5 Greatest Sax Solos (of all time)

**MarkRhodes** · 09-01-2014, 09:49 AM

Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo

Well, from the consensus of this thread, it's easy to see that jazz sax from this century doesn't hold a candle to sax solos from 40-50+ years ago for most. Jazz isn't dead, but it's most popular musicians are....

Jazz may be like television in the age of cable---endless options, too many for anyone to keep up with.

**henryrobinett** · 09-01-2014, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by princeplanet

I know the first 5 better than the last 5 in your list, and saw Potter live recently. Like the others, phenomenal player, way above my head- just didn't move me like the 50-60's greats do.

Out of curiosity, do you like these guys as much as the classic players named earlier in this thread? Or will you be diplomatic and say you "like them all - but for different reasons..."

I don't particularly like Eric Alexander but I love all the others.

George Adams most notably played with Mingus but also McCoy Tyner. He rode the wave between avant-garde screaming and pretty tonality. Kind of Ben Webster meets Albert Ayler.

Billy Harper is one of the great post Coltrane tenorists who has a big blues chromatic fast sound. I've always been a HUGE fan of his and even played one of his songs a LOT over the years.

Chris Potter everyone knows these days. The most popular of the jazz working tenor players - from Steely Dan to Dave Holland and everything in between. A great, great player who supposedly never copied a solo(kind of like me!).

Dave Liebman is one of my biggest heros. I bought the first 10 records of his I could find back in the day.Elvin Jones "Live at The Lighthouse" featured him and Steve Grossman on tenor/soprano and has become a bible of sorts for modern Coltrane modal sax players. I've ear transcribed that record three times - contrary to what I just said!

Michael Brecker has got to be hands down one of the greatest of all time post Trane players. Played with everyone and applied his style in jazz, funk, rock contexts without changing HIS style. Amazing technique that isn't gratuitous.

Joe Lovano - a favorite for a lot of modern tenor players, but I've never really gotten him. He has a flurffy sound that's imprecise or vague - to me. Very contrary to Brecker or Potter.

Gary Bartz - I love him. The first post Coltrane alto player who really sounded like Trane. Soulful. Started a Jazz/ R&B group NTU Music, african infused. Played with MIles and McCoy Tyner and Max Roach. I played with him last year. One of the highlights of my musical life.

Kenny Garrett - Alto. Picked up from where Bartz left off. Coltrane applied alto. Soulful. Payed(s) with everyone from Miles to Corea. His album "Songbook" is a classic as far as I'm concerned.

Dave Schnitter I only know from Art Blakey where he played for many years in the 70s. Great player. I've heard tenor players talk about him but I haven't heard much. East coast guy.

Oops! I left out Donny McCaslin - great player but his writing is what I really like. His album Declaration is great.

**henryrobinett** · 09-01-2014, 11:36 AM

Giant Steps is an etude. It's not a great tune on it's own. It's a study piece. Coltrane never played it live as far as I know but he was always play those changes on tunes. It was an exercise he adopted and applied a lot. And people do play them a lot these days too. Sones are either written with little Coltrane Changes or they're just forced.

**henryrobinett** · 09-01-2014, 11:50 AM

My list about is only my post 70s list.

**srlank** · 09-01-2014, 12:18 PM

Originally Posted by MarkRhodes

Jazz may be like television in the age of cable---endless options, too many for anyone to keep up with.

This is certainly true for me!

Saw Seamus Blake and Dayna Stephens a couple of years ago visiting NYC. Wow!Wow!Wow! And Holy Cow! LOL

Never heard of them before, but it is an experience that I will never forget.

A couple of favorites from the past:

Phil Woods with Jimmy Raney playing Stella by Starlight. Tried to find it on Youtube for y'all, but no find.

Another favorite--Hank Mobley --The More I See You

**princeplanet** · 09-01-2014, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by henryrobinett

I don't particularly like Eric Alexander but I love all the others.

George Adams most notably played with Mingus but also McCoy Tyner. He rode the wave between avant-garde screaming and pretty tonality. Kind of Ben Webster meets Albert Ayler.

Billy Harper is one of the great post Coltrane tenorists who has a big blues chromatic fast sound. I've always been a HUGE fan of his and even played one of his songs a LOT over the years.

Chris Potter everyone knows these days. The most popular of the jazz working tenor players - from Steely Dan to Dave Holland and everything in between. A great, great player who supposedly never copied a solo(kind of like me!).

Dave Liebman is one of my biggest heros. I bought the first 10 records of his I could find back in the day.Elvin Jones "Live at The Lighthouse" featured him and Steve Grossman on tenor/soprano and has become a bible of sorts for modern Coltrane modal sax players. I've ear transcribed that record three times - contrary to what I just said!

Michael Brecker has got to be hands down one of the greatest of all time post Trane players. Played with everyone and applied his style in jazz, funk, rock contexts without changing HIS style. Amazing technique that isn't gratuitous.

Joe Lovano - a favorite for a lot of modern tenor players, but I've never really gotten him. He has a flurffy sound that's imprecise or vague - to me. Very contrary to Brecker or Potter.

Gary Bartz - I love him. The first post Coltrane alto player who really sounded like Trane. Soulful. Started a Jazz/ R&B group NTU Music, african infused. Played with MIles and McCoy Tyner and Max Roach. I played with him last year. One of the highlights of my musical life.

Kenny Garrett - Alto. Picked up from where Bartz left off. Coltrane applied alto. Soulful. Payed(s) with everyone from Miles to Corea. His album "Songbook" is a classic as far as I'm concerned.

Dave Schnitter I only know from Art Blakey where he played for many years in the 70s. Great player. I've heard tenor players talk about him but I haven't heard much. East coast guy.

Oops! I left out Donny McCaslin - great player but his writing is what I really like. His album Declaration is great.

Cheers Big H,

Great info. Gonna try to check out some of these cats I know nothing about (Dave S, George, Billy and Donny).

**henryrobinett** · 09-01-2014, 02:45 PM

Great!! And of course Jerry Bergonzi!! How could I forget him?

**oilywrag** · 09-01-2014, 03:06 PM

George Garzone, tenor player from the States is worth checking out.
Dave O'Higgins, British tenor player also worth a listen.
For Alto, Alex Hahn is also worth a listen, does a great version of 'Sentimental Mood' with Marcus Miller.

Tom.

**henryrobinett** · 09-01-2014, 03:34 PM

I was going to mention Garzone. He does a killin' version of Have you Met Miss Jones with Lovano.

**Doctor Jeff** · 09-03-2014, 04:02 PM

Wow--those are all great suggestions. I've got a lot of listening to do.

Just off the top of my head, here are some of my favorites:

Coleman Hawkins, Body and Soul--I've heard this refered to as the birth of modern jazz, given the fact he played around the melody without actually playing the melody straight.

Lester Young, Lester Leaps In--he knew how to control his sound and pull the rhythm to his own ends.

John Coltrane, Crescent--the first JC record I ever owned, and still a revelatory song with a saxophone voice that is like a voice from another world.

John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley, So What--such soulful voices that are distinct but complement each other perfectly. I have listened to this album hundreds of times literally and still find something new in each listening.

Charlie Parker, Ornithology--on my first CP record, and still the best way to appreciate the inventiveness and energy of bebop.

Charlie Parker, Lover Man--the story is that he was in severe heroin withdrawal when he made this song. It's almost painful to listen to, it's so deep into his soul.

Stan Getz--the Girl from Ipenema--he transforms a simple folk song into an spiritual experience. One of the most recognizable instrument voices on the planet. (On a side note I went to school with his son, who was a few years behind me.)

**Phiberopttic** · 09-03-2014, 04:52 PM

I'd add Cannonball Adderley for Love For Sale, and John Coltrane's solo in Blue Train.

For more recent players, check out Water Smith III. I saw him with Ambrose Akinmusire a few months ago. They tore the place apart.

**ecj** · 09-03-2014, 04:58 PM

I think the "most important" list is pretty solid:

1) Coleman on "Body and Soul"
2) Lester on "Lester Leaps In"
3) Parker on maybe "Now's the Time" or "Koko", hard to pick just one
4) Coltrane on "Giant Steps"

and I hate to go double on one player but..

5) Coltrane on probably "Pursuance"

Coltrane had distinct periods, and they were equally influential on everyone who came later. Giant Steps doesn't really encompass his contributions, and almost everyone tries to play like Love Supreme these days.

If I could squeeze one more in it'd be Sonny Rollins. Probably Getz after that.

I'm surprised I haven't seen any Joshua Redman listed. I think he's my favorite modern player. His solo on "Wish" with Metheny is the stuff of legends.

**fumblefingers** · 09-04-2014, 12:18 AM

Originally Posted by henryrobinett

And one of my favorite Coltrane performances.

wow. making a name for himself at that time eh? playin' his ass off.

this is the kind of thing that gets others (won't say who) accused of overplaying.

**fumblefingers** · 09-04-2014, 12:24 AM

Dexter Gordon Blues Up & Down with Johnny Griffin was fun.

I like a lot of Coltrane.

A lot of Dexter Gordon. What a melodic player, never rushed himself.

I liked Brecker on McLaughlin's Jazz Jungle. Wild, wild shit.

Stan Getz was greatness, but I don't known his work well enough to call out tunes.

**henryrobinett** · 09-04-2014, 12:50 AM

Originally Posted by fumblefingers

wow. making a name for himself at that time eh? playin' his ass off.

this is the kind of thing that gets others (won't say who) accused of overplaying.

You could never accuse Coltrane of underplaying!

**calex** · 10-10-2014, 10:28 AM

Ike Quebec - Blue Samba !!!!!!!!!!!!

**hanktx** · 10-10-2014, 12:19 PM

Lots of cool names listed so far but I'll add a couple more that I've been listening to:

Jimmy Giuffre - "The Train and the River"

**henryrobinett** · 10-10-2014, 10:56 PM

I haven't gotten to Kenny's solo yet, but where was this recorded? The song is Chick's Bud Powell I believe.

Chick is one of my favorites.

**rictroll** · 10-10-2014, 11:17 PM

I believe Marciac is in southwestern France. The temperature was a little hotter there that night...

Me, too. But I love him most when he's playing with his generation more than with his young lions. All good players and no disrespect, but he really supports and listens with his older peers; more spontaneous perhaps.

The video really shows the amount a concentration and listening 'A' level players are capable of.

**henryrobinett** · 10-10-2014, 11:32 PM

Yeah but the album with Paul Motian and Eddie Gomez was Terrible. They sounded like three old guys. Maybe Motian was on his serious decline by then. And although the Akoustic Band with Weckl and Pattituci had the energy if a fusion band Chick played great, especially on Humpty Dumpty.

**Jazzpunk** · 10-18-2014, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by princeplanet

Well, either most of us are out of touch with "Modern" Jazz post 1970 - or Modern Jazz is out of touch with us, maybe?

I don't think it's just a "guitarists" thing, I've noticed other instrument's jazz forums share a similar predilection for classic era Jazz.

Maybe it's a Forum "thing" - maybe young and/or modern players don't use/need Jazz forums as much as we do?

There are thousands of members here and only 30 or so post on a semi-regular basis. I wouldn't infer too much about the appeal of modern jazz from a handful of opinions. I meet a lot more people who enjoy the current jazz scene when I'm out here in Los Angeles than I do on this forum. I also go to see a lot of modern players (young and not so young) so it's to be expected that the audience is there because they enjoy both the past and the present.

It is also incorrect to assume that because one is looking to the past for inspiration that one is trying to mimic those players. You can hear old school influences in most modern players but they take those ideas and blend them with everything else they've absorbed as opposed to pretending the last 50 years of music never happened. The influence of the greats is still there though.

**JazzVocab** · 10-18-2014, 05:43 PM

I'll give a shout out to Loren Stillman and Dick Oatts as well as some mentioned by others (in no order).. Bergonzi, JD Allen, Brecker, Chris Potter, Dexter, Ralph Bowen, Joe Henderson.

Great individual musicians, lots to learn from these top players!

**amejia83** · 10-18-2014, 06:07 PM

Haven't really seen any henderson. Love his recording on Silver's Song for my Father.

**henryrobinett** · 10-18-2014, 06:24 PM

Ralph Bowen is a beast!

**cosmic gumbo** · 10-18-2014, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by Reg

Gotta dig Kenny... one of my favorite old school solos was recorded Live in Berkeley Calif. Wes's album Full House.
Wes's solo is cool but Kenny.... His solo starts around 4:30

Kenny....?