best jazz tenor saxophones

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He is also playing at THE JAZZ ROOM in Waterloo, Ontario in early February of 2020 (The group is called THE CLIFFS OF MOHER). It seems like Charlie Rouse is doomed to be underrated forever. Less belligerent in his attack than Coltrane and Sonny Rollins, though not as smooth or silky as Stan Getz, Mobleys sonorous, well-rounded tone earned him the title The Middleweight Champion Of The Tenor Saxophone. Check out: GIANLUIGI TROVESI .6 Verano on YOUTUBE. Born Walter Theodore Rollins in New York, his career took off in the 50s and his big, robust sound, combined with his gift for melodic improvisation, gained him the nickname Saxophone Colossus. Id suggest strong in all parameters; no weak link in his chain of genius. According to the vapidness of a lot on this list, you should have included Kenny G and Boots Randolph as well. And his own album Jewel in the Lotus is an underrated masterpiece. Peter Brtzmann? Its status as one of the genres most important instruments is undisputed; even the most cursory glance at the list of musicians hailed as the best jazz saxophonists of all time is essentially a list of the most famous saxophone players ever. Just something to consider. Maybe next time expand the list to a hundred. Gerry Mulligan (#46! A form of lung disease has silenced Rollins tenor saxophone since 2012, but he remains the last great saxophonist of jazzs golden age. And what about Archie Shepp? Here, then, is our blow-by-blow countdown of the 50 best jazz saxophonists of all time. While my Father never liked the term smooth jazz, he played everything from be-bop to pop to fusion to r&b to soul to gospel and then some. This is a lame list. Would note that Jimmy Forrest is a candidate for the list, even though recordings are few. I like Stan Getz but in the top ten I dontt think so. The saxophone remains an iconic instrument in jazz, mastered by many musical geniuses. He appeared on many jazz fans radar when he played with Miles Davis in 1964. I think Grover Washington, who was one of the best live improvisers, and john klemmer deserve the list. Topping the list of the best jazz saxophonists ever is the man fans referred to simply as Bird. Here is Tim playing in a duo with BRAD MOGGACH. The late Jim Galloway from Canada? But it was altoist Charlie Parker who made the biggest impact with a technically challenging and harmonically progressive new form of jazz called bebop, in the mid-40s. His sound is powerful yet elegant. Texas-born Coleman caused ructions in the jazz world when he arrived in New York in 1959, armed with a plastic alto saxophone with which he unleashed the revolutionary concept of free jazz. Such a list is always subjective. Brought up on a strict diet of rhythmnblues, this Los Angeles altoist played in the bands of Gil Evans and Chico Hamilton before making his mark as a proponent of avant-garde jazz in the late 70s. From Baltimore, Maryland, Bartz plays both alto and soprano saxophones. Tim Moher from my home town of Kitchener, Ontario? Mobley is the guy I go out of my way to listen to because he never wears outalways soulful, inventive, the supreme melodist. If he also played tenor, someone please share the album title(s). SIN COMENTARIOS. So many greats are missing, especially mainstream players. Glad to see Stitt recognized, as well as Jackie Mac. The greatest 8, were, and I should know, for look at my email which is not a joke, it is because I play like Jaws, Jaws, Ben, Griffin, Dexter, Zoot, Jacquet, Rabbit, Cannonball, Joe Lovano Here is playing Spiderman with guitarist KEITH MURCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt0MTuTvPFc. Lovano is a supremely versatile musician who has played in a welter of different musical contexts and whose influences range from bop to African music. His fat, earthy tone and fluid, blues-infused style had a huge impact on a young John Coltrane, who cut his teeth in Bostics band in the early 50s. I especially liked her modulations in her improvised solo!! John was even making verbal statements about going exclusively with soprano sax because of its more spiritual sound. Californian tenor maestro John Zoot Sims took Lester Youngs sleek and mellow approach to jazz improv and fused it with the language of hard bop while filtering it through a cool West Coast sensibility. Though Dolphy died at a relatively young age (he was 36 when he tragically succumbed to a fatal diabetic coma), the reverberations from his pathfinding music can still be felt today. Does ProfessorB stand for music Professor Bob Witmer (York University, Toronto, Ontario). Wheres Hans Dulfer? You cant be taken seriously after that omission! Thanks for posting. BENNY HILL was a funny show as well. You DO NOT know what a true Jazz Master. Alvin Cohn enjoyed a long and fruitful collaboration with fellow tenor Zoot Sims and, together, the pair were considered by Jack Kerouac to be among the best jazz saxophonists of the 50s, and were asked to play on his 1959 poetry album Blues And Haikus. He was particularly fond of Eastern music and, as well as playing tenor saxophone, which he played in a hard bop style, he was a fluent flautist and oboist. This list is worthless. Young is regarded as the Poet Laureate of the tenor sax. You have glossed over jazzs foundations. Its the ability to solo and follow: As Duke said, If it sounds good, and feels good, then it is good. Much of it has to do with how our backgrounds and exposures affect what touches us most. Crawfords expressive, blues-inflected sound exerted a profound influence on a contemporary alto great, David Sanborn. A leading light of the post-war West Coast US jazz scene, Peppers rise to stardom began with stints in the bands of Stan Kenton. But those who are moved in the now tend to ignore that. Dubbed The Boss, Windy City native Gene Jug Ammons might have been the scion of boogie-woogie piano meister Albert Ammons, but he was drawn to the tenor saxophone and began his career in the 40s. Though he could swing with aplomb, Gordons forte was ballads, which allowed his rich, emotive tone to convey a poignant lyricism. I like most of the players listed, and regret some omissions. Or his daughter Candy Dulfer? From Woodville, Mississippi, Young a hipster who spoke in his own jazz speak argot rose to prominence during the swing era of the 30s, playing with Count Basie and Fletcher Henderson. How about Sonny Criss. A master of the swinging saxophone. RENE NETTO. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLLHZmRvMj4&list=OLAK5uy_kYNmW4pdq99QhTC5Q7VajuN48GPfk4DfA&index=1. Frank Lowe? He was integral to the more relaxed West Coast cool style. This Kansas City altoist was one of the principal architects of the post-war jazz revolution known as bebop, which emerged in New York in the mid-40s and would shape the trajectory of the genre for years to come. So many you either left out or never heard. Now that I think of it, that instrument would fit in nicely with this song. Sam Smith, Lil Baby & Gunna, And Summer Walker: Currently Trending Songs, Death Of The 60s: The Dream Was Over, But The Music Lives On. Mulligans resonant baritone sax appeared on countless recording sessions during his long and fertile career, including those by Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, and Dave Brubeck. Roland kirk should have been much higher up the list, Ornette is on the list. I think that Boots Randolph should be on the list. Brandford Marsalis and James Carter please, mostly on soprano sax And I am a big fan of Dexter Gordon too. With his breathy, intimate tone, New Jersey native Quebec is mainly remembered as a seductive ballad player whose career started in the 40s. For me, number two is Lester Young : much to say with a minimum notes. Baritone specialist Park Pepper Adams came from Michigan and was a stalwart of the Detroit scene, where he played with Donald Byrd in the late 50s and early 60s. At the Playboy Jazz Festival in Chicagos Soldiers Field, I witnessed people by the thousands heading for the exits during the Coltrane set. I forgot the ? after the first line in my last statement. I also played PICK UP THE PIECES (The Average White Band-right?) Chu Berry? UmmmWhere the hell is harry carney??????? Though diminutive in terms of his physical stature, the Chicago-born Griffins prowess on the tenor saxophone earned him the nickname Little Giant. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); William P Gottlieb/Ira and Leonore S Gershwin Fund Collection, Music Division, Library Of Congress, Pepper Adams, Baritone Sax & Clark Terry - "Straight, No Chaser" (T. Monk), TV, Sweden, Aug. 1978, Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Volunteered Slavery (Montreux 1972), Arthur Blythe Trio - Chivas Jazz Festival 2003 #7, Out To Lunch (Remastered 1998/Rudy Van Gelder Edition), Dig Dis (Remastered 1999/Rudy Van Gelder Edition), The Comet Is Coming Announce New Album Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam, Listen To Domi & JD Becks New Album Not Tight, Robert Glasper Teams Up With Masego On All Masks, The British Jazz Explosion Of The Late 60s And Early 70s. Steve Lacy? I AGREE!! MANY MUSICIANS HERE HAVE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST SAX AND CLAIRENT PLAYERS THAT THEY HAVE EVER HEARD. Please, listen to Max Ionata. From 1955, McLean started recording under his own name, impressing as a young exponent of hard bop. Coltrane would come in soon after that. Jazz is not just a succession of notes played in a particular way. My favorite stuff by Paul Desmond does not include Take 5. Though he liberated jazz both melodically and harmonically, Colemans crying alto sound was always steeped in the sound of the blues. Mulligan is overrated I would have him further down the list. Looking for more? For saxophonists, I dont usually compare alto players with tenors, baritone, soprano, though I guess one can. I shall definitely listen to CANDY DULFER playing her version and compare. Marsh was one of the most creative and original improvisers of all time. Gerry Mulligan is top 20 material, surely. They wont. no Serge Chaloff. So many of the others are very badly skewed. A fearless improviser. What is wrong with the world. Sorry folks. Hes the Sonny Rollins favorite. Why no British players? His big break came when he joined Ray Charles band in 1958 (where he originally played baritone sax), which helped to launch his solo career at Atlantic Records. Spot on. what a joke. He was a fearless improviser with an imposing but mobile sound. (I was one of several to last it out. Wheres Frank Strozier? Ive listened to them all and Criss is as good as anybody. decent list, but Coltrane should be number 1. and Hawkins higher then Getz. Theres no doubt that, if he were alive today, 19th-century Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax would be extremely surprised and pleased, too, no doubt at how the saxophone, which he invented and then patented back in 1846, has become universally popular, and was crucial in defining the sound of a 20th-century-born musical style called jazz. I remember transcribing one of Desmomds solos on BLUE RONDO A LA TURK and it was very hard to play on guitar note for note. Frank Trumbauer? Read my comment up above Bill! 2) Charlie Parker His florid, mellifluous style has often been compared with Charlie Parkers (many accused Stitt of copying Parker), but he began to develop his own voice after switching to the tenor sax. Desmond!Best Alto players! Greatest how? Are you talking about (and related to) Grover Washington, Jr? Soon after, he made his first recordings and caught the ear with his reedy soprano blowing, which had a tremulous vibrato and emotional intensity. Nicknamed Bean or Hawk, this influential Missouri-born tenor saxophonist was crucial to the development of the saxophone as a viable solo instrument. With its breathy timbre, virile tone, and broad vibrato, Websters bluesy tenor saxophone sound is one of the most readily identifiable in jazz. Sonny Stitt, John Klemmer, Rusty Bryant, Ronnie Cuber!!! Though he was affectionately called The Brute, Ben Websters forceful style of playing was tempered with a high degree of tenderness, especially on ballads. Of course, after Miller died, he took over the band. Required fields are marked *. No John Gilmore or Marshall Allen?? From Tulsa, Oklahoma, alto saxophonist Eugene Earl Bostic got his big break in vibraphonist Lionel Hamptons band just before World War II. Greatest lists are subjective , take them less seriously than some do here There are no greatests there are progenitors and influencesif they inspire no matter who they are, they have done what musicians have done for countless generations. I figure that at least a few females should be known. Discover the best jazz trumpeters and best jazz drummers of all time. (Check out some of the greatest movies lists # 1 The Matrix!). His album Short Stories is still as amazing as it was the first time I heard it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15DC-_cfh_w. THANK YOU, This Newark, New Jersey, composer and saxophonist (who alternates between soprano and tenor) enjoyed mainstream fame as part of fusion giants Weather Report between 1971 and 1986. Nature of the beast. He at least was recorded and published, which is more than the Blue Note execs did for Tina Brooks, perhaps the best of the Coltrane challengers with something original to say. Good to see Hank Mobley on list. Had he stopped right there, Id agree that he was the best of Hawk and Lester as well as an important shaman, maybe an angel or a saint. My AUTUMN IN MUSKOKA should really be called AUTUMN IN HEAVEN!! These lists are worthless and worthy of simply being ignored. Even among the best jazz saxophonists, few could play as soulfully as Stanley Turrentine. Ask any garage band or casual listener to play or hum Mr. Magic or Winelight, and they willthose songs are known worldwide. With his raw, wailing tenor sax sound, Argentina-born Leandro Gato Barbieri plowed a Coltrane-esque avant-garde furrow in the late 60s before making a more accessible form of music that embraced his Latin American roots. Not even a peep about grover Washington jr,wow. Like so many jazz musicians that worked in the 50s including many of the best jazz saxophonists of the era Peppers career was blighted with drug addiction. This eminent Norwegian composer and saxophonist (whos a master of both the tenor and soprano varieties of sax) has enjoyed a long and fecund association with the ECM label, where hes been since 1970. Dubbed the Lone Wolf, Boston-born Stitt started out as an alto saxophonist and began his recording career at the dawn of bebop during the close of the 40s. Both are very sad stories. A black man in front of me took off his white T shirt, waving it as a flag of surrender. He does a great version of YOU MUST BELIEVE IN SPRING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Too much happy jazz selections. 2) STRAIGHT LIFE-Art Pepper. Especially the likes of Henderson and McClean. A prolific purple patch at the Impulse! Florida-born altoist Adderley caused a sensation when he visited New York in 1955, and was soon snapped up to record the first of many albums during the next two decades. WALT GROCE Yet when he died in poverty, in 1894, Sax, who invented several other wind instruments besides the saxophone all of which bore his name would have seen that the saxophone had been adopted mostly by military marching bands, though his hope that it would feature prominently in classical music orchestras was not to be fully realized. Gerry Mulligan should be in the top twenty! IMHO that is a true sign of greatness and legacy Bird Lives! In this list I John Carter? Charlie Parker talked about Frank Trumbauer being an inspiration. Joshua Redman Parkers ornate style and prodigious technique, which combined melodic fluency with chromatic and harmonic ingenuity, proved profoundly influential. Did Peggy Lee Really Inspire The Margarita? I went to school with Richard at York University and have seen him numerous times at the Jazz Fest in Waterloo, Ontario. Idiot. However, her version of PICK UP THE PIECES is better than THE AVERAGE WHITE BANDS. Peter Brtzmann? To say he was so great there, given that Rollins, Coltrane and Griffin had been so inspired when they played with Monk, speaks eloquently of Rouses gifts. An adherent of hard bop but with a style packed with blues feeling, Ammons was a prolific recording artist who embraced funkified soul-jazz in the 70s. She is a virtuoso electric guitarist that actually plays full symphonies on the guitar. Or maybe the rest is too black for your effite pansy-ass.. Marion Brown & John Surman? Thats where the curators step in to validate or invalidate the taste of what we consider art left in our mouths and minds. Instead, he elected to plow his own distinctive furrow. In the late 60s and early 70s, Adderleys music became more exploratory. All 3 were very unique, avant-guarde musicians and saxophonists who changed and expanded the role of jazz sax. Your email address will not be published. All thinking, caring lovers of jazz are obliged to boycott these ludicrous lists paeans to the eviscerated, lobotomized American pop culture that jazz exposes and refutes. His band is called THE CLEFS OF MOHER which is a spoof on the CLIFFS OF MOHER (Ireland). Coltranes sense of lostness was unmistakable when he struck up an alliance with Ornette (a rank amateur in terms of technique compared to Coltrane). He made his recording debut in 1928 as a sideman, but, by the 30s, was leading his own swing band for which he was writing sophisticated charts that resulted in him doing arranging for the likes of Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Hank (rock and roll r&b genres) above Cannonball Adderly???? Sonny Stitt and Tubby Hayes were absolute prodigies; nobody, but nobody, played the instrument better. He often spoke about how he wasnt in the same league as the others but you have to admit he did a great Chattanooga Choo-choo.. recently with my Dad (a piano player) but I never imagined it with a saxophone. No Harry Carney, Sidney Bechet,Serge Chaloff and Steve Lacy. I remember transcribing and playing WINELIGHT as well as the saxophone solo. Charlie Ventura? Just for her solo on Its as if youd been There, she ought to be top of ANYONES list. Parker and Coltrane were the most creative and groundbreaking. I would have put Gerry Mulligan at LEAST in the top 10. Just do your list in alphabetical order. Earl Bostic is a joke, not a jazzplayer, No Arnett Cobb is a big mistake, Paul Desmond is only famous for Take 5. After Coltrane had completed A Love Supreme, he used the brief time left him to test the limits of total freedom, which is total chaos, uproarious cacophony, a void of self-indulgent bloat. You guys have short memories. Theres a few on this list I would trade out for James Carter. It was there, in 1939, where he was recruited by bandleader Lionel Hampton (who persuaded Jacquet to swap his alto for a tenor sax). I was pleased to see Dexter Gordon and Gerry Mulligan on the list. A move to LA, in 1956, signaled a change of direction for the saxophonist, who, four years later, ended up replacing Eric Dolphy in Chico Hamiltons group. His solo on Bye, Bye Blackbird, on which he doubles the number of choruses by Miles, is at once beautiful beyond words yet heartbreakingly sad when he offers the prize to an indifferent boss (Miles never spoke an encouraging word to him). Art Pepper would have Been far more worthy if his years werent stolen from him. mulligan must be much higher. WORTHLESS! So all of you are right. David Murray? He did things on the saxophone that nobody ever did. Cohn gained notoriety playing alongside Sims and Stan Getz in Woody Hermans Second Herd during the late 40s, and, despite being born and raised in Brooklyn, he came to be associated with the West Coast cool sound. Im not sure why he and folks like him (Gerald Albright, Jeff Lorber, etc) are never included in these lists, since their impact is beyond comparison! Phil Woods, Bird, Cannonball, But I must remind you that leaving out a true giant like Hermione Barnsfather is INEXCUSABLE. To leave him out is pretty silly. A member of the trailblazing Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet, this Texas tenor titan was at the birth of hard bop in the early 50s and later based himself in Los Angeles, where he offered a more vigorous alternative to the West Coasts omnipresent cool sound. Placement of the musicians will always be a never ending disagreement. But the painful ugliness of the sound he made on 4 different occasions was enough to detract from the beauties of A Love Supreme, the ingenious harmonic revisions of Giant Steps, and the multiphonics in the cadenza of his favorite tune, I Want to Talk About You (played on practically every Coltrane session I attended). A major exponent of hard bop, Griffin began his solo career in the 50s and eventually moved to Europe, where he stayed until his death. Warne Marsh should be in the top 10. i have his blue note collection and really love his sound. Michael Brecker (3/29/49) played with his older brother Randy (11/27/45)not his younger brother as written above. I have four words to add to this list Sam, Butera, Rudy, and Pompilli. Though in the early 70s Bartzs style gravitated to a more exploratory kind of jazz, his records became smoother and funkier as the decade progressed. I agree with a lot of the choices, But you missed on of the greatest and that is KING CURTIS. Standing at a towering six feet six inches, it was no wonder that this Californian doctors son was dubbed Long Tall Dexter. Not a very good list; Phil Woods, Serge Chaloff, Don Byas, Lucky Thompson, Wardell Gray, Booker Ervin, Cecil Payne, Steve Lacy, Bill Perkins, Chu Berry, better than at least 13 of your choices. Your expertise and credibility are nil. SIDNEY BECHET 25, COLEMAN HAWKINS 7? He spent several years as a featured soloist in Duke Ellingtons Orchestra, an important group that also nurtured great saxophonists like Kenny Garrett.

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