Great Players Who sparked your love of Sax music

[mrjulian]

I guess I've been listening to jazz since before I was born, which makes it difficult to say who sparked my love of the music.
But I particularly remember Ronnie Scott on the box back in the 70s talking about playing sax which made me think 'I want to play one of those'. The interviewer asked him what it was about the sax that made him want to play - he said something like it being the closest thing to the human voice. My memory says it was on Pebble Mill at One - but I'm sure someone here will tell me otherwise ;}
Shame it took me until the early 90s to get my sticky paws on one.

 

[Taz]

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

Wesley McGoogan was the magician behind "Will you." A fantastic sax player from Hastings. He was also a carpenter, which lead to his demise as a sax player. He had an accident with a circular saw and ended his career. Very sad.

He was one of my influences, as well as Candy Dulffer. Since I started playing the sax, I'm influenced by anyone who can play better than I can.....most people then!🙂))

 

[visionari1]

I was the Sax men on "Kind of Blue" that got me, just the sound of Coltrane and Cannonball hit the raw centre, still does now. Also Archie Shepp on a forlorn romantic trip to Germany in 2000 his old album "Going Home" with Horace Parlane did ditto. Many others continue to fan the flames.
Cheers & Ciao

Jimu

 

[Mikey B]

For me it was probably Wesley Magoogan who played Alto Sax on Hazel Oconnors "Will You" hit record, I was just amazed when I first heard that, it was just really haunting. I guess that was around 1981.

I found my tastes kind of twisted and turned throughout the years though, and nowadays I am really into the blusey R+B honking type of thing, some of my favourites are: Earl Bostic, Red Prysock, Cifford Scott, Eddie Lockjaw Davis and so on. Sadly nobody seems to play that kind of stuff anymore?

Regards, Mikey B

 

[trevorlingard]

Acker Bilk was my idol as at the age of about 10 (stranger on the shore) and my parents got me a clarinet which cost my dad a weeks wage then. I wanted a sax straight away after but didnt dare ask. Little Richard, Bill Haley, The Coasters were influeces along with THe Glen Miller Sound. I suppose I like all music with a sax in it, which makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. I have been a bit ignorant of alot of good sax players to my detrement. I am now a late bloomer so I have found the forum very helpful in broadening my knowledge. I wish there had been forums like this then.

 

[jadoube]

I have no recollection of any specific motivation.

One day I happened to say I wished I'd learned to play an instrument when young. What, I was asked. Saxophone I replied, and things just sort of happened from there.

Don't know and can't explain why I said it. Feels rather strange to find everyone else had some specific inspiration. I must be odd.😱

 

[BeeVee]

Freddie Gardner.

 

[griff136]

I had no real influence - I was serving in the Royal Marines when I went out and got a tad tiddly on the old beer, woke up the next morning with a major hangover and had a saxophone at the bottom of my bed and a visa bil for 700 odd quid! I got meself a tune a day book and the rest as they say is history.

 

[Luluna]

Not very esoteric, but hey, I was only 12 years old - heard James Taylor's cover of "How Sweet it Is" one summer day, and was possessed to copy David Sanborn's solo by ear....and so it began....continued with his late 80s Sunday Night Jazz TV show with Jools Holland.

In between - the first "saxophone" record I ever bought with my allowance, The Crusaders, "Those Southern Knights".

I love this thread - I am re-inspired to investigate other great musicians - thanks everyone for sharing them :welldone

 

[Jules]

I found my tastes kind of twisted and turned throughout the years though, and nowadays I am really into the blusey R+B honking type of thing, some of my favourites are: Earl Bostic, Red Prysock, Cifford Scott, Eddie Lockjaw Davis and so on. Sadly nobody seems to play that kind of stuff anymore?

Regards, Mikey B

Ray Gelato & Sax Gordon do....

 

[Andrew Sanders]

Michael Brecker's solo on "Still Crazy after all these Years".
Still makes me tingle.

 

[Mamos]

Michael Brecker's solo on "Still Crazy after all these Years".
Still makes me tingle.

Good call

mamos

 

[Rogerb]

My neighbour had a small combo which played local dances ....they weren't very good(Remember "A White Sports Coat and a Pink Carnation" ? 😱 ), and certainly not 'jazzers', but he had a lovely Selmer which he said was worth £125.....a fortune in the late Fifties, so I guess it was a MkVI. I just loved the look and sound of it.

 

[tengu01]

Sparking the love of Sax music

Well, I can't put it down to one particular person because when I got switched onto the sax, I was listening to it via Helen Mayhew on JazzFM - the Dinner Jazz show, so I am sure there was a lot of classic sax.

Others: Candy Dulfer on Lily Was Here
Joshua Redman: Freedom in the Groove

 

[takefive09]

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

Without doubt it was hearing Gerry Mulligan Qt. playing 'Walkin Shoes' in about 1965. But then a bit later I heard 'Kind of Blue' and I've been addicted ever since.Decided to learn to play on my 70th!!!😀

 

[rob1969]

for me it was candy dulfer lilly was here
also baker st
dont now many that why i posted the top 100
so it looks like i was to later on this topic

 

[takefive09]

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!

.

YES!! I too had forgotten that one. The earth definately did move for me whenever that came on. Think I must have bought the LP.I was 19 in 1957 and have just got an Alto as well.

 

[AndyB]

When I was a kid on a farm in North Carolina, I used to get up at 5am to tune my am radio to WLS Chicago (900 miles away) where for about an hour I could hear King Curtis, Jr Walker, Lester Young and other great players with Fats Domino, Ray Charles, etc. each morning bouncing off the stratosphere before the signal faded. I was in awe. All around me was top 40 am music but out there somewhere was this great music! So I started playing tenor when I was 12 and I would honk away 4-5 hours a day but had to give it up when I went to college to study chemistry. Finally, after many years I'm sending my daughter off to study chemisty in college and I'm honking away again and loving it.

 

[AlanU]

Being born in mid 50s Britain the soundscape was largely big bands with ballad singers until my elder sister started bringing home pop and soul records.
I listened to everything I could get my ears on.

The real saxophone epiphany was when in an amateur drama group in the 1980s we were about to do 'Flying Blind' and I was required (as the muso in the group) to track down Charlie Parker's 'Lover Man' where he's strung out.
I found it at Mole Jazz.

That slayed me.
I devoured the rest of that Dial album, and that led to a whole world of Jazz and opening my ears.

 

[phooesnax]

Second half of freshman year in high school included music appreciation. My teacher was awesome and I decided to take clarinet. She convinced me to help with the spring concert that year. My lessons were not to start till August. There was a senior who played Harlem Nocturne on tenor in that Spring concert and that was it. The rest was history.

Forgot all about clarinet.