Arggh! What's that horrible noise?

[Nick Wyver]

Or sax players who just make you want to stick your fingers in your ears.

Soprano
Well, you can probably guess what's coming here. Kenny G. Do I need to say any more?

Alto
I freely admit to having a bit of a problem with alto. I rarely like the sound anyone makes on it. There are legions of Parker clones who do absolutely nothing for me but there's one player who makes me reach for the off button. I really want to like Eric Dolphy but every time I try I fail. I've got a lot of live Coltrane stuff when Dolphy was in the group and I always skip his solos. They're just irritating.

Tenor
I'm sure I used to be able to listen to Snake Davis.

Baritone
Whilst not being a huge fan of Gerry Mulligan's sound I quite enjoy the overall calming effect of the music. It takes someone special to put me off listening to the baritone. And that someone is Hamiet Bluiett. If there was ever a sax player who needed a good slap, he is that person. Great sound, lovely playing but then he has these little moments when for 10 seconds or so he'll produce nothing but random squeaks. The first time you hear it you think, "What just happened there? Did he really mean to do that?", but after a few tracks you realise it's a feature of his playing. I've got nothing against altissimo or free playing but this is just stupid. I can't listen to him now because I sit there waiting for this rubbish that I know he's going to throw in at an unexpected moment.

Finally there are those (mostly) anonymous players who appear on albums with titles like “Saxy Moods” or “The Romantic Sax” where they “re-interpret” (massacre) classic songs. People give them to you because they know you play sax and they’re dirt cheap. “I saw this and thought of you”. Thanks a bunch.

Oh, and I nearly forgot. Anyone who plays “smooth jazz”.

 

[johnboy]

How sad, so much rubbish about, I detest sop's, they just irritate my ears. ;}

John

 

[gladsaxisme]

Well Nick

Seems like your on a bit of a downer today, can I ask what prompted this outburst.

cheer up...john

ps Sorry but I'm a bit of a smooth jazz fan

 

[Pyrografix]

Twould be such a boring world if everyone liked the same stuff!

 

[Nick Wyver]

Twould be such a boring world if everyone liked the same stuff!

Indeed it would. Not on a downer at all. It was prompted by a comment from Tom who said wasn't particularly a fan of Coltrane. I just thought that everyone goes on about who they really like but rarely mention who they can't bear to listen to.

My reactions to the players I mentioned (there are many more) are not reasoned - I'm not criticising musicianship - they are gut reactions. I just feel I don't want to listen to this. It offends/irritates/bores etc. Mostly it's the actual sound they make - a lot smooth jazz players, for instance, remind me of sheep bleating.

 

[old git]

Nick,
Terribly disappointed not to be included in your terrible tenor players list.

Apologies for being serious.

 

[Jules]

Nick,
Terribly disappointed not to be included in your terrible tenor players list.

Apologies for being serious.

🙂))🙂))

Out of pure perversity I'd point out that Kenny G actually has a pretty nice tone, OK he's not my cup of tea but I always feel forced to defend him just for the hell of it... too much of an easy target!
Anything containing the word smooth, or embracing smoothness, seems a bit suspect to me! My punky roots demand that all music with the Lawrence seal of approval has to be a bit spiky, or at least raw sounding... (hence Lester Young- thumbs up, Stan Getz- doesn't really do it for me- too nice... gut reaction again, can't really justify that). Might well be equating raw with soulful and 'real' sounding in my own head, but that's just me.....

 

[kevgermany]

🙂))🙂))

Out of pure perversity I'd point out that Kenny G actually has a pretty nice tone, OK he's not my cup of tea but I always feel forced to defend him just for the hell of it... too much of an easy target!
Anything containing the word smooth, or embracing smoothness, seems a bit suspect to me! My punky roots demand that all music with the Lawrence seal of approval has to be a bit spiky, or at least raw sounding... (hence Lester Young- thumbs up, Stan Getz- doesn't really do it for me- too nice... gut reaction again, can't really justify that). Might well be equating raw with soulful and 'real' sounding in my own head, but that's just me.....

Funny, it was Malcom McClaren that arranged the Delibes piece for British Ariways...
Never could listen to punk. Sounded so contrived and thin after Led Zep and Pink Floyd

Rather like Getz' playing myself.

 

[Jules]

Twould be such a boring world if everyone liked the same stuff!

Like the man said!

 

[kevgermany]

Like the man said!

Yes!!! Each to his/her own.

 

[VirusKiller]

Funny, it was Malcom McClaren that arranged the Delibes piece for British Ariways...

Well I never...

 

[Saxlicker]

Does anyone remember Janosax who used to post here?
I really liked the way he squeaks and groans

Janosax link

Get into about 1min 35secs of Safari Quest to see what I mean....
In the heat of the day stretched out relaxing, I'm amongst the lions in my loin cloth :ashamed

 

[will a]

Indeed it would. Not on a downer at all. It was prompted by a comment from Tom who said wasn't particularly a fan of Coltrane. I just thought that everyone goes on about who they really like but rarely mention who they can't bear to listen to.

My reactions to the players I mentioned (there are many more) are not reasoned - I'm not criticising musicianship - they are gut reactions. I just feel I don't want to listen to this. It offends/irritates/bores etc. Mostly it's the actual sound they make - a lot smooth jazz players, for instance, remind me of sheep bleating.

now then sitting bourne ,you may have got a bug stuck some where but theres no need to take it out on the poor old SHEEP, what may I ask have they done to warrant such an attack upon then , let me tell you the sound of sheep beetling is pure music to some peoples ears and far better than some of the sax players i've heard , take that chap in Maddness ,whats all that about,and you havent heard my dulcet tone yet and be sides I would listen to sheep bleating any day in prefferance to my wife bleeting on

 

[SansSax]

let me tell you the sound of sheep beetling is pure music to some peoples ears and far better than some of the sax players i've heard

Sheep .... sheep .... did someone say sheep? (nothing to do with where I'm from or where I live now).

On a more serious note - I look forward to the day my "music appreciation and understanding ability" matures enough to be able to enjoy some of the "jazz greats" that I force myself to listen to at times - quite often it sounds to me like the "band" members are having a "simultanious practice session" - each playing a different song and seeing how many "notes per second" they can hit and the only time they are playing "together" is the second they start the "song/piece/noise" and when they all eventually stop.

I do so much enjoy melody, harmony and structured arrangement - it has to hit me in the heart (not in the head) to get max enjoyment.

I guess I'll get there eventually – although at this rate I'm starting to worry that I might not live long enough.

 

[Young Col]

I'm glad Nick raised the point about differentiating between liking/not liking a style as opposed to musicianship. I was having that kind of discussion today with my sax teacher (who is principally a clarinetist) and wants to get a better soprano sax sound so is listening to Kenny G. I have nothing against him as a musician, technically, and he doesn't have a bad tone, but I just don't like what he plays. Personally I think a dose of Bechet and Hodges is all you need for soprano, but there we are.

In the same vein, Wynton Marsalis (yes, sorry, he's a trumpeter) is technically peerless, but he very rarely conveys any emotion to me, and I've seen him live too.
YC

 

[kevgermany]

In the same vein, Wynton Marsalis (yes, sorry, he's a trumpeter) is technically peerless, but he very rarely conveys any emotion to me, and I've seen him live too.
YC

Me too, and his brother.

 

[kevgermany]

Sheep .... sheep .... did someone say sheep? (nothing to do with where I'm from or where I live now).

On a more serious note - I look forward to the day my "music appreciation and understanding ability" matures enough to be able to enjoy some of the "jazz greats" that I force myself to listen to at times - quite often it sounds to me like the "band" members are having a "simultanious practice session" - each playing a different song and seeing how many "notes per second" they can hit and the only time they are playing "together" is the second they start the "song/piece/noise" and when they all eventually stop.

I do so much enjoy melody, harmony and structured arrangement - it has to hit me in the heart (not in the head) to get max enjoyment.

I guess I'll get there eventually – although at this rate I'm starting to worry that I might not live long enough.

Life's too short to listen to stuff you don't enjoy.

 

[BigMartin]

Life's too short to listen to stuff you don't enjoy.

On the other hand, it's worth revisiting stuff you used not to like from time to time. Charlie Parker and Benny Carter, for example, are making a lot more sense to me than they did a year ago.

 

[gladsaxisme]

THIS IS A GREAT THREAD !!!!

I haven't seen so many different people get involved for quite a while, Thanks for waking us all up Nick, I also like Kenny Gee and sound like sheep bleating on my alto...john

 

[SansSax]

On the other hand, it's worth revisiting stuff you used not to like from time to time. Charlie Parker and Benny Carter, for example, are making a lot more sense to me than they did a year ago.

That's good advice - thanks.

I may not have a MK VI, but I've got some Selmer cork grease.

LOL!!!!! Brilliant!!