Looking for a little inspiration !!!

[tekm0nsta]

HEY GUYS

Hey guys my name is Zac and I just registered with this being my first thread. I'm 23 and just recieved my first alto sax, yeah baby!!

Anyway I know many of you guys have been liscening to jazz for a long time and I really need to know some of the all time great jazz CD's (preferably alto based) that I should purchase, I know there are alot of them but I wanted to know a select few if possible that really touch your soul when you play it.

Much Appreciated

[LBAjazz]

Cannonball Adderly live at the Cafe Bohemia

[Nefertiti]

Miles Davis "Kind Of Blue"

[gary]

Paul Desmond: Jazz at Oberlin (Dave Brubeck combo)
Cannonball Adderley: Somethin' Else
Kenny Garrett: Pursuance
Art Pepper: Meets the Rhythm Section
Ornette Coleman: At the Golden Circle vol. 1

[Dave Dolson]

tekmOnsta: Please do not ignore Johnny Hodges. DAVE

[AltoRedux]

Go to the library and check out the Jazz books. There's one by a german guy who's name escapes me (help me out folks) who's written one thats about 4 inches thick, and been published in about 25 editions. It's got the history chronologically, but also has sections by instrument. You can see who influenced who.

Definitley listen to Johnny Hodges. Also Lee Konitz. Keep an eye out for cheap jazz compilation CD's. You can get them cheap and listen to a bunch of guys. If you like a guy, you can go check out more of his stuff.

[saxmangeoff]

There are plenty of good votes here. I'll second the vote for Kind of Blue. There are two saxes on this album -- Cannonball Adderly on alto and John Coltrane on tenor. At the risk of being a saxophone heretic, I like Adderly's playing better than 'Trane's. (And this from a tenor player! :wink: )

Also, I've recently been digging David Sanborn's new CD "Timeagain."

Geoff

[johnsax]

My prediction? This will be a huge thread. You just can't go around asking questions like this because people will get too worked up!

This one's mentioned so far are awesome particularly "Kind of Blue" (very sneaky nefertiti and saxmangeoff picking a trumpet album!)

To me, you've got to get "Time Out" to hear Paul Desmond (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002AGN/104-0587878-9035130?v=glance)and "Everyone Knows Johnny Hodges" (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000003N6F/qid=1070659625/sr=8-1/ref=__1/104-0587878-9035130?v=glance&s=music).

Another album you've GOT to get is "Ellington at Newport 1956" (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000IMYA/104-0587878-9035130?v=glance). This concert is one of the most famous in all of Jazz and features a tenor solo by Paul Gonzalves that's 27 choruses long and is electrifying. It also has great cuts of Johnny Hodges on alto and Harry Carney playing "Sophisticated Lady" on baritone. Other cuts include my favorite under-recognized clarinetist, Russell Procope.

Another guy you should listen to is any collection of Sidney Bechet playing soprano sax. He started it all! His music is very "old" sounding but he really was one of the first virtuosos to show what could be done improvisationally. This set of 4 CD's may be more of Bechet than you need but at $21.99 it's a great bargain (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000059RI1/qid=1070659992/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/104-0587878-9035130). You've got to hear Summertime, What is this thing called Love and others.

I'm sure you're going to get other interesting choices. The tendency is going to be for you to want to listen just to altoists but you've got to get yourself listening to all kinds of jazz right off the bat.

John

[saxmangeoff]

My prediction? This will be a huge thread. You just can't go around asking questions like this because people will get too worked up!

Ain't that the truth! 8)


This one's mentioned so far are awesome particularly "Kind of Blue" (very sneaky nefertiti and saxmangeoff picking a trumpet album!)


Heh. A while back our family was making a drive to our in-laws', and we were listening to my iPod, on random play. The first track was Clifford Brown. The second track was Miles Davis. I started joking that it was sounding like I had a "black trumpet player" playlist. (I didn't, this was playing my whole iPod on random.) Third track, Louis Armstrong. It was getting funnier by the minute. Fourth track, Count Basie. Hey, more black trumpet players. I don't remember how many consecutive tracks we ended up with before we hit something like Dave Brubeck, or Sawyer Brown, or whatever.

To me, you've got to get "Time Out" to hear Paul Desmond (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002AGN/104-0587878-9035130?v=glance)

Desmond is great. I can listen to him (and Brubeck) for hours.

I'm sure you're going to get other interesting choices. The tendency is going to be for you to want to listen just to altoists but you've got to get yourself listening to all kinds of jazz right off the bat.

Including black trumpet players. :)

Geoff

[Gandalfe]

Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus
John Klemmer - Touch
Paul Desmond - Pure Desmond (easy to play against for beginners)

[Paul Coats]

Yes, another vote for Cannonball Adderley, the greatest saxophonist in the Universe, and throughout the entire space-time continuum. Also, Sonny Stitt, Johnny Hodges (lead alto with Ellington), Marshall Royal (lead with Basie), Lee Konitz, Paul Desmond, Art Pepper, and a cat from Holland I have recently been turned on to, Ronald Jansen Heijtmajer.

More recent guys, I like Dave Koz and Miles Osland.

[Morry]

No one has mentioned him, but get People Time by Stan Getz. That will show you just how lyrical a saxophone can be.

[Tenorsaxer]

Stan Getz: The Lost Sessions
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
John Coltrane: A love supreme
Jon Faddis: Hornucopia
Steve Turre: TnT (trombones and tenor saxes... yummy)
Dexter Gordon (aka the man): 'Round Midnight
Charlie Parker: Live at the Royal Roost
Billie Holiday: Lady Sings the Blues
Maynard Ferguson: Master of the Stratosphere
Dizzy Gillespie: A Night in Tunisia
J.J. Johnson: best of album is good
Irvin Mayfield: The Half Past Autumn Suite
Misc: Anything labeled with a yellow "Ken Burns Jazz" on the cover is a good bet.

hope that helped

At any Borders, they sell the (rather controversial) documentary "Jazz" by Ken Burns. Some people hate it, but I love it.

[Tenorsaxer]

and remember, don't only listen to sax players. listen to the spectrum.

[tekm0nsta]

Thanks for all your advice guys, so far I like David Sanborn, Maceo Parker and Albright.

[mostly alto guy]

and remember, don't only listen to sax players. listen to the spectrum.

May I add, don't listen to just jazz, but other genres as well. A jazz sax player who wants to make a living at his craft can get a lot of mileage out of adding a few familiar classical, country and western, broadway, classic rock, oldies, etc. licks to his repertoire. Not just the tunes, but the styles and tone colors.

It's not selling out to incorporate these things into your playing--it's buying in!