Playing the saxophone What's your fav ballad to play?

[half diminished]

I'm looking to transcribe and learn several ballads and I'm building a shortlist. Any suggestions?

I'm looking at :

• When Your Lover Has Gone - Sonny Rollins
• When You Wish Upon A Star - Various artists
• Willow Weep for Me - Dexter Gordon
• Don't Explain - Dexter Gordon
• Darn That Dream - Dexter Gordon
• I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry - Dexter Gordon
• My Reverie - Sonny Rollins
• When Your Lover Has Gone - Sonny Rollins
• You Don't Know What Love Is - Sonny Rollins
• Stella by Starlight - Stanley Turrentine
• My Old Flame - Karen Sharp or Tommy Smith
• A Time For Love - Karen Sharp
• In A Sentimental Mood - Tommy Smith
• Naima - John Coltrane

 

[Sunray]

How about - The Impossible Dream ;}

 

[kevgermany]

Lara's Theme from Dr Zhivago.

 

[Saxlicker]

Chelsea bridge
Ben Webster

 

[half diminished]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, Chelsea Bridge is a contender, I have it by Tommy Smith and Joe Henderson but not heard the Ben Webster version though I'm not a massive Webster fan if I am honest.

 

[thehunt]

I'm working on •I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry - Dexter Gordon, how about Angel Eyes?
QUOTE=half diminished;28529]I'm looking to transcribe and learn several ballads and I'm building a shortlist. Any suggestions?

I'm looking at :

• When Your Lover Has Gone - Sonny Rollins
• When You Wish Upon A Star - Various artists
• Willow Weep for Me - Dexter Gordon
• Don't Explain - Dexter Gordon
• Darn That Dream - Dexter Gordon
• I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry - Dexter Gordon
• My Reverie - Sonny Rollins
• When Your Lover Has Gone - Sonny Rollins
• You Don't Know What Love Is - Sonny Rollins
• Stella by Starlight - Stanley Turrentine
• My Old Flame - Karen Sharp or Tommy Smith
• A Time For Love - Karen Sharp
• In A Sentimental Mood - Tommy Smith
• Naima - John Coltrane

[/QUOTE]

 

[dooce]

Nat King Coles "Nature Boy". I'm not aware of any well-known sax versions although Miles Davis did one.

 

[half diminished]

I'm working on •I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry - Dexter Gordon, how about Angel Eyes?

Hey Phil..... forgot that Dexter tune, I love it! I also have the dots for Angel eyes already so will add that to the list as well.

Nat King Coles "Nature Boy". I'm not aware of any well-known sax versions although Miles Davis did one.

Bill... never heard of this one but have just found it after an iTunes search on a Stan Getz album I have. Will check it out later.

Edit: I see a couple of John Coltrane versions on iTunes so I'll check out Spotify first.

 

[Sue]

Body & Soul
Stardust
My One & Only Love

Various great recordings of these - don't have a particular favourite. I just like to play them 🙂

 

[Young Col]

So many, Ian,...but I'll add
The Man I Love - Zoot Sims' version
YC

 

[half diminished]

Body & Soul
Stardust
My One & Only Love

Various great recordings of these - don't have a particular favourite. I just like to play them 🙂

Sue thanks but it would be most helpful for a particular version as I will most likely need to transpose it myself.

So many, Ian,...but I'll add
The Man I Love - Zoot Sims' version
YC

Thanks YC, I'll check it out. The more the merrier to be honest. I aim to pick probably 5 or 6 that I will do over the next few months. I'm trying hard to work on my long tones and control my intonation as much as possible.

Much of this goes out the window when I play faster so I though it made sense to slow things down and actually work on some new tunes at the same time as trying to improve my sound/control etc. It's gonna be fun for sure.

 

[Jules]

Feeling quite retro today- does 'Ain't Misdbehaving' count as a Ballad?

 

[half diminished]

Feeling quite retro today- does 'Ain't Misdbehaving' count as a Ballad?

Jules, it's on the fringe but OK I think but I need an appropriate rendition. Any suggestions?

 

[Jules]

Lester Young every time..

 

[Sue]

Sue thanks but it would be most helpful for a particular version as I will most likely need to transpose it myself.

In that ase I'd go with Coleman Hawkins for Body & Soul
Nat King Cole for Stardust
John Coltrane (with Johnny Hartman vocals) for My One & Only Love
🙂

 

[old git]

Autumn Leaves and September Song.

Must be my time of life. ;}

 

[Young Col]

... and I'll add another Lester Young, his solo on I Guess I'll have to Change My Plan (from Lester Young - The Jazz Giants, worth getting anyway!)

 

[Andrew Sanders]

Have a listen to Stan Getz playing Misty or Johnny Mathis singing it, one of my wife's favourites.

 

[jonf]

Hi Ian

Your taste's a bit different to mine, but given your choices I'd suggest adding in 'God Bless the Child', as done by Sonny Rollins. A pretty rubbish tune, mawkish as well, rendered brilliant by Mr R.

Jon

 

[Taz]

When I go busking I tend to do a few of what I call ballads these are as follows,
What a difference a day makes, (backing track)
Love on the rocks, (backing track)
All time love, (backing track)
Wonderful world, (BIAB version)
Summertime, (BIAB version)
All my loving (BIAB version)
Fly me to the moon, (backing track)
Tears in heaven, (backing track)
I know these aren't all ballads, (what is the definition of a ballad anyway?) but when played with ooooodles of feeling, they're great and go down a storm.
I just busked in Daventry today, did about three hours and dropped over £100. My best earnings to date! :welldone:welldone