Coltrane and soprano sax

[roman]

Is it true that J. Coltrane introduced soprano sax to jazz music as a solo instrument?
Anyway, it's interesting to know any opinion on what aesthetic motives underlied his turn to soprano sax.
By the way, saxes of what firms he preffered?

[Dave Dolson]

Roman: Not true. Sidney Bechet's first recordings were 1923 (KANSAS CITY MAN BLUES and WILD CAT RAG) with Clarence Williams' Blue Five. DAVE

[Martin Williams]

to answer the second part of your question - for the majority of his careerhe played selmer saxes
the tenor w/ an otto link mpc, and the soprano with a selmer mpc

[J.Max]

Is it true that J. Coltrane introduced soprano sax to jazz music as a solo instrument?
Anyway, it's interesting to know any opinion on what aesthetic motives underlied his turn to soprano sax.
By the way, saxes of what firms he preffered?


I'm not a great jazz historian, but there was a reason he started playing soprano (beyond aesthetics) later in his career. I want to say that it was health related, but I can't remember...

[cornific]

i heard that miles planted the seed, i do not have an official scource for this but i vaguely recall that miles either gave him the idea to play soprano, or a horn, maybe he just put a soprano in tranes hands. i think trane was resistant to the idea at first. but then it cought on.

i'm sure someone here will correct this, or know more details if i am on the right track here. if i knew where i heard this i would be a bit more assertive about it. as i don't it is just offered as a teaser.

[Martinman]

I heard that he was having issues with his jaw. I don't know if this is correct or not though.

[whaler]

At the end of his career, he only played tenor, but he played a lot in the stratosphere, so it could have been that he was hearing the higher reaches of the horn earlier and thought he needed the soprano to achieve it. Phew! That was a longa** sentence!

[cornific]

from pbs jazz bio

He rejoined Davis and worked in various quintets and sextets with Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Chambers, Jones, and others (1958-60). While with Davis he discovered the soprano saxophone, purchasing his own instrument in February 1960.

from wiki coltrane bio

Around the end of his tenure with Davis, Coltrane began playing soprano saxophone, an unconventional move considering the instrument's near obsolescence in jazz at the time. His interest in the straight saxophone most likely arose from his admiration for Sidney Bechet and the work of his contemporary, Steve Lacy, even though Miles Davis claims to have given Coltrane his first soprano saxophone. The radical change in his tenor style after leaving the Davis group was due partially to a problem with his mouthpiece and acute pain in his gums, another possible reason for taking up the soprano, on which Coltrane could reach higher registers and generally played faster.

[J.Max]

Miles took credit for giving him a soprano? Like most Miles Davis claims, I take that one with a grain of salt. He'd have claimed to have taught Coltrane how to play the saxophone if he thought he could get away with it...

[cornific]

Miles took credit for giving him a soprano? Like most Miles Davis claims, I take that one with a grain of salt. He'd have claimed to have taught Coltrane how to play the saxophone if he thought he could get away with it...

sho nuff ...

His interest in the straight saxophone most likely arose from his admiration for Sidney Bechet and the work of his contemporary, Steve Lacy,

here it is implied that steve lacy was exploring the soprano before trane. i don't know the steve lacy dates and how the sync up with tranes interest with soprano. as far as bechet is concerned, in some respects he may be first to use any saxophone seriously as a lead instrument in jazz as he predates everyone. he was doing virtuostic improvised solos on the saxophone before any one else i can think of this early in the morning. even louis armstrong was inspirated by bechet, and louis is credited with opening up the soloist role. to my ears bechet was there first. but i have never sat down and compared the dates. so i may be wrong bout that ...

[Grumps]

Like most Miles Davis claims, I take that one with a grain of salt. He'd have claimed to have taught Coltrane how to play the saxophone if he thought he could get away with it...

He did. It's just too bad Coltrane forgot everything once he left...

[Kritavi]

Although somewhat in obscurity Lacy was working with the soprano prior to Coltranes aquistion of one. He started as a soprano player in the traditional style but evolved out of that and found himself in uncharted territory as the first real contemporary soprano player.
The claim that Miles gave JC the soprano is substantiated in one of Ashley Kahns books, I think it is the one on A Love Supreme.

[Jazzed]

Yes, the Kahn's book on A Love Supreme says that Miles gave Trane his first soprano. Paraphrasing-- Miles did Trane 3 big favors, he hired him, he fired him and he gave him a soprano.

There's also a contradicting story I read somewhere that a fellow musician that was playing with Trane left a soprano in a car on a road trip and Trane started checking it out upon finding it.

[J.Max]

Totally off-topic...Miles' autobiography is one of the funniest books I've ever read. That Miles was a Mother******!

[Selmer's_glu]

Steve Lacy was playing soprano since he was a teenager, in the early 50s.

Lacy claimed that it was his influence on Coltrane, to play the soprano in 1959.

Another book claims that Coltrane gave some "beatnik-type" guy a lift, back to NY & he left an old Conn Soprano in the trunk of his car, which Trane started to mess around with.

Miles, in his book, says he gave him his first soprano & told him to play it.

Guess what, Kiddies?

They're ALL DEAD now & its anyones guess as to what the truth is....we probably we'll never know!

[Alto Giant]

Is it true that J. Coltrane introduced soprano sax to jazz music as a solo instrument?
?

NO!

It was Sidney Bechet. And he was the guy Trane listened to for soprano sax. Has noone before me posted that?

Toby

[shotgun]

According to J.C. Thomas, in his book Chasin' the Trane, Coltrane's music teacher Dennis Sandole at the Granoff School of Music planted the idea in Coltrane's head somewhere around 1951.

[Kritavi]

I have a recording of Earl Bostic on soprano but I don't know when it was recorded. Given his influence on Coltrane and his forsight in hiring Trane early on I can't help but wish to know which of them found the instrument first. It is a recording of Your Cheatin' Heart by Hank Williams and like every single thing Earl ever recorded it is an excellent performance.
Anybody know more about this?

[Dave Dolson]

Alto Giant: See the second post in this thread. It was BECHET, not Lacy or Coltrane or Earl Bostic, or anyone else. DAVE

[Alto Giant]

Alto Giant: See the second post in this thread. It was BECHET, not Lacy or Coltrane or Earl Bostic, or anyone else. DAVE

All right;) ..does anybody know who was the first person who introduced the saxophone as such into jazz???

[Dave Dolson]

I'm betting Paul Cohen knows. I'll also guess that Bechet was the first, but he had some comtemporaries like The Six Brown Brothers and Rudy Weidoeft. At least Bechet was the first well-known saxophonist in jazz. DAVE

[queperknuckle]

Trane is bad *** on that soprano. Listen to his recording of autumn leaves on soprano. Try to find this live performance. He really, really tears it up. I'll post the album later.

[blodviol]

I thought Coltrane started playing the sop so he could get higher than on his tenor. He never improvised much in the lower registers on the tenor, but he did on the sop, so i guess he just extended his range upwards...

He has a beautiful tone on both horns, no question.

Tristan

[asaxman]

All right;) ..does anybody know who was the first person who introduced the saxophone as such into jazz???
Again, it would be Bechet.

[Jazz House]

I'm not a great jazz historian, but there was a reason he started playing soprano (beyond aesthetics) later in his career. I want to say that it was health related, but I can't remember...

I think that he had some rather horrible tooth and gum aches. Poor guy. :(

[littlemanbighorn]

I think that he had some rather horrible tooth and gum aches. Poor guy. :(

It's funny, that's why Archie Shepp stopped playing Soprano.

[Swampcabbage]

The only legit claim to this is Kenny G. C'mon guys. ;)

[Augman]

I also read somewhere that cotrane gave sombody a ride and the guy left the soprano in the car , and he then started messing with it.

[grantonsax]

So, JC gave a hippy named Sidney a ride to Brooklyn, and Steve Lacy started playing soprano with Miles Davis. Got it.