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Hank Mobley
Fred Hersch
Herbie Nichols
Cecil Taylor
David Binney
There are so many, but these are the ones I'm constantly turning to with that "What WAS that?" question.
David
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03-04-2017 06:55 PM
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John Zorn
Jaco
Coltrane
Miles
Mingus
No surprises here.
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Miles Davis
John Coltrane
Fred Simon
Joe Zawinul
Lyle Mays
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Cannonball
Clifford B.
Bags
Sonny Rollins
Oscar P.
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Non-guitarist musicians commonly recognized as jazz players:
Paul Desmond stand alone on the list. Maybe because, as a young player, I didn't have many albums, but I had two of his.
An aside: I don't think he was an influence, but I also had a Johnny Hodges album (Con-soul and sax, I think was the title) which I listened to more than I listened to Charlie Parker with Strings, which I had too.
Other than Desmond, my influences tended to be guitarists -- and rock and blues players maybe more than jazz players. That's off topic here.
I have also been influenced, more recently, by players I've had the opportunity to hear and play with. I've listened very carefully to Robert Kyle (tenor). I love his playing and I have tried to incorporate his incredible feel into what I do -- although I think with very limited success.
Chromatic harmonica great Damien Masterson is another. Unique feel.
I remember loving Gerald Wilson big band arrangements. I heard them on Mort Fega's radio show on FM in NYC in the mid 60's. Really atmospheric. I don't know if that crept into my playing, though.
Oh, almost forgot. Ralph Sharon. He was Tony Bennett's pianist for a long time. What I love about his music is the way he comped in countermelody. So, for example, a turnaround would never be just some block chords. He was so melodic a turnaround would be a little song of its own. I think that did get into my playing, but it has to be the right situation -- swing music, vocals and no piano.
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Lester Young (above all)
After him in random order:
Bud Powell
Basie
The Duke
Dexter Gordon
When using the word "influenced", I think as much about attitude to making music (and playing with other musicians) as about individual stylistic traits.
Lester Young stayed true to his way of playing despite any opposition he met, and it was a lot. I love his smooth and laid back style which nevertheless swung hard in it's very own way. He really mastered staying in the groove - his own groove. He's one of the few musicians I can listen to all day long.
Bud Powell managed to become creator of a style of piano playing which set the agenda for decades despite his serious mental illness and later in his life the motor side effects of the neuroleptics he had to take.
Basie may not have been the worlds greatest virtuoso (though he could play far more than we hear on the Basie Band records) but he understood his place and role in the band better than most - and used that understanding to perfection. He and his rhtym section should still be a role model these days.
The Duke had this immense talent for writing new and unusual (for the time) music. He also had the strong personality to make his band, partly populated by individualists and primadonnas, play it for decades exactly as he wanted it to sound. He was once nominated for a big music price but was eventually bypassed in favor of a much lesser musician. When asked about how he felt about it, he answered: "I think The Good Lord don't want me become famous too soon." He was in his 60s by then.
Dexter Gordon was such a strong voice, had a great logic in his phrasing. And when he arrived in Denmark in the 1960s, he set out to discipline the Danish musicians, especially rhythm sections which were fairly sloppy at that time. For him music was not fooling around, it should be taken seriously.
And if I may bring a most underrated musician (there are many) to attention, check out pianist Jimmy Jones who played with Stuff Smith in the swing era but later became Sarah Vaughans accompagnist for many years. He had impeccable taste and the most delicate touch. Kenny Burrell rated him very highly. After Billy Strayhorn died, he now and then subbed for The Duke in the Ellington band when The Duke couldn't make it. Check out his ballad playing here (with Sarah Vaughan, 1954):
Last edited by oldane; 03-05-2017 at 05:04 AM.
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Coleman Hawkins
Lester Young
Charlie Parker
Paul Chambers
Sam Jones
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- Keith Emerson
- Trane/Miles
- McCoy Tyner
- Stan Getz
- Buddy Rich
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John Coltrane
Art Tatum
Stan Getz
Oscar Peterson
Buddy Rich
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miles..from Kind of Blue on
bill evans
jimmy smith
chick corea/herbie hancock/laffeyette gilchrist
Charles mingus
grover Washington jr
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ornette coleman
steve lacy
thelonious monk
gyorgy ligeti
ben goldberg
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Gary Burton (vibraphone)
Jan Garbarek (saxophone)
Eberhard Weber (bass)
Björn J:son Lindh (piano and flute)
Lyle Mays (piano)Last edited by Bbmaj7#5#9; 10-30-2019 at 02:54 AM.
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Bird
Coltrane
Sonny Rollins
Lester Young
Ambrose Akinmusire (More of an inspiration than a direct influence on my playing)
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Benny Goodman
Count Basie
Dizzy Gillespie
Charlie Parker
George Shearing
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Wow, I can't believe I missed this thread--awesome question.
I, too, got into Jazz by listening to John Coltrane--through my father. I melted The John Coltrane "Quartet" cassette album--the blue one with his portrait playing the horn--in my dad's tape player because we played it so much in the car. I can still hear "After the Rain" and "Tunji" in my head.
I gotta give a shout out to Henry. Out of everyone who I've heard who lists Coltrane as an influence, you can REALLY hear 'trane in Henry's playing!
My non-guitarist influences:
1. Miles Davis--Mr. SPACE man
2. Art Farmer--he did what Miles did, but his lines have a quality that is even more haunting. He knows how to land on those beautifully mysterious notes, especially on ballads--dang!
3. LTD--Mr. Dexter Gordon--Soooooiiiy Caleeeeeaaaaffahhh--I know that his lines aren't super complex, but they are incredibly lyrical.
4. Ben Webster--I can't play Bye Bye Blackbird or The Touch of Your Lips without hearing The Brute's (what a nickname) breathy phrasing.
5. Cannonball Adderly--It's simultaneously a shout and a chant, depending on whether you know anything about the roots of church music. Meaning Soul Church Music, I don't mean Bach Choralllls!--the way he talked to his audience and brought them into his world. That, and Cannonball had this incredible sense of swing. Other's have said it, so I'll say it some more. He never played double time completely straight (like everyone says you're supposed to straight out the feel when you play fast)--nah, he had a sway when he played quarter notes, eighths, and sixteenths--that's how I've been practicing my double time. Vincent Herring is the closest we have to Cannonball.
6. Oliver Nelson--he can solo in such a compositional manner it's ridiculous. That's because he was a composer as well. I still love his solo on Stolen Moments and his Sound Pieces Album--holy crap is that an exciting album! His early stuff is interesting because you can hear what he was reaching for, even at a young age.
Do I have room for some more?
I can't believe someone mentioned Ligeti--that's pretty bad ass!
7. Beethoven
8. Mozart
9. Glen Gould--though, hopefully not his posture
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Miles
Dexter Gordon
Sonny Rollins
Dr. John
The Blue Note crowd
Iiro Rantala‘s John Lennon record has opened up new perspectives for me recently.
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Louis Armstrong
Miles Davis
Charles Mingus
Frank Sinatra
Ella Fitzgerald
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Come to think of it, I learned a lot from the Manhattan Transfer Vocalese album.
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Dave Brubeck & Paul Desmond, Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Rich.
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My first two choices were family members. If not for them who knows if I would have my passion for music. But because of them, I had no choice but to be exposed to all musical styles, and every day I'm grateful for that. I could never figure out why other 8 year old's didn't dig Ragtime!
#1 My late Aunt, Lally Sargent, she played, performed, and taught all styles of Jazz & Church music on a B3 organ for 80 of her 94 years. She even drove around in a Corvette convertible for 20 years and had the funkiest wardrobe I've ever seen.
#2 My Grandmother and sister of my aunt above. She was a Classically trained pianist who mostly taught privately for 60 years. She was my first music teacher. They also had a sister Bernadette who was a singer.
#3 Monk
#4 Chet Baker
#5 Bill Evans
If it moves me I don't care what instrument it is. Or what style. My Father composed symphonic pieces with his Kurtzwell keyboards that really influenced my playing.
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Donald Fagen - Harmonic Expansion
Stevie Wonder- Harmonic &Rhythmic Expansion
Michael Brecker- rhythms and the reckless speed with Soul ( soulful long notes mixed in )
McCoy Tyner -slight influence , the others you can actually* hear. Lol.
I first became aware of Brecker doing that Church Blues on the Saturday Night Theme at the end .
I heard this Tune when very young but always loved Soul Music/R&B..
This was a hit on the Radio when I was very young: so I could add him as an influence now:
That is some great Soul Music by Cannonball Adderly ...
Live Recording with near perfect intonation making the Horns sound like a larger Section ( to me ).
*Can I play Brecker type rhythms in my lines at tempo tight to the beat - unfortunately, yes.Last edited by Robertkoa; 10-01-2019 at 06:55 PM.
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I wish these players would influence my playing: (in no order...)
1. Jackie McLean
2. Sonny Rollins
3. Cannonball
4. Trane
5. Dexter
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Eddie Costa
Phil Woods
Bill Evans
Gene Puerling
Tony Scott/Jimmy Giuffre
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Vince Guaraldi- My first jazz experience was watching Charlie Brown. I love that swing he has in even his milder pieces. While “Linus & Lucy” is his most recognizable, the instrumental version of “Christmas Time is Here” just gets me every time.
Louis Armstrong- my other first jazz influence. Even his covers (Mack the Knife, Dream a little Dream of Me, La Vie En Rose) got me further into the genre. I am not as much into the modal stuff as the big band/trad and soulful styles (a la Billie Holiday).
Tony Bennett- just pure class. Nothing more will really add to that.
Gershwin- my other earliest jazz influence was also very orchestra oriented
Count Basie- I love the blues/jazz crossovers
Honorable Mentions:
Bennie Goodman- Probably the best rhythm section in trad jazz I could think of.
I want to add whomever wrote Manha de Carnival, because it’s my favorite jazz guitar piece, performed by Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin, and Paco deLucia. I could listen to it on repeat for hours.Last edited by zcostilla; 06-20-2019 at 12:21 AM.
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"
Gene Puerling"
I have to admit I had to google that name, but now I see he was in the Hi Lo's etc..
Elias Prinz -- young talent from Munich
Yesterday, 10:24 PM in The Players