Prez

[Greywolf]

Of all the sax players Prez just has to be my favourite.

Such lyrical and sensitive playing. If was able to sell my soul to the devil in exchange for being able to play like someone it would be Prez.

The trouble is I'm now older than he was when he died so I don't have enough time but I'm having lots of fun trying.

 

[Bobby G]

Totally agree with the above, especially Prez playing behind/around Billie Holiday.

It's often been said that the Prez school of lyrical, lighter toned playing is at the other end of the scale from Mr. Gruff-tone, the marvellous Coleman Hawkins.

 

[Bobby G]

An example of how not two, but three tenor players can be so different can be seen by following the link in Lee's post in the Gerry Mulligan thread. The contrast is quite astonishing, Prez's tone is so much lighter than Coleman Hawkins or Ben Webster, who are both great players in their own right, but unmistakeably tenor players. By contrast, Prez could almost be playing alto.