[Permanent Beginner]

So I'm getting the bug to try a different reed just for a little excitement in my life.

I look at the ads and all, and they say things like "For Jazz and Popular", or "Used by Famous jazz players" or "good sound for Jazz" or something like that.

So I guess my question is What does Jazz sound like?

PB

 

[JL]

Your point is well-taken. Jazz sounds like jazz. Reeds sound the way you play them. Marketers make things up (like 'jazz reeds') to sell product.

 

[jrvinson45]

It sounds similar to classical, only played with a different reed.

 

[NissanVintageSax]

Your point is well-taken. Jazz sounds like jazz. Reeds sound the way you play them. Marketers make things up (like 'jazz reeds') to sell product.

Very well put! Marketing guys will say anything to sell a product.

 

[unbalancedaction]

I would say that reeds that are most used by jazz players would be easier blowing, whereas classical reeds are more resistant. I'm just thinking a blue box Vandoren compared to a La Voz - also jazz players usually use bigger tip opening and classical players use smaller tips. I could be wrong, but that's my thought.

 

[Permanent Beginner]

I guess it does make sense if they're trying to draw a distinction between "legitimate music" and the other kind, without calling it illegitimate music.

 

[magical pig]

Jazz sounds like the sum of individuals who chose to express themselves through it.

(Jazz Reeds = more free blowing and brighter)

 

[milandro]

of course Jazz is a genre and not a " sound" so, within that genre there are many sounds and interpretations of what a saxophone should sound like but if anything the Jazzy sound (in general) appears to have an " edge" (yes, another fuzzy definition) and a roughness which is not normally sought after in classical music where the tendency seems to be more the production of a " lyrical" , round and clean sound even in a relatively modern composition .

But of of course....."...It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing! "

 

[birdlives1955]

Some records that you might like if you are new to jazz saxophone are:
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (has Cannonball Adderly and John Coltrane on it, two of the most amazing sax players ever!)
John Coltrane - Ballads
Charlie Parker - Yardbird Suite
Cannonball Adderly and John Coltrane - Cannonball & Coltrane
Joe Henderson - So Near So Far
Joe Henderson - Big Band
Michael Brecker - Time Is Of The Essence
Herbie Hancock - The New Standard (Mike Brecker's on this as well, great jazz version of pop tunes)
Chris Cheek - Vine
Keith Jarrett - My Song (has tenorist/sopranoist Jan Garbarek on it and is really nice)

 

[dexdex]

Ever imagined Dolphy or Sanborn playing the alto part of Ravel's Bolero with a Symphony Orchestra ? Or a Porsche 917 in a trafic jam ? Some reeds are more 917ish, other rather on the Prius side. Isn't Marketing a lot about imagination, assuming that most of us musicians (pro or hobby) also have some ?

 

[MojoBari]

Are special shoes needed for architectural dancing?

 

[Thomas]

Jazz is a style of music-not particularly a sound. What does Jazz sound like? Listen to some of the fine examples listed above and you'll hear what Jazz sounds like-but the "sound" is incidental.

 

[toughtenor]

basically what YOU want it to sound like, plenty of jazz players use "classical" reeds. find a brand and size that suits you and don't pay too much attention on the advertising bit.

 

[milandro]

Are special shoes needed for architectural dancing?

tap dancing needs special shoes

 

[Stan]

I can see people trying reeds in a factory...

-Does it play?
-Nope! It is muffled and unresponsive
-K! Classic box, #4

-How does it play?
- Buzzy and irritating...
- k! Jazz box, #2.5

Stan

 

[minous]

Are special shoes needed for architectural dancing?

This is most definitely a potty pondering statement? It's where all good thinking happens! :mrgreen:

 

[JL]

If the question comes down to the difference in sound/tone quality between jazz and classical music, then I'd say jazz sax has no specific sound or tone quality (as I think Thomas implied), but rather a very wide and flexible sound concept. Just compare, for example, Pharoah Sanders to Ben Webster. Or, on alto, Johnny Hodges to Jackie McLean. I don't really know much about classical sax, but from what I understand the sound concept is much, much more restricted and specific than in jazz.

So, given that, maybe we could talk about a classical reed. But a jazz reed can be anything you want to help attain your individual sound concept. Therefore there is no such thing as a specific jazz reed. That won't stop the advertisers and marketing hype, though!!

 

[DXCamp]

When listening to something that is obviously not classical a first verbal response may be, "What the blank is this blankety-blank blank, blank?"

 

[potiphar]

If the marketing boys were really on the ball, instead of producing about 5 types of reed that were "good for jazz" they'd sell "Vandoren Ska", "La Voz Fusion", "Rico Blues" etc. If they succeeded they'd fool musical innovators into asking them to produce a reed so they could invent a new style.

 

[milandro]

on the other hand having private label reeds made is very easy nowadays and many have done exactly that (Francois Louis , Alexander .....) so how about starting a genre line of reeds yourself ?