[Neil Sharpe]

The Final Countdown from the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's and beyond. Sam The Man Taylor and Red Prysock are the selections from the earlier threads.

Who will be the pick from the 1950's?

Here are 6 classics from the 1950's (all I can do in a single post). Which one would you select? OR, is there another (e.g. Pete Thomas picked Etta James' "Tough Love" for Lee Allen) ? If you'd like to post another solo, please do so.

- Clifford Scott- 2:15, 3:11 mark- 1956

- Sil Austin- :34 mark- 1956

- Bill Justis- :15 mark, 1:55 mark- 1957

- Lee Allen- :49 mark, 1:52 mark- 1957

- King Curtis- :48 mark- 1958

- Steve Douglas- :50, 1:50 mark- 1959

 

[John Laughter]

Ok this is probably the most difficult one (for me) to date. All are excellent. I will go with Lee Allen for tone and style but I will say that Sil Austin's tone is also awesome.

"Honky Tonk" is the one that got me started in 7th grade band in 56.

We had so many styles for inspiration to practice back in the day :cheers:

 

[BH9]

It's Lee Allen for me, but I really like the Bill Justis jacket.

 

[MartinMusicMan]

For me, it's between Clifford Scott on Honky Tonk and King Curtis on Yakety Yak. Honky Tonk gets more recognition as an iconic rock instrumental from the 50's and Clifford Scott's playing and rock sax tone. But King Curtis is the one who made me want to play sax and his technique is masterful. His soloing on Coasters records and other recordings made a huge impression on me. I didn't know who he was until many years later, but I could always hear the sound of his sax in my head and his instantly identifiable solos.

 

[John Laughter]

We sure had the sounds and various styles back in the day to get us going!

 

[PigSquealer]

Some fun music in that bunch. I think I would pick Raunchy first, Honky-Tonk second and yackety-yack third.

 

[Frankmsax]

Ok this is probably the most difficult one (for me) to date. All are excellent. I will go with Lee Allen for tone and style but I will say that Sil Austin's tone is also awesome.

"Honky Tonk" is the one that got me started in 7th grade band in 56.

We had so many styles for inspiration to practice back in the day :cheers:

Hey John!! Honky Tonk is my all time favorite classic tenor song and I also agree with Lee Allen for tone and style (Walkin with Mr Lee is a classic) So many good posts above , they are all great. I grew up listening to all that .

 

[John Laughter]

Hey John!! Honky Tonk is my all time favorite classic tenor song and I also agree with Lee Allen for tone and style (Walkin with Mr Lee is a classic) So many good posts above , they are all great. I grew up listening to all that

Yes indeed Frank. We had some of the best back in the day!

 

[mrpeebee]

I would pick Lee Allen from the opening post clips for tone and style.

For me one of the best non Jazz tenor solo's from the 50's is the one of Sam Butera in 'Buona Sera' (from 1956, solo starts just after 1:48):

 

[John Laughter]

Sam Butera in 'Buona Sera'

Absolutely!! :cheers:

 

[jknappsax]

Anyone know the setups for some of these guys? Horns, mpcs, Reed's,?

 

[John Laughter]

Anyone know the setups for some of these guys? Horns, mpcs, Reed's,?

Interesting topic. Over the years there have been many sax message boards and Internet sites that listed some of the gear that these legends played. In many cases the player had some unknown custom work done on their m/p (and sax) so even if we find the brand of m/p it would not be the same due to the "tweaking" and the sax players approach to get his tone and style. You can usually Google a name and "mouthpiece" and you will find some answers or in some cases, opinions and guesses. Bergs and Links were very popular. According to Red Tyler, Lee Allen used a plastic reed on a Brilhart m/p on the Specialty recordings but I he did not recall the brand. Sil Austin had the inside of his m/p reamed out by a repair tech in New York. He said the tech took a screwdriver to it

Also keep in mind that the players background, what and where they played, musical influences, embouchure, life style and especially "attitude" was all in the mix. What made Grady Gaines play a hell raising, in your face solo with Little Richard? What led Billy Vaughn to develop the sweet twin sax sound featuring Justin Gordon? So many great styles and tones back in the day. A sax sound and style for just about everyone.

 

[MartinMusicMan]

Bergs and Links were very popular. According to Red Tyler, Lee Allen used a plastic reed on a Brilhart m/p on the Specialty recordings but I he did not recall the brand.

In the 60's, when I started my career as a young rock 'n' roller, Berg stainless steel was what everybody had ... unless they played a Brilhart Level Air. I had both, played the Berg for many many years. Tried the Level Air but it was a real paint peeler. Could probably damage the hearing of the audience if you weren't careful.

 

[datsaxman]

Yup. 1970 or so. I could not afford the berg. Had that levelair for years. The berg is a lot more subtle. Yes, subtle.

The levelair is like a brick through the window.

 

[jknappsax]

I would never think that a Berg would be subtle. I' m looking for something wide open, but NOT a paint peeler, so maybe a Berg should be on my list, especially one without a high baffle.

 

[MartinMusicMan]

The levelair is like a brick through the window.

Actually made me laugh out loud. Or more accurately Snort Out Loud - SOL. But yeah, subtle the Level Air ain't.

 

[MartinMusicMan]

I would never think that a Berg would be subtle. I' m looking for something wide open, but NOT a paint peeler, so maybe a Berg should be on my list, especially one without a high baffle.

I'm a broken record on this subject, but consider a Metalite mpc. It's a high baffle but can be versatile. Many people love 'em, some people hate 'em, but the beauty part is it will only cost you about $25 to find out if this particular high baffle piece is for you. Search for the very long Metalite thread on this forum.

 

[jknappsax]

I think I will! How is the chamber size? I want something that will work on my main tenor, a '67 MkVI, and my backup, a Conn 10M, which might like a larger chamber a little better to tune properly.

 

[John Laughter]

I think I will! How is the chamber size? I want something that will work on my main tenor, a '67 MkVI, and my backup, a Conn 10M, which might like a larger chamber a little better to tune properly.

I used one on bari and tenor. Excellent response. You can order from WW&BW and return it if you do not like the sound.

According to the D'Addario website they come in tip openings 5, 7 and 9 with the following description;

A favorite among jazz musicians, each Metalite mouthpiece is crafted from a durable and resonant material to offer the sound of a metal mouthpiece without the expense. Metalite mouthpieces feature a medium chamber and are available in various tip openings.