talking to a friend about another alto giant, Johnny Hodges, and his recording of "Blood Count" by Billy Strayhorn; which Strayhorn wrote while dying in his hospital bed. What Bird was doing, which was the part germane to the discussion (his admiration of Dorsey), is well documented and part of jazz lore. Man, I have to tighten up my game :-) Regards. |
OK tenor saxophone fans, four of the greatest, including one who is rarely mentioned (Al Cohn). Can you identify the order of the solos by each of the four tenor players? Two hints: 1) the four tenor solos each begin at :47, 2:24, 4:00 and 5:31 respectively. 2) the stated order in the Youtube "comments" is incorrect. Any takers? [URL]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MKBsQkZaYx0[/URL] And no cheating! :-) |
If there ever was a cult figure in the post-Coltrane tenor saxophone world, Steve Grossman was it. He first gained notoriety by being chosen by Miles in 1969, at the age of 18 (!), to replace Wayne Shorter. Depending on the setting, he demonstrates the obvious Coltrane influence, but also that of Sonny Rollins with an incredibly raw intensity in his sound. IMO, he was destined to be the greatest of the post-Coltrane modern tenor players, but personal circumstances seemed to derail matters. Things appear to be on track now. [URL]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-RpPr08P5Dg[/URL] [URL]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wLZoVnRXxuY[/URL] Acman3, this one's for you. "Stone Alliance" the band he formed with Gene Perla and Don Alias after his stint with Miles. [URL]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0ztXkXJ7GZM[/URL] |
Elvin Jones "Live At The Lighthouse" is one of those records that sit alongside Coltrane's "Giant Steps" as milestones in the evolution of modern tenor saxophone playing. Elvin Jones led an unusual quartet consisting of two tenor players and no piano. Alongside the already mentioned young Steve Grossman, the other tenor was Dave Liebman, another fantastic player in the post-Coltrane style; a style which would shape, to varying degrees, the way that just about all tenor players from that point forward would play the instrument. [URL]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BrIfp7F6wR8[/URL] |
The "greatest tenors" world lost one of the greatest yesterday at the age of 91. Frank Wess, member of The Count Basie Orchestra, jazz-flute pioneer, and one of the greatest tenors who played in the more traditional swinging, velvet tone style. RIP. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jD1cvia0i1o |
Speaking of velvet tone on the tenor, one of my very favorites, and one who is seldom mentioned is Plas Johnson. He also has an uncanny ability to play "in the pocket" as jazz players like to say. All the great tenors mentioned so far clearly swing their behinds off, a few simply have that "it" factor in their rhythmic concept; plas Johnson is one of them: [URL]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nU5gedgIUfs[/URL] For those who aren't familiar with his work, but keep asking themselves "where have I heard that sound before": [URL]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jBupII3LH_Q[/URL] |