Playing the saxophone So what's going on hear? (ok cheap pun!)

[Saxlicker]

When I leisurely listen to/watch clips of players.
Example,
Ben Webster, Lester Young, John Coltrane and Stan Getz.
Their sounds are of course vastly different.

Then occasionally out comes the saxlicker impression of such players as I play along with them. Incidently I find Lester Young hard to copy but that aside I feel I mimic them fairly well.
That is when something strange happens.... even if I listen back at that point without playing, I can still tell the difference of course but their individuality has decreased to an extent where all I'm hearing is just small changes that can be thrown in or out almost second nature.

Part of me thinks it's because I must be getting close and part of me is dissapointed that I must be missing the point because most of the appeal to their individual personality is now missing.
Whatd'ya think?

Saxlicker

 

[Pete Thomas]

because most of the appeal to their individual personality is now missing.

My emphasis in the quote.

Nothing is missing. You cannot emulate their personality (maybe but why?), but probably what you don't realise is how your own personality may be just as useful.

 

[Saxlicker]

My emphasis in the quote.

Nothing is missing. You cannot emulate their personality (maybe but why?), but probably what you don't realise is how your own personality may be just as useful.

Hmmm... that's probably it isn't it.

When I try to copy their sounds it's for 2 reasons really and quite short lived.
Basically when I first began playing and could only muster a thin dodgy honk around the middle of the horn these guys and plenty of other that I also try to copy, just blew me away (I swear that was completely unintentional)
So reason #1 is to 'self test' that I can get in the ball park now and have made enough progress that perhaps a mortal can achieve some of their greatness.
Reason #2 is simply for a few moments of fun and fantasy.

When I improvise, I think of only 2 things.... getting nice phrases (within all the structure I know such as tuning, effects, timing which is dodgy at the best of times and variation)
And Equally
Enjoying my natural tone through out.

 

[ManEast]

Part of me thinks it's because I must be getting close and part of me is dissapointed that I must be missing the point because most of the appeal to their individual personality is now missing.
Whatd'ya think?

Saxlicker

Hi Ya Bud
I think I know what you are saying ?? I think that eliment that you think is missing ...is not just missing in what we do when trying to emulate another player. It also happens to every Clone player out there.
i.e how many clones did Trane have? 100s, but did any of them have the same effect on us?? none...not even close! Not the spirt or the forward momentom.
We have to take them on-board for a time, thank them, and then let them go. Or be happy being a tribute act.
I think there is stax of this going on esp in jazz. How many times have you been to a gig, sat infront of a guy ripping round the changes like a mad thing.
For the first 15mins, your knocked-out by the techneeek. then spend the rest of the gig bored out of your skull .
You know what... I have seen lots of what we call big hitters. been to the Blue Note, Birdland, the Vangaurd. and still the one with the most grip was Teddy Edwards, In a pub, in Pompey, sometime in the 80s. He just seemed to have it all. It & I felt very close to Bird and trane that night but Teddy was his own man...the real deal.
Be glad its missing,its what makes art magical.

Time we had a beer;}

Ricky

can't spell n got no gig tonight... shht!

 

[Saxlicker]

Hi Ricky,

Well put!
I think thats all true too especially the last bit;}

I have 18 days off around late Nov/Early Dec so a good time for me if you're gigging. I'll give you a nudge closer to the time and maybe we can catch up then.
T

 

[half diminished]

I'm far from an experienced player but I have been recently working on two tunes: Dexter's Three O Clock in the morning which I have transcribed totally by ear and with no notation. After committing the first 32 bars to memory, I am now working on the articulation 'a la Dexter style' and I seem to be getting quite close. HOWEVER, it's the tiny nuances that I have to 'think' about trying to replicate that are hard and of course he just does them.

The second tune is Alfie by Sonny Rollins. I worked on this initially from the Hal Leonard Sonny Rollins playalong. Now though I am trying to emulate Rollins' articulation/sound which is very hard for me. Again. it is tiny nuances and inflections that make the Rollins sound so great and distinctive. Also, listing to three different recordings is interesting as they all vary but all have his distinctive sound.

As for the 'uber fast' playing of long continuous streams of notes....... I saw Courtney Pine last evening at the Stables. What a contrast, awesome mind blowing range from his bass clarinet - he seemed to cover 5 octaves with one instrument! Totally inane fast improvisational passages passages on soprano that were over repetitive and at times just a monotonous rag-bag noise. OK, it was clever but come on Courtney, circular breathing for 4 minutes playing what seemed like semi-demi quavers at 250 bpm! Just gets boring I'm afraid, though technically very clever.

The best part of the evening for me (after the clarinet pieces) was the impromptu renditions of Summertime subtly blending into into When I fall in Love and a rendition of Michael Jackson's Heal the World.

Beautifully played with emotion and some great embellishment around the melody.

Now I knew what to expect from Mr Pine obviously but just a tad too much fast stuff for me.