Instead, he elected to plow his own distinctive furrow. [9] He adopted Kenny G as his stage name because it "had a nice ring to it". Ask ANY casual listener today to name a Gene Ammons song. Also Johnny Hodges and Benny Carter closer to top! By. King. Reply Quote. He has created his own line of saxophones called "Kenny G Saxophones". When he left, my wife turned to me and said: Its him (referring to Trane) or me. She headed for the exit, followed shortly afterwards by me (it was just as well during another Archie Shepp sonic assault.).. I have four words to add to this list Sam, Butera, Rudy, and Pompilli. He is relentless striver practicing his sax at least three hours each day with a compulsive need to get better at everything, even if its just baking an apple pie in his opulent kitchen. Coltrane would come in soon after that. Did you encounter any technical issues? What comes through is that Kenny G probably would have been successful at whatever he chose to do. Let's see if you think I'm getting close. This Newark, New Jersey, composer and saxophonist (who alternates between soprano and tenor) enjoyed mainstream fame as part of fusion giants Weather Report between 1971 and 1986. GO ON YOUTUBE HEAR RENE NETTO PLAY LOVER. But those who are moved in the now tend to ignore that. And I say this as an appreciator of art who has also been moved by Dave Koz. Jazz purists criticize Kenny G because they dont think his music reflects any exceptional jazz chops or innovation. In 1997, he earned a place in Guinness World Records for playing the longest note ever played by a human being for 45 minutes and 47 seconds. He is a musician who plays the Soprano saxophone. SIDNEY BECHET 25, COLEMAN HAWKINS 7? From Culver City, California, Davis given the name Lockjaw because his saxophone seemed almost glued to his mouth during his ultra-long solos could play in a range of styles, though his calling card was a driving, blues-drenched hard bop. Many say his music is not jazz. [1] His 1986 album Duotones brought him commercial success. As well as having a distinctive and emotionally intense reed sound, Blythe was also a fine composer. recently with my Dad (a piano player) but I never imagined it with a saxophone. I think that there may be a case for BOOTS RANDOLPH!! Sonny Stitt and Tubby Hayes were absolute prodigies; nobody, but nobody, played the instrument better. Peter Brtzmann? One cannot determine whether Pepper is playing or anyone else. many years ago in a group. Its melody, harmony, and individuality. Make sure to pick up "Seeds From the Underground. Just to think about some of the music mentioned puts me in too good a mood to carp, and certainly makes all the effing and blinding of some of the comments irrelevant. This list has one huge omission Warne Marsh. Too much happy jazz selections. Kenny G was named the 25th highest-selling artist in America by the RIAA, with 48 million albums sold in the U.S. as of July 31, 2006. He played saxophone in Miles Davis's Second Great Quintet after playing with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers for four years. It also reveals a number of one-off talents who have helped take the music in new directions. The teacher tells a funny story about Kenny G stealing the show during one of his first live gigs by holding a prolonged note a signature stage move that would be recognizable to any of his fans today. David Murray? This Ohio free jazz and avant-garde saxophonist (who played the tenor, alto, and soprano varieties) didnt live to see his 35th birthday, but today, almost 50 years after his death, his music and influence still casts a huge shadow in jazz. The saxophone part was played by Steve Gregory, a session player based in London. He played in many big bands (including those of Artie Shaw, Stan Kenton, and Buddy Rich) and was always conducive to working on collaborative projects with other saxophonists. It cant simply be that millions of people are just stupid and Pat Metheny is the smart one, says Jason King, a musician and scholar at New York University. Glad to see Johnny Hodges and Benny Carter on the list, as they dont get enough acclaim. The album received warm reviews from critics, and reached No. A key member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet between 1951 and 1957 (he wrote the groups most famous tune, the big crossover hit Take Five), this San Francisco-born alto saxophonists light delivery helped to define the West Coast cool sound. I worked with him in a couple different groups when we were both living in Cleveland, and. It's skewed, but we ain't going away. [19], Kenny G earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1997 for playing the longest note ever recorded on a saxophone. There are some innovators and many great players. He does a great version of YOU MUST BELIEVE IN SPRING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On At LastThe Duets Album, he collaborated with friends and colleagues David Sanborn, David Benoit; Daryl Hall, lead singer of Hall & Oates; Burt Bacharach, and Barbra Streisand. As the 50s led into the 60s, McLean began to expand his expressive palette and musical horizons by venturing into more exploratory, avant-garde territory. Florida-born altoist Adderley caused a sensation when he visited New York in 1955, and was soon snapped up to record the first of many albums during the next two decades. This Kansas City altoist was one of the principal architects of the post-war jazz revolution known as bebop, which emerged in New York in the mid-40s and would shape the trajectory of the genre for years to come. [8], Garrett's Pushing the World Away album received a Grammy nomination in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album category in 2013. Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny has dismissed Kenny Gs style as lame-ass, jive, pseudo bluesy out-of-tune, noodling.. I just love listening to Mobley anytimehe does every kind of piece well, especially in his peak years. Lists of this sort are pointless, as they are merely one persons opinion. future saxophonist than any of the 50 listed. Is it jazz, pop? Kenny Garrett (born October 9, 1960) is an American post-bop jazz musician and composer who gained recognition in his youth as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and for his time with Miles Davis 's band. At the time of its peak, it was also the oldest-written song to make the Hot 100 charts. [4][5] His Franklin High School classmate Robert Damper (piano, keyboards) plays in his band. Coltrane rose to fame with Miles Davis group during the mid-to-late 50s, while enjoying a parallel solo career that eventually produced A Love Supreme, one of the most iconic jazz albums of all time. Maceo Parker The song "Theme for Dying Young", written for that movie, was nominated for the Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. Discovery Company. It wasnt actually the listeners who walked out on John, but John who, perhaps for some understandable reason of his own, walked out on the music, his supporters, and his seminal role in a beautiful African-American art form. Charlie Parker talked about Frank Trumbauer being an inspiration. Eddie Harris. [67] Kenny G now lives in Malibu, California. In the early 60s, he made a slew of combative but affable duet albums with his musical sparring partner, Johnny Griffin. Schooled in Art Blakeys hard bop academy, Shorter then played a significant role as a composer/player in Miles Davis Second Great Quintet between 1962 and 1968. You guys have short memories. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Frank Wess? [22], In February 2000, Kenny G was invited to the White House and performed for state governors and members of the Clinton Cabinet.[23]. label between 1969 and 1974 (which yielded ten LPs) cemented his place in the pantheon of best jazz saxophonists. No John Gilmore or Marshall Allen?? The Selmer Mark VI is the model of saxophone that Kenny G plays on his soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones. Not fitting of Memphis jazz clubs, but yes he is still of the greatest jazz sax players ever. Desmond!Best Alto players! Since 1985, he has pursued a solo career. Some of the funniest scenes in the documentary come when jazz critics are asked to appraise Kenny Gs music. Would also include Steve Lacy. Anthony Braxton? Wish I had met him. Earl Bostic is a joke, not a jazzplayer, No Arnett Cobb is a big mistake, Paul Desmond is only famous for Take 5. "[56], In 2021, HBO released a documentary on Kenny G, Listening to Kenny G, directed by Penny Lane. Having said that, he has sold over 75 million albums, so there are obviously a lot of people who love him ! The problem I have with Kenny G is not Kenny G himself. [1] Garrett also played and recorded with Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, and Woody Shaw before developing his career as a leader.[1]. If you are in the area, check out the BELMONT BESTIVAL every September. His first live album, Kenny G Live, included popular songs, among which "Going Home" achieved great success in the People's Republic of China. And while Im at it, wheres Charlie Rouse, , Gigi Gryce, Herb Geller, Charles McPherson, Bobby Watson, Sonny Criss, Frank Strozier, Clifford Jordan, Jim Snidero or Gene Quill? It should be PAT LABARBERA. Frank Trumbauer? He spent a long time playing with Cab Calloway and also cut sides with Ella Fitzgerald and Coleman Hawkins before joining Blue Note in 1959, where he recorded some fine albums before his premature death from lung cancer, aged 44. : My 4 yr old daughter, listening to a Mulligan solo, says Its like hes telling a story daddy, isnt it?. Kenny Gs music may not fit the classical definition of jazz. [62][63][64] In January 2012, Benson-Gorelick filed for legal separation. Its still a shame that being the creator or godfather of smooth jazz doesnt earn enough respect. PLEASE CHECK INTO THE SAXOPHONE MAN FROM NEW ORLEANS: Check my reply to Charles about the top 8. 2006 saw the release of Kenny G's eleventh studio album I'm in the Mood for LoveThe Most Romantic Melodies of All Time featuring renditions of The Beatles's songs, the love theme from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the Secret Garden's hit song "You Raise Me Up", and James Blunt's "You're Beautiful", as well as the Chinese ballad "The Moon Represents My Heart". His solo on Bye, Bye Blackbird, on which he doubles the number of choruses by Miles, is at once beautiful beyond words yet heartbreakingly sad when he offers the prize to an indifferent boss (Miles never spoke an encouraging word to him). Her live version of Pick Up The Pieces is the best anywhere. The documentary also asks bigger questions outside of music. Period. From Baltimore, Maryland, Bartz plays both alto and soprano saxophones. Kenny G followed his debut with G Force in January 1983 and Gravity in May 1985, both of which reached Platinum certification in the US for selling one million copies. 27 on the Adult Contemporary Chart, and "By the Time This Night Is Over", a collaboration with Peabo Bryson, peaked at No. Hes also an outstanding golfer as well as a pilot and a successful investor. Good additions. Co-leader with Charnett Moffett. His mother was a Canadian Jew from Saskatchewan, Canada. He is also one of the best-selling musicians of. Though he was affectionately called The Brute, Ben Websters forceful style of playing was tempered with a high degree of tenderness, especially on ballads. "It just worked that way . It was there, in 1939, where he was recruited by bandleader Lionel Hampton (who persuaded Jacquet to swap his alto for a tenor sax). [8][11] He qualified, and only needed to pass the CPA exam to get into practice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcq_xLi2NGo, Frank Trumbauer, Bud Freeman, Ernie Caceres, Seems the list is top heavy with Modern Jazz. Born in New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, Bechet started out on the clarinet and impressed at an early age before switching to the then-unfashionable and rarely heard soprano saxophone after discovering one on tour in a London junk shop in 1920. Brandford Marsalis and James Carter please, mostly on soprano sax And I am a big fan of Dexter Gordon too. [2] Garrett's music sometimes exhibits Asian influences, an aspect which is especially prevalent in his 2006 Grammy-nominated recording Beyond the Wall. In Parkers wake came a raft of virtuoso jazz saxophonists during the 50s, including tenor heavyweights Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, and John Coltrane, all of whom took saxophone playing to new, higher, levels of artistry while pushing jazz ever forwards. "[58], Kenny G plays the Selmer Mark VI soprano, alto and tenor saxophones. The Paul Desmond influenced ERNIE KALWA??!! Like many of the best jazz saxophonists, Lands brooding tenor sound, with its intense level of expression, was indebted to Coltrane. Mulligan played too close to the book and his vest for my taste. Check out his career. Jazz singer and trumpeter Louis Armstrong poses for a 1970 portrait in London. But even some of his critics concede that Kenny G created a new type of instrumental music with massive hits like Songbird and Silhouette. Whats inarguable is that he has a distinctive sound thats sold millions of records. His florid, effusive style was often likened to sheets of sound. Coltranes music was always evolving and progressed from hard bop through to modal, spiritual jazz, and the avant-garde. Looking for some listening inspiration, alto player wise. Weezer Run With Chamillionaire, Sara Bareilles and Kenny G? Sanders music also tapped into the music of other cultures. His sixth studio album, Breathless, was released in 1992, and went on to become the best-selling instrumental album ever, with over 15 million copies sold worldwide, selling 12 million copies in the United States alone. Inarguable is that Kenny G because they dont think his music reflects ANY exceptional jazz or! Of jazz does every kind kenny saxophone player piece well, especially in his band also Johnny Hodges and Benny Carter the... They are merely one persons opinion best-selling musicians of likened to sheets of sound whatever... And his vest for my taste he has pursued a solo career to Coltrane to Trane ) me... Having a distinctive sound thats sold millions of records the Paul Desmond influenced Ernie KALWA?. ; t going away but those who are moved in the area, check out the BELMONT every! At whatever he chose to do Robert Damper ( piano, keyboards ) plays in his peak years to! 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