Great Players Who sparked your love of Sax music

[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.

 

[TonyMoroney]

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, as per a few of the others, there was definitely the Ska revival/Two Tone thing; the horn section from Dexy's version of Geno (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roY1HnIrSMc) was great, a whole bunch of stuff by Madness, but before them all was SpyroGyra, Morning Dance, and additionally was about the first full piece I've learned (still learning the lyrical bit at the end).

Other than that, Will You, bits from Dark Side of the Moon and other Floyd stuff.

Cheers

T.

 

[U CAN CALL ME AL]

Paul Desmond Colston Hall Bristol 1968. Real smoothie.

 

[Young Col]

Sorry to inject a sour note of a different experience of Courtney Pine. Mrs YC and I must be some of the few people who overall did not enjoy seeing his concert. When he came on stage he played phenomenal soprano. Also played some great tenor. However as the show went on anyone who thought they could beatbox or rap was invited up and to us the whole show degenerated into a kind of disorganised amateur talent show. Lots of the audience clearly did enjoy it, but it's not what we went for. Pity, as we were really looking forward to hearing him - sounds as though others had a better experience.
Colin

 

[GJ77]

Zoot and Bird

It was definately Zoot's final note on the muppets' theme tune which first made me want to play at the age of about 7 (and my dad played), but the first sax player that I really sat down and listened to was Bird and from that moment on I've been hooked.

As I write this I'm listening to the remastered Massey Hall recording.

Still astounded by the man.

Glen

 

[thomsax]

For me it was King Curtis and Jr Walker in the late 60's.

But the saxophone brainwashng started earlier. My fathers favourite saxplayer was Charlie Barnet (bandleader, Swing, big band). He use to play Charlie songs on Sundays. Songs like Cherokee, Redskin Rhumba, Harlem Nocturne, Gloomy Sunday .... are for ever in my head. Barnet was a great player and sometimes I play the records myself.

Thomas

 

[TomMapfumo]

After my wedding in 1990 we went along to choose a hi-fi system, as a gift from the out-laws; we chose a Linn/Naim system which we still have to this day. I had taken several albums along to test the various options available, and one of the records was Andy Sheppard's debut album. On listening to this the sales consultant remarked - "if you like this you'll love Jan Garbarek". He was absolutely right and I've never looked back. Then got into North European Jazz, then also decided to learn both sax and trumpet.

Never looked back😎
Kind regards
Tom😎

 

[half diminished]

However as the show went on anyone who thought they could beatbox or rap was invited up and to us the whole show degenerated into a kind of disorganised amateur talent show. Lots of the audience clearly did enjoy it, but it's not what we went for. Pity, as we were really looking forward to hearing him - sounds as though others had a better experience.
Colin

Fair point in fact I was a little disappointed that he didn't play any tenor at all just sop and a base clarinet which was awesome - I want one.

Right at end for his encore he started In a Mellow Tone on sop and then invited the audience to join in. Bit rubbish as I wanted to hear him play.

Glad I didn't go to your concert.

 

[teebones]

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 it's got to be the sax part from Norman Smiths aka Hurricane Smith "Oh Babe What Would You Say". can't remember the sax player but think he was paid a one off £25 🙂)) Tony

 

[Basil]

When I wer't'kid growing up in Yorkshire in't 60's (or it could even have been the early 70's) there was a public information film about the Countyside, and keeping the Country Code, backed by Paul Desmond playing Take 5. Since then I have always loved the Alto Sax. It has only taken me about 40 years to do something about learning to play it.....think of all that wasted time...