One of my all-time favs too. What a sound. First altissimo note appears in 2nd phrase of solo!This is one of my favourite players.
The imperfections (how dare I even say that) in this solo are are just honesty.
Solo starts around 3.50 and the last run down after 5.00 in context with listening to the whole tune makes my spine tingle with joy.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddNSbUdd8xI
Interestingly I tried it on my bari and found I could get a piercing high note that sounded at least as high as sop territory quite easily. I could lip up and down over a range of maybe half an octave, a bit like playing a tune on just the mouthpiece, but a lot more difficult to control. I can guarantee the skill level required to do this is minimal, as I did it first time. But I had very little control over the pitch. And I couldn't produce that warbling sound he does so much, the one that reminds me of a squeaky dog's toy.
Yes, I think each altissimo chart gives a bag of options that you have to work through and hope to find one that works best for your personal combination of oral cavity, mouthpiece, reed and instrument.
In my experience, alto fingerings seem to be far more standard than tenor.
Sort of answers the asked initial question, innit?
This is my kind of playing and my favorite combo of just bass and sax. When you have just two notes the magic is hearing a whole chord/arrangement that isn't there. It's best (IMHO) when his technique isn't the focus, but the melodic line is. Take away 90% of the arpeggios and it would be musically better. The soft held notes are magic.
