I love Jazz music - the Saxophone blows tho

[KilgoreTrout]

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Give me a favorite Sonny Rollins song and I'll buy it from itunes

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It's mainstream, but my favorite Rollins tune is St. Thomas. Lovely melody, cool rhythm, accessible. Seen him live a few times in large and small venues. What a performer. Where he uses session musicians on tour, to see his subtle conducting, guiding these guys through the tunes, is special.

[Wynton]

Not sure what to say about this. Everyone's entitled to their own taste and opinions.

But I cannot relate to disliking the sax. In fact, I can't say I dislike any particular instrument. But I think the sax is, if anything, more capable of evoking a wide breadth of emotions than any brass instrument.

And there is hardly one, type of sax sound.

Compare Stan Getz or Paul Desmond to Dexter Gordon or Coltrane. Compare Jackie McLean or Arthur Blythe to Cannonball Adderley. If you think there is one sax sound, then you just haven't been exposed to that many players.

[Big Bend]

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But I think the sax is, if anything, more capable of evoking a wide breadth of emotions than any brass instrument.
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If you think there is one sax sound, then you just haven't been exposed to that many players.

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Yep, thats me, haven't heard a sax solo yet that moves me. Either they are too grating and scratchy, or too "smooth" (Kenny-G barf), or whatever. Like I've said before I love all kinds of jazz (and blues!), but haven't found a sax player yet that I find enjoyable to listen to. Just something about that instrument that I find quite unpleasant.

No question its one of the most expressive instruments around tho, and I guess I'd rather listen to it than a crappy electronic keyboard solo.. but still, give me a guitar, piano, bass, clarinet or brass solo anyday of the week instead.

So as suggested I bought Sonny Rollins St. Thomas off of itunes from the Saxophone Colossus album. The drum and piano solos are great, but the Sax stuff, while quite expressive, again is just something that reminds me of fingernails on a chalkboard. Oh well, I'm hopeless.

L8r ya'll.. BB

[fredericksburg]

The saxophone is probably my favourite instrument, especially the alto and tenor. Agree with other posters about Sonny Rollins. Another of my favourite saxophonists is Charlie Parker. For me there are few better sounds than a really good piece of saxophone improv, it can capture my imagination in a way that few other instruments can.

If you like fusion and more modern sounding jazz, I would recommend Courtney Pine or Soweto Kinch, a saxophonist / rapper who mixes in hip-hop and reggae influences to his music. I would suggest listening to his "Conversations with the unseen" album if you are interested.

[OrigamiSensei]

I won't say I can't stand the sax but I do find that it is often cliché and overrated in its usage. I admit to preferring a piano/bass/drum trio for more mellow moments and dixieland/big band/swing for more energetic music. I pretty much dislike most fusion as being generic and repetitive.

Having seen Kenny G in concert several times because my wife is a fan - gack! I have no doubt the guy is talented but his music makes me want to gag.

[MrWookie]

I'm going to have to agree with the OP, to a degree. I certainly don't hate the saxophone, but it's not my favorite jazz instrument. That's not to say that listening to even a talented sax player is like nails on a chalkboard -- far from it -- but few sax solos grip me the way other instruments can. Within the set of saxes, though, my preferences are probably a little weird. My favorite saxes are the baritone and, oddly enough, the soprano. My love of the soprano sax is mostly because Sidney Bechet was an absolute monster and not because I care for what Kenny G has done with it. I tip my hat to Coltrane's version of My Favorite Things, too. There haven't really been any soprano sax players outside of Bechet and Coltrane who've moved me like they could, so perhaps my love of this instrument should be rebranded as a love of a couple musicians. I do love me a good bari sax, though. Hearing someone honk on one of those solo or or hearing that rich, low vibration in a chord between the bass and everyone else always brings a smile to my face.

Why don't I have as much love for the tenor, or especially for the alto (my least favorite of the four)? I'm not sure. I think some of it is just that I feel like I've heard it all before. Having listened to Charlie Parker, Johnny Hodges, Cannonball Adderly, Sonny Rollins, Sten Getz, Gerry Mulligan, among other masters, maybe I'm just difficult to impress anymore when I hear these instruments, even though hearing someone wail on the bari still gets my attention.

[Phat Mack]

Played w/ Brubeck. Check him out.

[Fishwhenican]

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Within the set of saxes, though, my preferences are probably a little weird. My favorite saxes are the baritone and, oddly enough, the soprano.

I do love me a good bari sax, though. Hearing someone honk on one of those solo or or hearing that rich, low vibration in a chord between the bass and everyone else always brings a smile to my face.


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I agree, Love the Bari and soprano Sax! When I was younger I used to go See Maynard Ferguson whenever he was around. His backing big bands were really really good. I remember him having a guy, named Bobby Militello who honked on the bari like no ones business. He also played a mean jazz flute. He also did some work with Dave Brubeck that I haven't heard but I bet it would be good as well. This guy was one of the best sax players I remember hearing from so many years ago. His bari and flute solos kicked major butt!

FWIW - How someone can not like the Sax at all is beyond me. Granted Bad Sax is horrible but god Sax is really good.

[Nut4Dawgs]

I never cared all that much for sax until I saw/heard Kirk Whalen. He does things I just never seemed to hear from anyone else. Went out the next day and bought his CD's.

[Wynton]

Just happened to come across this clip of Sal Nistico, and decided to use this thread as an excuse to post the link.

Burning Sal Nistico solo with Woody Herman