Probably Freddy Gardner.

 

Freddy Gardner. Sadly, he died suddenly that same year, 1950, of a sudden stroke at age 39.

 

Freddy Gardner it is, thank you both!

 

Gardner obviously has a great upper register and altissimo with very even tone and control.

It's not the exact sound that I (or probably anybody) would want to emulate but to be able to access the full range and beyond in such a smooth, lyrical way is worth striving for.

It's almost a clarinet-like sound. Would it be fair to say, a lot of this comes from applying clarinet technique to the alto?

 

Wow, talk about an extremely "old school" sound/concept/vibrato! I really doubt if those aspects of his playing came from anything related to clarinet. In my opinion, it was simply a style of playing the saxophone back then that was unique to itself and didn't really last very long. His playing honestly reminds me more of some of the lead alto players of the "sweet" bands of the 30's and 40's. Very akin to Carmen Lombardo, etc. Actually, after listening to that again, I also hear some slight similarities to Jimmy Dorsey and maybe even Dick Stabile.

John

 

More likely that sax and clarinet technique had not yet diverged to the extent they have today. Both instruments were key to popular big-band dance music in that era. Sax sound today has gone toward a jazz model, and clarinet is entirely classical.

The heavy vibrato Gardner used in ballad playing, especially in the high range, is musically obnoxious today. He sometimes used a shallower vibrato in the lower 2nd register, which is borderline acceptable.

Evenness of tone across the range, including altissimo, is a big part of classical saxophone pedagogy. However, Gardner's tone would not be accepted in classical programs today, even without the problematic vibrato. Tone is modeled very closely on the heritage of important teachers.

 

Sam Marowitz- was another great lead alto player from that era. You have probably heard him on Early Autumn (the Stan Getz feature with Woody Herman) Sam plays the bridge.

 

Sometimes credited to Woody, doubling. Many lead men of that era shied away from solo work entirely - it was considered a different set of skills.

 

I just unearthed my old 33 rpm "Saxophone Contrasts" by Al. It is absolutely stunning! Virtuosic, yes, but lovely indeed. The liner notes say "Al Gallodoro with Orchestral Acc.", but all I remember is an accordion. I'm going to have the LP put onto disk so I can listen again, 'cause I don't have turntable. Such phenomenal technique! Staccato is crazy fast! He does swing a bit on one tune, can't remember which. He had great sound and good altissimo control. I still have, (somewhere...I just moved), an article on AG in a clarinet magazine, written when he was in his nineties, still blowin'. Apparently he practiced 12 hours daily. Freddy Gardner, (gee, only 39. what a loss), was more popular, I think. I've long since lost my old 78s of his "I'm in the Mood for Love". They were great, too.

 

Here you go, Sandy:

 

Wow! Thank you, jgreimer. My album cover is in English and has a different layout. Very faded and well used. Another story I heard about
AG:: he was the clarinetist with Paul Whiteman who first played the glissando cadenza at the beginning of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue". Anyone else know about this?

 

No idea about Rhapsody In Blue, Sandy. I've also heard/read that a guy by the name of Ross Gorman was the clarinetist. I don't know any serious Whiteman fanatics, so until someone can definitely say either way, it's anyone's guess!

John

 

Richard Sudhalter, in his history of jazz "Lost Chords" says the Ross Gorman was the man behind the clarinet solo for Rhapsody In Blue. (i am slowly making my way through this book in English, its tough but i am learning a lot)

 

Gorman was with Paul Whiteman in the mid 20s - Gallodoro in the late 30s-early 40s. In between, Chet Hazlett and Benny Bonacio were the "Rhapsody" soloists.

jgreiner, Whiteman is much more meaningful to record collectors than musicians these days. That's unfortunate, but understandable. The stain of commercialism in music never goes away.

 

I hear you, Paul! I really don't know much about Whiteman, except for the few recordings Artie Shaw did with him. Being a huge Shaw-a-holic, that's how I have come to know at least a little bit about Whiteman and his band(s).
It's also fascinating to know and hear how many later "big name" musicians got their start with his band.

John

 

Instantly thought of the themes to those British mystery series like "Poirot" and "Lord Peter Wimsey".

 

Just found the article I previously mentioned which appears in "The Clarinet", Vol.21, Number 3 May-June, 1994, about Al Gallodoro. The article is titled, "The Incomparable Al Gallodoro". In it, the 'Rhapsody' thing is mentioned: Al joined Whiteman in 1936. He made two movies with PW, one of which was "Rhapsody in Blue". Here's a bit from this article: "Al's place in the hierarchy of reed virtuosos is best summarized by a recent remark made by the late Chet Hazlett. originally with the San Francisco Symphony and Whiterman's first chair alto sax/clarinet in the late 20s and early 30s. While occupying the first chair sax/clarinet in the NBC staff orchestra, he commented to Jimmy Dorsey that "They ought to make Gallodoro illegal because he makes the rest of us look bad." Al's good friend Dorsey did not disagree!"