uDiscover Music celebrates the 50 best jazz saxophonists of all time. Kenny G is more interested in flicking his curly hair against the wind than playing his instrument… He is considered Jazz however (unfortunately). Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2015. Charles parker will always be no 1, my name will soon enter the list. Custom sheet music transcription service. Mentioning his (or the names of most of his contemporaries) in a list such as this is akin to comparing G’s drum machine with Gene Krupa. Shopping. There is one man missing on the list who I regard as the greatest player besidedes Colterane and this is the one and only DEXTER GORDON! Tenor Madness is correct to speak of how Saxophonists influence other players. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. he seems a nice guy, but he is a pop artist, as people have said. Other saxophonists had come first, but he was the first one to truly catch the public’s eye and give the trumpet a run for its money as jazz’s primary instrument. (Photo: Carolinaperformingarts.org.). By the 1960s, he had moved on to introducing bossa nova to American audiences. David Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American saxophonist, most commonly associated with smooth jazz and pop-jazz fusion, along with a slight… Norman Brown 136,811 listeners Just be expecting uncomparable dexterity from Naija. I knew Griffin through Jaws. Ko-Ko, Scrapple from the Apple, Embraceable You, Ornithology. Paul Desmond, Chu Berry and Benny Carter. He pioneered the jazz lifestyle and image which saw jazz players as sophisticated intellectuals of uncompromising artistic integrity. Without the saxophone, a world where John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman would not exist, and that is not a world that many would want to live in. But this means their overall contribution was limited. Contemporary jazz tracks While he is known predominately for his work in the swing genre, he also had a hand in the development of bebop, forming a combo on Manhattan’s 52nd Street with Thelonious Monk, Oscar Pettiford, Miles Davis, and Max Roach. As one of the most sophisticated instruments in jazz, the sax is also smooth, has a lot of soul and has a way of making the sax player appear cool and dare we say it, sexy as well. See more ideas about saxophone, saxophone players, female. St. Thomas, Oleo, Doxy, The Freedom Suite. Well of course its impossible to agree on a given ten, and I’m not agruing aboiut any of the above, but for listening pleasure over the years, I want to reserve a place for Gerry Mulligan. He started at a young age, joining Jack Teagarden’s band at the age of fifteen in the 1940s. Also a competent bandleader and composer, his work would inspire the likes of Ron Carter, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, and Frank Zappa. You do have to break up alto and tenor. Even More Bizarre and Mysterious Deaths from History, 10 Strange and Unexpected Grounds for Divorce, More Shocking Facts About the Russian Empire, Vienna 1913: The Surprising Hotspot for Massive Historical Figures, Top 10 Witty (and Badass) Quotes from Ancient Sparta, 10 Countries Where It’s the Easiest to Own Guns, What are the Best & Most Famous Palindromes, Josip Broz ‘Tito’ Biography: Too Tough for Stalin, Adrian Carton de Wiart Biography: The Unbreakable Soldier. A frequent collaborator with Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Charlie Parker, he continuously pushed the envelope of what was acceptable in jazz. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had a time machine, we could all go back in time and see all the great sax player, I have tried to name my the best top ten, but I just can’t do it, there are just to Meany fantastic musician out there, some are gone some are still here, and I thank them all for the joy they have given me. Your Amazon Music account is currently associated with a different marketplace. Parker was to sax what Hendrix was to guitar. If Grover was instrumental in the “smooth” jazz (bowel) movement, he’s turning in his grave. They were as unique as the rest. Desfinado, The Girl from Ipanema, Early Autumn. Jaco Pastorious, while not a saxophonist was hugely influential and died tragically young. It must have been hard to limit this list to top 10 considering the likes of Michael Brecker and Wayne Shorter and even (I ABSO-FRIGGIN-LUTELY hate to say this, believe me! everybody stole from clifford on how the trumpet is to be played. (lockjaw). Saxophone Players Sax Resources for Pop, Rock, R&B and Commercial Jazz styles, smooth jazz, related work, helps for working saxophonists, articles and lessons. He would also go on to record many important pieces with his brother Nat Adderley. Only those who don’t know what jazz is refer to Kenny as jazz. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. When he is not on tour, Loew is a freelance saxophone player with Minneapolis bands, Mick Sterling and Friends, Patty Peterson and Friends, Shaun Johnson's Big Band Experience, Genesis Jazz Orchestra and his own Ronny Loew Band. He has performed in jazz festivals around the country including the Playboy Jazz Festival in Los Angeles. Their smooth songs, accomplishments, and awards speak for themselves. To me and many other musicians, smooth jazz is abhorrent because of the schmaltzy phrasing of the lead instrument - often saxophone - and the cheesy arrangements. Giant Steps, Acknowledgment (From a Love Supreme), In a Sentimental Mood. In honor of his contributions, he received a posthumous Special Citation from the Pulitzer Prize Board in 2007 for “masterful improvisation, supreme musicianship and iconic centrality to the history of jazz.”  Without Coltrane, jazz, and music as we know it, would be completely different. One of the earliest players on this list, Sidney Bechet was the first jazz artist to become famous playing the soprano saxophone. Musicians tend not to like it because it … Hard to pin it down to just 10 thought…..this list ommited such influential musicnans as Ornette Coleman, Wayne Shorter and Paul Desmond, Let’s give some love to Stanley Turrentine and Scott Hamilton…. It features heavy use of electric instruments a smooth R&B inspired beat and melodies. As the guitar is the main instrument of rock and roll, the saxophone is seen by many to be the main instrument of jazz. Give us more Texas Tenors…. Nicknamed “cannonball” (actually a childhood corruption of “cannibal” because of his appetite) by his peers, Julian Adderley played with some of the most important jazz musicians of all time and became one of the most widely regarded hard bop players. Collection: Smooth Jazz: Sax At Midnight Bio For works entitled The Collection, see The Collection (disambiguation). Classic smooth jazz backing tracks. Straight up smooth jazz, made for grown ups. Privacy Policy | TopTenz T-Shirts | Sponsors. In addition to Count Basie, he also accompanies Billie Holiday; but he is ultimately most remembered for his work with Count Basie where he helped define its signature sound. He had a rich tone and sported a heavy vibrato that gave him a distinctive sound. Copy link. my fav. There has never been another jazz musician who changed the game of jazz as much as Charlie Parker, and we are forever in his debt for it. after him died? His soloing is more focused on thematic improvisation instead of expanding on a chord or a particular melodic line. Such is a fitting tribute to one of jazz’s bravest pioneers. At times his playing was more diverse than Parker, using complex chromatic and continuous lines; but, he was also known for having a simpler blues and gospel influenced style. His personal sound ran the gauntlet from twelve tone scales, tonal bebop, and lifelike human and animal sound effects. In a few years he would play under such masters as Stan Kenton, Jimmy Dorsey, and Benny Goodman. Wayne Shorter should be on this list. His fellow artists, including Count Basie, were very impressed by his playing. While he may not be as well known as Parker and Coltrane, he was one of the most important figures in the 1950s and 1960s jazz scene. Biographics – History, One Life at a Time. He would continue on in future decades to work in jazz fusion before settling down to work in the San Francisco Bay area as a teacher at Stanford University. Custom backing tracks service. Sonny Rollins is quite simply one of the greatest tenor saxophone players who ever lived. The smoothness makes it appealing to both core jazz lovers and core R&B lovers View wiki (141) High-Hats on Main (5) In Our CD Players This Month (119) Jazz Personality (16) Peter's Smooth Jazz Page (42) Ronald Jackson's Smooth Jazz Gateway (87) Secret Garden (227) Smooth Jazz News (285) Smooth Sailing (19) Song From The Desert (78) The Hot Seat (2) While some would argue that the trumpet is the most important instrument in jazz, it is undeniable that whenever a new development occurred in jazz, a saxophonist was never too far away. When Adolphe Sax made the first saxophone in 1841, he could never have imagined how popular it would become. Along with musicians like Charles Mingus, Cecil Taylor, and Ornette Coleman, he pushed the genre of jazz into new stratospheres in the 60s with the emergence of free and avant-garde jazz. With a smooth, light and airy tone, Young was a master of musical understatement. He has played with some of jazz’s greatest talents, including Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Art Blakey. Take a second to support Toptenz.net on Patreon! There was before Charlie Parker, and there was after Charlie Parker. Coltrane died 1962, too young, yes. This list is comprised of ten of the most influential jazz saxophonists who ever lived. By examining its most important players, we can actually trace the history of jazz. The definitive swing tenor saxophonist, Hawkins had one of the most recognizable voices in jazz with his full tone, flowing lines that never seemed to end, and heavy vibrato. 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