Who are your favourite saxophonists?

[rousseau]

I'm assuming the brunt of people playing the sax play jazz, but any type of sax playing welcome, whatever that may be.

Since getting into jazz, specifically, I'm realizing the number of greats, and even lesser known greats isn't huge, but what the hell, these types of conversations are always fun.

These days I've been listening to a lot of Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, but I can't (or don't make the effort to) distinguish their playing from many others who play a similar style. I find I'm usually more attracted to a specific style or mood of music at any given time and then gravitate to the artists who I know play that way.

I also had a period a few months ago where I was listening to late Coltrane quite a bit, very otherworldly experience with some of his albums.

 

[dx713]

Charlie Parker
Gerry Mulligan
Steve Coleman

 

[Bronzeage]

Clarence Clemons.

 

[laughing dog]

Art Pepper - his live material is spectacular IMO.
John Coltrane

 

[rousseau]

Charlie Parker
Gerry Mulligan
Steve Coleman

Forgot about Gerry Mulligan. His stuff's perfect for get togethers.

 

[Horatio Parker]

There are so many...

One pair that's kinda faded from sight is Lee Konitz/Wayne Marsh, here in Lennie Tristano's group

 

[Horatio Parker]

Eric Dolphy(ok on bass clarinet not sax) with Mingus playing A Train (Clifford Jordan sitting nearby is no slouch either).

 

[Thomas II]

 

[+or-1]

Paul Desmond for jazz, Junior Walker for pop. Honorable mention to Clarence Clemons though.


Most surprising (maybe it's just me)? Eddie Money

 

[blastula]

Kenny G. The G is for Gnarly!

 

[rousseau]

Kenny G. The G is for Gnarly!

Listening to Kenny G is what I imagine I'd do if I was a single alcoholic living alone in an apartment on the outskirts of Toronto.

Walk to the grocery store and get a bag of chips, come home, pour a glass of wine, put on a Kenny G record and stare longingly out the window.

 

[ronburgundy]

My favorite Sax solo in Rock in from Raphael Ravenscroft on the Gunner's Dream, from Pink Floyd's The Final Cut. It is also among my favorite songs generally.
It's not an amazing display of technical skill, but if it doens't wrench your heart, you should see a doctor to make sure you have one.
The song is about the last thoughts of a soldier dying in "some foreign field".



In general, Floyd made great use of the Sax in their songs, at least from Dark Side onward, and Roger Waters continued that in his first solo album "The Pros and Cons of Hithiking" which features David Sandborn throughout and Clapton on guitar. I think Waters' emotional intensity brought out some of the best work by either of those artists.