How About the Blues

[weevies]

:shock: I see a lot of Jazz reccommended, but Im new here so I hope I dont offend by asking if anyone has any reccommendations for some good Blues tenor for a beginner to be inspired by.
I live in New Zealand and just started learning on a rented tenor about 3 months ago am Im loving it ---- but I just love the blues --- as well as Jazz of course.
Weevies

[G-dawg]

There are quite a few out there, but Stanley Turrentine & Gene Ammons pop into my head immediately.

[rob]

:shock: I see a lot of Jazz reccommended, but Im new here so I hope I dont offend by asking if anyone has any reccommendations for some good Blues tenor for a beginner to be inspired by.
I live in New Zealand and just started learning on a rented tenor about 3 months ago am Im loving it ---- but I just love the blues --- as well as Jazz of course.
Weevies

'Blessing In Disguise' by Sonny Rollins from 'East Broadway Run Down'.
Infinite possibilities.

[ajcurtis]

How about that great New Orleans tenor player Joe Huston 'The Return of Honk' on JSP Records JSPCD2137

[candiceartisan]

Hank Crawford, tenor. CD "Night Beat".

[Dog Pants]

G'day Weevies,

Mate, never apologise for being a "Blues Bum." Far better to be a Blues Bum than a pretentious Jazz ****** any day. (hang on, dont start firing until I've finished painting the target on myself).

I could write a bloody great long list, but best bang for the buck, go to amazon and grap the 3 CD set called "Giants of the Blues/Funk Tenor Sax." It is a fantastic collection and you'll get to hear most of the names that will probably be posted as suggestions here. There's not a bad track on the whole collection and it has to be one of the best "Blues Lick Library" albums around. There are other colllections around too such as "THe Big Horn" and "HOnker and Bar Walkers" etc and they're great. For just straight up great blues playing though, I don't think I've ever bought a better 3 CD set than the "Giants of the Blues?Funk Tenor Sax."

[BlueNote]

Houston Person.

[Dog Pants]

Houston Person.

Houston's on that 3 CD set Blue Note;

"Goodness"
+
"Chains of Love" with Babe Clarke.

Great stuff!

[RS]

Red Prysock. Sil Austin. Roomful of Blues' sax players past and present such as Greg Piccolo and Doug James. Jump Blues usually has good blues sax. Check out some Wynonie Harris. New Orleans RnB has a lot of blues sax like Lee Allen and Red Tyler.

[Dog Pants]

If you were to get "The Big Horn," and "Giants of the Blues/Funk Tenor Sax," you would get to hear everyone mentioned above with few exceptions. Not a bad way to cover a lot of ground and then see which players you want to investigate further.

[Tim Price]

Listen to Clifford Scott w/Bill Doggett.
Check out David Fathead Newman.

Listen to Early Illinois Jacquet,get everything Gene Ammons ever did.

Listen to Greg Piccolo with Roomful of Blues.Try to find anything by Red Tyler.

Listen to Bird play "Nows the Time. Get anything Arnett Cobb or Red Prysock
ever did-

Listen to anything by Red Holloway.

Find the c/d="Coltrane plays the blues"-its killer.

Listen to Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with Count Basie.LISTEN TO JOHNNY HODGES WITH
Duke Ellington-talk about blues!!!!!!!!

Then study Pervis with Buddy Johnson band;
Pervis Henson...was the tenor player
in the Buddy Johnson band.
IMHO....Pervis WAS one of the daddys.
In the 70's , and I'm not to sure even
before that......PERVIS was the
counter guy at Mannys in NYC .
A well dressed brother who was one
helpful man to me when i was a young guy. .
Once I found out who HE was....
that this was THE MAN...Pervis
Henson...who played " Crazy ' Bout
A Saxophone "....I was awe struck.
Also confused as hell as WHY a player
of this stature had to have a day gig.
In 1973 I went to a jam session at the
Union in NYC and got my horn out and signed the list to play .As I waited...
someone started the tune .." I'm in the Mood for Love" ...as a ballad. The
tenor was killin'....just as happening as Moody
or King Curtis....maybe something
like a cross of both- kinda. Purvis then
played a Bird blues- THAT WAS IT...
my horn went back in the case as did
every other sax player in the room.

THE STUFF.....Pervis played was
ridiclous.WOW !!!8-) ;) :shock: :D

The next day I intensionally went into
Mannys to tell him how moved I was.
this guy was world class.AND HAD A DAY GIG-AT MANNYS MUSIC IN NEW YORK. To survive. ( damn !$@!@$)
I always wonder how a guy like Pervis got pushed to the side from
the biz.What a crime.Check him out- he's on some Buddy Johnson stuff and some re-issue Mercury R & B stuff. Greg Piccolo loves Pervis- I've heard Pic'
play note for note Pervis solos.


What R. the blues?? Think about it when you play.

It's past a horn or mouthpiece.

The blues is......


Dewey Redman at 3 A.m in a Texas
jazz club playing with a Mexican
rhythm section ....doing ..." Freddie
the Freeloader ". And everyone in the club
is drunk on tequila, and has no ideas who Dewey is..


OR- Hank Crawford in a Chicago club playing
HIS HEART OUT TO 15 PEOPLE , INCLUDING BAR HELP.


- The blues is...
Players with day gigs having to do a day gig ...when
players that ain't even half his level are
making fortunes.


- The blues is...goin' to Tower records
and not finding one Dave Woodford Cd
in the BINS ...WHEN HE SHOULD
have as many as anyone.


- The blues is realizing the days of the
6 night a week gigs are gone......LONG gone.


- The blues is paying your own blue cross
and blue shield !!


- The blues is seeing some chuckelheads working as a blues band and not knowin'
**** about where the REAL roots are. lol-


YUP- the blues can be many thangs-
But FEELING is a key factor.

[hgiles]

Junior Walker?

[tjontheroad]

Find the c/d="Coltrane plays the blues"-its killer.

I love that CD. That's the tracks that made want to play the sax. A+++

[Bill Mecca]

Noble "Thin Man" Watts, AC Reed, Paul Bascomb, Frank"Floorshow" Culley, Big Jay McNeely, Eddie Shaw, Rusty Bryant, etc etc etc etc etc....

[Tim Price]

Speaking of Noble Thinman Watts, :D
One of HIS licks right here at SOTW ;
http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/Blues1.html

also listen for; ; ; ; ; ;

try:
Jimmy Wright
Eddie Shaw
Red Prysock
Jimmy Forrest
Rene Hall
Jimmy Coe
Charlie Singleton
Jesse Powell
Buddy Lucas
Bobby Parker
Lee Allen
Paul Bascomb
Ray Abrams
Illinois Jacquet
Red Holloway
Julian Dash
Earl Bostic
Eddie Davis


to name but a few also check out:

Steve Douglas
Greg Piccolo
A.C. Reed

[rob]

Or...

The Blues is the American Haiku.
It came out perfectly formed.

It makes you feel pretty.
When you blow that horn.

It gave your papa hope
And your mama too

It's the deepest way to tell a tale that people ever knew..

Oh it's the blues..
And they just can't make it go away.

So we'll sing those lowdown blues
Every night and day.

Sing that blues.

[Gminor7]

I'm new to the forum, and not even a sax player -- but I love 'em all. Just wanted to add WILLIS JACKSON to the blues-sax club. See Amazon -- Willis Jackson with Pat Martino "Gravy". First listen to "Brother Elijah" made me jump out of my chair. Serious Blues.

[weevies]

Wow --- thanks guys ---- a BIG parcel on the way from Amazon
Weevies

[rleitch]

Hey Weevie,

As you can see, there's no shortage of enthusiasm for blues tenor playing on SOTW:D

What you got there was a list of Giant Monster Players who are so good at what they do it's a kind of miracle.

If you want some insight on what those guys are actually doing, check out Dennis Taylor's Book/cd on the styles of the classic Blues Tenor players. And, for goodness sake, take a look at the cool breakdown of Lee Allen's "Walkin' with Mr. Lee" on Pete Thomas' website

Rory

ps. I think it would be a good idea, too, to paddle over to Dogpants' neighbourhood right away and do some serious busking in front of his house;)

[Neil Sharpe]

If you haven't checked it out already, SOTW has a new Blues, R&B, and Rock n' Roll Teaching Resource.
http://www.saxontheweb.net/Rock_n_Roll/

The Introduction reviews great players and solos from the 1930's to date.
http://www.saxontheweb.net/Rock_n_Roll/RockSax01.html