Saxaphone vs. Trumpet...Which do you prefer?


It’s not the first time I’ve thought about it, but it came up again last night as I was listening to Quintessence volume 2, Stan Getz and Chet Baker recorded live. (an amazing disc) I have to say that for myself, I prefer the saxophone because it seems capable of infinite textures and subtle shadings as well as eye opening dynamic shifts. Of course I love the trumpet too; especially in the hands of a player like Chet Baker.


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The most fun band I was ever in had two sax players---a tenor and a baritone. Great combination sound, heard on a lot of 50's Rock 'n' Roll records (Little Richard a personal favorite). The band, a Jump Blues/Swing combo, added a trumpet, and none of us dug it.

The worst fad in Rock was when hippie bands started adding a flute to their instrumental line-up. I was in one of those, too, and had to put my foot down. The bass player backed me up, so the flute was out. Too feminine. ;-)

Depends who's playing and what they're playing. Its not the instrument, its the music. 
Saxophone for much the same reasons as yourself. It does take someone like a Chet Baker or Louis Armstrong to get a halfway pleasant sound out of a trumpet. All too often trumpets just sound shrill and noisy whereas saxophones just ooze life and sensuality.

Probably also explains why I prefer Coltrane over Davis too.