Great Players Who sparked your love of Sax music

[Pete Thomas]

Just clearing out my Vinyl, they are both still there: Lee Allen and Ornette Coleman

 

[ghostler]

When I was about 12 or so, I used to sneak into my brother's room to copy his LPs onto cassette tape. He had Brothers in Arms lying around, including Your Latest Trick. Shortly after, it occurred to me that the saxophone would be a great instrument to play. Consequently, I blame it all on Mike Brecker. (Still working on those charming grace notes, more than 3 decades later ...)

When I was 16, from my own money earned by working after school on a poultry farm, bought on sale from Radio Shack a true high fidelity portable capstan 1/4 inch tape recorder.

It was about the size

and depth of a Bb soprano clarinet case, could operate off 6 D cell batteries or detachable 115 Volt AC line cord. (Then we had only lower capacity zinc-carbon batteries).

It oddly used 4 inch reels that were hard to obtain. Standard size was 5 inch, the next size was 3.25 inch. I purchased 3.25's locally when on sale and also from sources such as Ohlson Electronics by mail order.

I borrowed about twenty to thirty 45 RPM records from friends. Then I learned by making a custom cord that connected to the speaker output leads of the monoraul record player to the microphone jack of the recorder, could obtain high fidelity recordings of the records. (I controlled the volume of the record player output to not overdrive the microphone inputs. It's been so long but I think I included a voltage divider network to reduce the dB output of the speaker outputs to the mike jack.)

This became my "MP3 player", I took it to an outer island field trip where my high school band visited the Maui high school and their band around 1971, where we also did a concert for them in their auditorium. (Then they were truly rural, even the fast food restaurants closed at 5:00 PM. (Restaurants then were locally owned IMO serving delicious and more nutricious plate lunches.) This band trip was at their older high school, which was abandoned in 1972 for the newly constructed one. That one I never visited.

My love for the saxophone was spurred by my high school band Teacher, Mr. Henry K. Tamanaha, introducing stage band to us and recruiting the better players who had a desire to give jazz music a try. Since, I have never lost that love.

When I haven't been able to play the sax, I used my arranger keyboards to practise my jazz licks. This may be an option for those who truly do not have a home situation that they cannot practise their sax. It helps to keep one musically focused. 😉

 

[Ballymenaboy]

Stan Getz. It never entered my mind

 

[ZeroZero]

Stan Getz of course. Apert from Girl from Ipaneama, I am a fan of Mahna De Carnaval.

 

[mizmar]

Unusually, it would seem, I never had any particular love for the sax or any sax musician or music. My relationship with the sax is more of an arranged, shotgun marriage of convenience.
I had decided to learn a jazz oriented instrument. Having played clarinet (for arbitrary reasons) for a year or so, aged 10; the reed was a tie breaker, making the sax seem an obvious choice.
Yet now, as I had hoped, when I do listen to a bit of music with a good saxophone part I am a better listener. Like in a non-romatic marriage, one grows to love the old lump of brass.

 

[wakyct]

Maybe not so unusual @mizmar, I hadn't commented in this thread before because no one sparked my love for the saxophone -- I decided to learn it because I wanted to learn a wind instrument and it seemed one of the more accessible choices. I've never had any particular affinity for music featuring saxophone either. I did listen to jazz as a kid but my man was Max Roach and I was a drummer at heart.

But I think like you my appreciation for it has really grown as I've gotten to know it.

 

[ghostler]

I hadn't commented in this thread before because no one sparked my love for the saxophone -- I decided to learn it because I wanted to learn a wind instrument and it seemed one of the more accessible choices.

That is definitely a valid reason.

I guess in a similar vein, I started on clarinet because I was interested in learning music. It was my 6th grade band teacher that suggested I try clarinet. Being 11 years old, I really didn't know any better. I told my father, he went to a music store and bought me a beginner plastic clarinet, a Le Blanc Vito. I just stuck with it through 12th grade. Then played it for high school concert and sports pep band, and alto sax in stage band. Graduated then on to an active military service band after auditioning. Seconded on sax.

Things could have been different, someone could have suggested a trumpet, but no one did and so the rest is history. Music teacher thought my mouth was more suitable for a wind instrument instead of brass. In high school, I grew into sax. Now I love the sax, it has become my primary instrument. But I still love playing the clarinet, and also have a love for organs and electronic keyboards, ukuleles and a little guitar.

 

[atwl77]

Guess I should also add my own comments.

Like @mizmar and @wakyct , I didn't really have that much affinity to sax-specific music, but after some time I slowly started getting more and more into it.

When I was young, my first experience to sax was when my dad bought his first Kenny G CD album, but even then I wasn't really into his style except for maybe some of his more popular hits (e.g. Forever In Love).

When I got into jazz later in life, it also wasn't really sax-specific, but I did like the sax parts in some of the jazz pieces that I listened to. Notably, the trading between the trumpet and sax in Dave Grusin's Dancing in the Township, the sax solo in Pat Coil's The Wisdom to Know, etc.

Later, when I heard Candy Dulfer's Lily Was Here on the radio for the first time, I decided to get her album Saxuality, only to discover how different the rest of her songs were compared to that pop hit. But it was my first real experience, and I learnt to like some of her stuff. Then much later on, Dave Koz, Mindy Abair, Grover Washington Jr, etc... but not really into the old classic jazz stuff like Miles Davis or Sony Rollins etc.

And the reason I decided to pick and learn the instrument, just around 2+ years ago, was nothing to do with the sax albums that I listened to. Instead, I discovered Youtubers like Daniele Vitale and thought, "hey, I would love to be able to play like that". And so I got my first sax and have been practicing ever since.

 

[DonLeo]

I spent a month in Le Mans on business and was bored one weekend. My French is not great but I decided to buy a ticket to the theatre to watch whatever was on that night just to spend the evening somewhere else.

Second half of the performance, James Carter took to the stage and blew me away (no pun intended).

One day I’ll play that I thought. That took 20+ years but I did start playing 8 years ago and still play/practice almost daily.

 

[Spiderjames]

In the 5th grade I was trying to decide what instrument to play in middle school band. I was watching TV with my dad. I think it was American Bandstand, but I can't quite remember. Flash Cadillac and the Continental Kids were on and the sax player turned his tenor sax upside down over his head to play the solo. I decided right then and there I had to play tenor sax.

Thinking back later, I'm sure they were probably lip syncing and he was maybe just goofing off 'cuz they weren't allowed to play live, but to a fifth grader it was way cool.

 

[Nervous_Fingers]

I was 8 years old in Sunday school during the general assembly before we split into our age group classes. A guy who they called Rootin' Tootin' came to the stage along with a pianist and performed a song on alto. He did this every other weekend and it was the coolest thing I saw and heard. Two years later when I was finally in the school grade to start band, guess what I chose when they sent us home with the blue slip of listed instruments to choose from.

The players name was Mark Martinez, a local musician around town and at the church. Although I never took lessons from him, he inspired me to play the sax.

 

[Vlad]

I can say pretty much certainly it was this LP

 

[Cat]

Perhaps this is a bit tangential but it was David Bowie, and the unearthly sounds he was creating on his Berlin trilogy. WheoI discovered it was a saxophone that hooked me.

 

[Vlad]

Perhaps this is a bit tangential but it was David Bowie, and the unearthly sounds he was creating on his Berlin trilogy. WheoI discovered it was a saxophone that hooked me.

A younger David Bowie took lessons from Ronnie Ross apparently

 

[Dave E]

No one player inspired me initially, as I took sax lessons just on a whim about 30 years ago knowing nothing about sax players. Since then I've now retired and am presently able to practice more, and play multiple genres. I now typically get inspired a few times a week listening to sax players on tunes I'd like to play with one of the bands I'm in or busking. Clarence Clemmons, John Coltrane, Steve Norman, Chris White, Bobby Keys, local players etc etc have all inspired me. Sometimes its not a whole album, or a whole tune but just a couple of bars here and there, which lift me out of a TV slump and get practising and playing. Occasionally I think I sound good, which also lifts my spirits and I'll crack on with new gusto!

 

[Grafsax]

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

For me definitely Wayne Shorter on "Domino Theory" I played that record for months and months and thought that after this no new music could exist.

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[cjR]

I don't recall - I wish I could, as a 6/7 year old in the 80s I remember having a very strong desire to play sax but I don't know where it came from, can only imagine it was someone on the radio or TV. Unfortunately my school only had a brass teacher and a tenor horn for me and I had to wait for my adult years to finally start playing.

 

[Johnslm9]

For me, it was Charles Miller. Not heard of him? He definitely deserves more attention. He played for War (a peaceful band) from LA in the 70s. Illustrious personel included Eric Burden (ex Animals) . Sadly Charles Miller got murdered before we could hear more. He played with the best but they always gave him huge solos as he was just SO good. Personally I don't like "clever" players with too many notes in every bar, it just does not float my boat. I think it's all about emotional connection and this is what Miller is about. Yes he has the tech, but that's not what he is in front of you for - its about communication heart to heart -direct, simplified, passionate, uncluttered - he is truly "speaking". Nearest thing to a prayer on a sax I have ever heard.

I would post links here, but I am a newbie and they would be blocked. So go to utube and look up these tracks

WAR Back Home

WAR Blues for Memphis Slim

Go on take a look, don't pass it over, it's well worth knowing him

Z

Thank You, I am Charles’ daughter.
I would love to chat with you.
Warmly,
Laurian
Laurianmiller<<at>>gmail.com

 

[JSL]

For me, the very first spark was way, way back in my first or second year in High School. I was over at a friend's fooling around on the clarinet I'd been playing since grade school and another guy came over with his alto sax. After hearing him play it, and how it totally blew the clarinet away volume-wise, I had to have a sax. I went to a music store in Oakland with my mother and we picked up a Buescher TT alto (I still have it but switched to tenor long ago). After that I started listening to sax players. One early, huge inspiration was seeing Sonny Rollins play solo in '69 in a jazz festival at the Greek Theater in Berkeley. He totally brought the house down and to this day I've never heard anything so amazing. But I sure got lots more inspiration over the years seeing all the great jazz sax players still alive in the '70s - '90s on countless nights in clubs around the Bay Area. Dexter Gordon, Stanley Turrentine, Roland Kirk, Sonny Stitt, Jackie McLean, and so many more.

 

[logdrum]

My mother, but she passed when I was young and was only playing guitar and piano. My uncle who introduced her to modern jazz thought she went too far when she started listening to the out players and late Coltrane. When I got out of listening to rock music and started digging jazz, I did listen tot he traditional route at first but within a year continued on from where my mother left me with. I have met Pharaoh Sanders and saw him live many times, but what really blew my mind was seeing David Ware in the early 1990's and I lived in NYC, so there were many great horn players, even the buskers on the streets.

Too many to list but WSQ to me is a must listen. I have in the past 4 been digging classical saxophone quartets and educating myself on that.