Who sparked your love of Sax music

[Mamos]

I know that a lot of us think of the jazz greats when we think of great sax players but what track or player was the initial spark that lit the flame of love for the sax and sax music.

I think it was the sax part in careless whisper played by Steve Gregory that started it all and the the sax solo from "Will you" by Hazel O Conner can't remember who the sax player was but someone will tell me

Who was it for you?

mamos

 

[Pete Thomas]

For me it was Ornette Coleman and Lee Allen

 

[old git]

Fats Domino's Sax section on Blueberry Hill and I'm not sucking up to Pete, not sure if he was born, just couldn't afford one back then.
Only when I got old and crotchety and learnt how a Zimmer frame could be used as a weapon of Mass Destruction for terrifying teenagers and obtaining Voluntary Contributions, that one could be afforded.
Still can't play the riff, any chance of a lesson, Pete?

 

[losaavedra]

1957 Jimmy Guiffre Train and the River ... still switches me on! Paul Desmond too with Dave Brubeck. Fifty years on I finally got myself an alto ... way too long a wait!

 

[Mamos]

1957 Jimmy Guiffre Train and the River ... !

You star

That is a fantastic piece of music and is still one of my favourites but I was already a big sax fan before hearing it for the first time

In fact I think I will listen to it now

After Dexter Gordon has finished.

mamos

 

[xMelx]

Coleman Hawkins Mon Homme.

Benny Carters Swing it.

 

[half diminished]

Andy Sheppard (mostly) and Courtney Pine back in 1987/88.

I still have all the vinyl. The first wife also liked Kenny G but to be honest I've never owned a lift in which to play it

I had dinner with Andy last year and that resulted in my switch to tenor, I hardly listen to anything but tenor. Bought the same sax he uses too.

 

[Young Col]

Sidney Bechet. The 1940 HRS sides with Muggsy Spanier were some of the first jazz I heard (rather later than 1940!). To my mind they are still some of Bechet's greatest recordings. He is in rather more relaxed company with the straightforward cornet of Spanier, as opposed to his battling for dominance against more hard driving trumpeters like Max Kaminsky or Sydney de Paris (still good tracks but different).
After that it was Johnny Hodges and Lester Young -we observed on the old forum that Prez' solo on the 1936 Lady Be Good is one of the jazz greats. And I'm still discovering....
Colin

 

[Mamos]

Andy Sheppard (mostly) and Courtney Pine back in 1987/88.

I still have all the vinyl. The first wife also liked Kenny G but to be honest I've never owned a lift in which to play it

I had dinner with Andy last year and that resulted in my switch to tenor, I hardly listen to anything but tenor. Bought the same sax he uses too.

Well next time you have lunch with Andy make sure you tell him about this forum and get him on here.

I do like Andy Sheppard as well but I lost all my vinyl albums a while ago so I will have to get them on CD

mamos

 

[half diminished]

Well next time you have lunch with Andy make sure you tell him about this forum and get him on here.

I do like Andy Sheppard as well but I lost all my vinyl albums a while ago so I will have to get them on CD

mamos

Not much chance of that I fear. He's mega busy and hardly even updates his own website/newsletter. Andy Brush was there as well, nice guy.

 

[Mamos]

I would love to see Andy live

I have seen Courtney Pine and he was stunning:welldone

mamos

 

[half diminished]

They are both great live. I met Courtney after the gig at The Stables. He was enthusiastic about me learning sax and full of encouragement. He also played a base clarinet - awesome and I want one!

You should get to see Andy though he's not in the UK much these days. I see his is at Bath Spa Uni on 25th March. May step daughter is at Uni there, might combine the two! Its cheap too.

 

[Phil Edwards]

Johnny Hodges did it for me, still does.

Phil

 

[Jules]

Originally it was probably Madness and the Boomtown Rats, but quickly progressed onto Stanley Turrentine & a mixed bag of 1960s Blue Note albums.....

 

[Mamos]

Oh and Davey Payne playing two sax's in Hit me with your rhythm stick

I am fortunate that Davey is now a friend of mine and I have one of his old otto link metal mouthpieces

mamos

 

[Nick Cook]

Zoot from the Muppets!!!
:ashamed

 

[Sloth]

The 2nd wave of Ska late 70s/Early 80s generally, but Lee Thompson of Madness suspended from a crane in the 'Baggy Trousers' video is still etched on my mind..

 

[thehunt]

Although i have always liked jazz i think the moment i wanted to go and buy a sax and play was when i heard Stan Getz and the Oscar Petersen Trio. Since then have heard and tried to listen to as many different styles as possible. Still don't get Coleman Hawkins or Miles Davies though. Love Ben Webster.

 

[Saxlicker]

The Saxophone made the impression on me whenever I saw someone playing. It really didn't seem to matter who, I loved them all.

Andy Brush was there as well, nice guy.

Don't forget...a great player too..

 

[dooce]

I have Brubeck albums with Paul Desmond, loads of Stan Getz, I've seen Colosseum with Dick Heckstall-Smith, I have gazed in awe at Davey Payne of The Blockheads, but what actually did it for me was, I think, Snake Davis playing with M People at some televised gig at a footy ground in Manchester, early 90's, where he prowled around the edge of the square stage just blowing this brilliant stuff and being roared on by the crowd. Best bit of "pop" sax-playing I've ever seen.