[Nefertiti]

OK, so this one takes some humility because we want to let people think we've listened to all the greats but I was thinking the other day of all the players I've never listened to. i've heard these names but for whatever reason never checked them out throughout all my years of sax playing and listening:
Wardell Gray
Gato Barbieri
Al Cohn
Booker Ervin
Jimmy Forrest
Jan Garberek
Benny Golson
Scott Hamilton
Illinois Jacquet
Plas Johnson
Pharoah Sanders
Zoot Sims
Junior Walker

That's all I could come up with for guys I haven't checked out at all. Who are the guys you have heard of but haven't check out yet...and am I missing out big time by not checking someone on this list out? I'm curious who the rest of you will list. Steve

 

[Reedsplinter]

OK, so this one takes some humility because we want to let people think we've listened to all the greats but I was thinking the other day of all the players I've never listened to. i've heard these names but for whatever reason never checked them out throughout all my years of sax playing and listening:
Wardell Gray
Gato Barbieri
Al Cohn
Booker Ervin
Jimmy Forrest
Jan Garberek
Benny Golson
Scott Hamilton
Illinois Jacquet
Plas Johnson
Pharoah Sanders
Zoot Sims
Junior Walker

That's all I could come up with for guys I haven't checked out at all. Who are the guys you have heard of but haven't check out yet...and am I missing out big time by not checking someone on this list out? I'm curious who the rest of you will list. Steve

Nef: say it ain't so! In my opinion, you need -- EVERYONE needs -- to listen to all these cats, but especially Zoot, and Jimmy Forrest, Wardell Gray, Illinois Jacquet (indispensable!) Pharoah Sanders, and -- in a very different mode -- Junior Walker. But they're all fabulous players. I have not listened to Garbarek a whole lot, and probably should.

As for me, I know I need to study Chu Berry (have heard him, of course, but haven't seriously pursued him) Charlie Ventura, and Dick Stabile, among many others. And there are still a lot of contemporary players for me to pay close attention to, too many to list.

 

[hakukani]

OK, so this one takes some humility because we want to let people think we've listened to all the greats but I was thinking the other day of all the players I've never listened to. i've heard these names but for whatever reason never checked them out throughout all my years of sax playing and listening:
Wardell Gray
Gato Barbieri
Al Cohn
Booker Ervin
Jimmy Forrest
Jan Garberek
Benny Golson
Scott Hamilton
Illinois Jacquet
Plas Johnson
Pharoah Sanders
Zoot Sims
Junior Walker

That's all I could come up with for guys I haven't checked out at all. Who are the guys you have heard of but haven't check out yet...and am I missing out big time by not checking someone on this list out? I'm curious who the rest of you will list. Steve

Wow! Al Cohn and Zoot Sims used to come practically every year to the Wichita Jazz festival. They always played great--and it always had a 'jam' vibe when they played together with a rhythm section.

When I lived in Indiana, it seemed like Jr. Walker and the All Stars came through playing a club every year or so. I always went to hear them.

I heard Pharoah with Leon Thomas at the Telluride Jazz Festival (along with a load of others , Herbie, Chick, Phil Woods).

Since I saw those guys so 'often', I never bought any of their recordings.
In fact, I haven't bought any jazz saxophone recordings except Brecker's final recording for a decade.

I should check out many of the other guys you mentioned.

I also haven't listened to much of Bergonzi, Potter, or the 'newer' east coast guys.

Of the older guys, I haven't really heard much Hank Mobley.

Jimmy Forrest is just toooooo scary!

 

[SaxoPiper89]

I recently got an ipod so I should be able to do a lot more listening... however.. before I can I have to get my computer to download Itunes.. which it isn't doing.

 

[Bub99]

How much listening constitutes a "listen"? Enough to differentiate their style?

I've checked out most of those guys, not Wardell or Junior - only a bit of Gato. I've never listened to Lee Allen. I listened to Sil Austin with a string backing. That was too weird so I want to find some more of him.

Many modern guys I haven't heard - Bill Evans, David Sanchez come to mind. Many, many old and new that I don't know about.

 

[Nefertiti]

When I say checked out I mean really listening and checking out at least an albums worth of material. I have to add:
David Murray

I actually have an album on my computer that says Red and Plas but there is no title. I'll check that out tonight. Steve

 

[Nefertiti]

On the flip side I think I've probably heard almost all of the modern players and checked them out. I'm one of those guys that worked backwards. Started on alto and listened to a ton of modern players then went to Parker, Cannonball Art Pepper, Paul Desmond. In college I heard Brecker and was amazed and went and bought a tenor. From Brecker I stayed with all the modern players then went to Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Sonny Rollins...... I've listened to Ben Webster,Coleman Hawkins, Lockjaw......but that's about it of the older guys.

 

[Swingtone]

Charles Lloyd, Harold Land, Arnett Cobb, Bud Freeman, Jimmy Forrest and believe it or not...Joe Henderson. Concerning the latter giant, I have Page One and Power to the People. Any suggestions for essential Henderson recordings? I like the soulful grooves of Power to the People a little more than Page One, which sounds kind of dated and stuck in the 60's in a way (though I guess Power is probably stuck in the 70s somewhat). Actually, I tend not to like a lot of Blue Note's early 60's "boogaloo" stuff, with Song for my Father being a prime example. Not a bad tune but kind of frozen in a certain period of time, kind of like Shorter's tune Adam's Apple, the title track of the album of the same name. I read that the execs wanted Wayne to include this as the first song on the album because all Blue Note records were to have a potential standout boogaloo hit. Not a bad tune, of course, but I much prefer the artistry displayed on the rest of the record.

Concerning the original list, I think Benny Golson, Wardell Gray and Illinois Jacquet stand out as essential listening, mainly for their historic importance and contribution to the canon of jazz standards.

 

[monkmydear]

ZOOT!
He's a giant on tenor and on SOPRANO.
Listen to Zoot, you'll love him.

 

[chops2200]

Charles Lloyd, Harold Land, Arnett Cobb, Bud Freeman, Jimmy Forrest and believe it or not...Joe Henderson. Concerning the latter giant, I have Page One and Power to the People. Any suggestions for essential Henderson recordings?

Check out his Live in Japan album. All japanese rhythm section, they're pretty cookin although at times I feel like they could've been a stronger presence. Joe's playing here is brilliant though. also check out:
In n Out
Inner Urge
Relaxin at Camarillo
So Near So Far
and the State of the Tenor

I'm a big fan of live recordings, so I would suggest the State of the Tenor and the Japan recording first, but all his recordings are great.
Joe was a brilliant player, I wish I would've gotten to see him live before he passed.

Charles Lloyd

Check out The Water is Wide, Hyperion with Higgins, Canto, and Sangam....he's a brilliant player as well, I saw him about a month ago in Albany, NY with Reuben Rogers and Eric Harland, they played their asses off, and even though Charles is so much older than the other two, he was the strongest force that night, very inspiring to the other musicians and the audience. He only talked to the crowd at the end of his show, before the encore of "forest flower", and he's a really interesting guy, very deep. It was kind of difficult to follow what he was saying, it was as though his mind was moving too fast for his mouth to keep up, but he's a very deep guy who knows his stuff.

 

[guido]

David Murray

For David Murry check out Ming. Some of the most amazing ensemble writing and blowing a true classic. His later stuff tries to be more commercial with much less success.

 

[saintsday]

On the flip side I think I've probably heard almost all of the modern players and checked them out. I'm one of those guys that worked backwards. Started on alto and listened to a ton of modern players then went to Parker, Cannonball Art Pepper, Paul Desmond. In college I heard Brecker and was amazed and went and bought a tenor. From Brecker I stayed with all the modern players then went to Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Sonny Rollins...... I've listened to Ben Webster,Coleman Hawkins, Lockjaw......but that's about it of the older guys.

There are several on your original list that I haven't spent time with and would like to, but I'd sure third or fourth the push toward Jacquet. The most glaring omissions for me on your list quoted above are Lester, Johnny Hodges and Paul Gonsalves.

 

[Martinman]

If you want to count people I have only listened to once, I think the most obvious ones for me are:

Rick Margitza
Bergonzi
Garzone
Grossman
Plas Johnson (only the Pink Panther theme)
Johny Hodges
Sonny Criss
Cleanhead Vinson

Never listened to:
Pharoah Sanders
Chu Berry
Earl Bostic

I am sure there are many more.