Kenny G is a great sax player. Mobley is the guy I go out of my way to listen to because he never wears outalways soulful, inventive, the supreme melodist. No matter what you do you cant satisfy everybody. The problem I have with Kenny G is not Kenny G himself. When youre talking about art, which is what creating music is, it is subjective, and between the ears and eyes of the beholder, and so all opinions are uniquely different. Looking for some listening inspiration, alto player wise. [5] In the Golf Digest rankings of Top 100 in Music, according to golf handicap indexes of major musicians, he was first in 2006[4] and second in 2008. Brought up on a strict diet of rhythmnblues, this Los Angeles altoist played in the bands of Gil Evans and Chico Hamilton before making his mark as a proponent of avant-garde jazz in the late 70s. Just for her solo on Its as if youd been There, she ought to be top of ANYONES list. The reeds of the alto saxophone are smaller than those of the tge saxophone. Mark Sabbatini found G's cover to be an "unconscionable act of auditory graffiti" over the Armstrong song. 15 on the Hot 100 and No. Special to The Seattle Times. Dolphys Blue Note LP, Out To Lunch, remains a touchstone of avant-garde jazz and his influence has extended beyond the genre. Reply. EXCEPTIONAL TECHNIQUE!!! The 11 Best Saxophone Players for Hire in West Palm Beach, FL | GigSalad Birthday Party with 5 guests West Palm Beach, Florida Performance location Outdoor (with cover) Song requests We love Kenny G and I would like a few songs played from our wedding which one was A Whole New World from the Aladdin soundtrack. He played saxophone, keyboards and percussion in a rock band called Uncle Jam. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLLHZmRvMj4&list=OLAK5uy_kYNmW4pdq99QhTC5Q7VajuN48GPfk4DfA&index=1. [39] Reaching 37 on the Billboard Hot 100, the song was his first entry on the chart since 2000 and resulted in his becoming one of just five artistsalongside Michael Jackson, Madonna, U2 and "Weird Al" Yankovicto have appeared in the top 40 every decade from the 1980s to the 2010s. Having said that, he has sold over 75 million albums, so there are obviously a lot of people who love him ! Frank Wess? Its news to me that the saxophone is a brass instrument. Merely influence? John Carter? Dubbed The Boss, Windy City native Gene Jug Ammons might have been the scion of boogie-woogie piano meister Albert Ammons, but he was drawn to the tenor saxophone and began his career in the 40s. I think Coleman Hawkins doesnt get enough credit as he was one of the few greats that successfully made the transition between two styles of music (in his case Swing and Bebop.). as Elvin once told me. It includes covers such as Careless Whisper, and Elton John's "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word", a collaboration with Richard Marx. It must be. All Rights Reserved. Top rankings are just STUPID! Even so, while his music always looked forward, Blythe never lost sight of the traditions of the best jazz saxophonists before him. [1] Kenny G is one of the best-selling artists of all time, with global sales totaling more than 75 million records. "[43] The Nickelodeon series parodies the artist with the character Kelpy G.[44], In 2022 he appeared on avant-garde metal band Imperial Triumphant's song "Merkurius Gilded" alongside his son Max Gorelick on guitar. Can you say Rolling Stone best guitarists of all time? 17 1994", "Dance/Club Play Songs Week of April 26, 1997", "Anne Gearan. Desmond27!! [10] His debut studio album, Kenny G, was recorded in 1981 with members of the Jeff Lorber Fusion, and released in the following year. After all that self-righteous rhetoric, I think Don Byas and Lucky Thompson should be on the list or expand it!!! The audience he has wouldn't be caught dead at a real jazz concert or club. Biography [ edit] And Hank Mobley is overrated albeit there were some memorable recordings. From Tulsa, Oklahoma, alto saxophonist Eugene Earl Bostic got his big break in vibraphonist Lionel Hamptons band just before World War II. They also complain that hes earned so many millions from his music while many jazz musicians who are much more skilled toil in relative obscurity. Sanders music also tapped into the music of other cultures. I dont think Trane himself would have put himself at number two either way. NEW ORLEANS. He stayed with Miles Davis until 1970 and became a prolific composer. Still actively performing today, Lloyds music is edgier and more exploratory than it was in the 60s. He is also playing at THE JAZZ ROOM in Waterloo, Ontario in early February of 2020 (The group is called THE CLIFFS OF MOHER). Are you in uk? The album is certified Gold in the US. The youngest-born entry among the worlds best jazz saxophonists, Ohio-born Lovano can play a clutch of different instruments, though his name is synonymous with the tenor saxophone. Like so many jazz musicians that worked in the 50s including many of the best jazz saxophonists of the era Peppers career was blighted with drug addiction. I have a series-II soprano and have the Rheuben Allen copper Alto and Bari Sax. I count four saxophonists from the pre-swing era, although you bootlickers probably fap off to that meandering shit thats been known as jazz for the past seventy years. I remember transcribing one of Desmomds solos on BLUE RONDO A LA TURK and it was very hard to play on guitar note for note. My favorite stuff by Paul Desmond does not include Take 5. One of three noted jazz musician siblings (his brothers are drummer Percy and bassist Albert Heath), this Philly saxophonist started his career in the 40s and switched from alto to tenor sax to try and avoid comparisons with fellow bebopper Charlie Parker (Heath was dubbed Little Bird for a time). Your instrument will come alive with over 100 presets that any sax player is sure to love. Wayne Shorter, Pepper and Cannonball should be higher up. A key member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet between 1951 and 1957 (he wrote the groups most famous tune, the big crossover hit Take Five), this San Francisco-born alto saxophonists light delivery helped to define the West Coast cool sound. Hmm? Thats where the curators step in to validate or invalidate the taste of what we consider art left in our mouths and minds. Mulligan played too close to the book and his vest for my taste. Som many others that were omitted do. [49] Many businesses begin piping the music over their loudspeakers shortly before closing at night. Jazz, they say, is about improvisation and vigorous interplay between musicians who are testing musical boundaries. From the 70s onwards, Barbieri leaned towards smooth jazz settings for his music, though his brooding tenor saxophone never lost its visceral intensity. 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Kenny G is widely known in the world for his smooth music and saxophone jazz tunes. But the painful ugliness of the sound he made on 4 different occasions was enough to detract from the beauties of A Love Supreme, the ingenious harmonic revisions of Giant Steps, and the multiphonics in the cadenza of his favorite tune, I Want to Talk About You (played on practically every Coltrane session I attended). 1,239 likes. But a new documentary film by Penny Lane may lead some of Kenny Gs critics to reconsider. Neither was gil Melle, or Nick Brignola (I was trying to think up earlier) or Sonny Criss, Joe Farrell, Scott Hamilton, or Bud Johnson, Paul Quinchette, or Pharoah Sanders, Bob Berg. Discovery Company. In the early 60s, he made a slew of combative but affable duet albums with his musical sparring partner, Johnny Griffin. I think that Boots Randolph should be on the list. Though Dolphy died at a relatively young age (he was 36 when he tragically succumbed to a fatal diabetic coma), the reverberations from his pathfinding music can still be felt today. He at least was recorded and published, which is more than the Blue Note execs did for Tina Brooks, perhaps the best of the Coltrane challengers with something original to say. Born Walter Theodore Rollins in New York, his career took off in the 50s and his big, robust sound, combined with his gift for melodic improvisation, gained him the nickname Saxophone Colossus. Obviously this list is not a list of best saxophonist, but best straight ahead jazz saxophonist. One mans Kenny G is another womans, John Coltrane. Steve Lacy? The 1987 hit-single "Love Power", a Dionne Warwick duet with Jeffrey Osborne that featured G as a guest saxophonist, peaked at No. And as for some of the choices whoever compiled the list should be hanged, drawn and quartered, and have his pocket-money stopped, etc etc etc. Lovano is a supremely versatile musician who has played in a welter of different musical contexts and whose influences range from bop to African music. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. "[52], Kenny G's 1999 single "What a Wonderful World" was particularly criticized for its overdubbing of Louis Armstrong's recording of the same song. Kenny G refrains from labeling his own music. How about Sonny Criss. Kenny G - he's the most commercially successful sax player of all time, so of course, folks are going to hate on him. I came here to say just that. Placement of the musicians will always be a never ending disagreement. Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), known professionally as Kenny G, is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, and producer. [19], Kenny G earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1997 for playing the longest note ever recorded on a saxophone. Its melody, harmony, and individuality. It was there, in 1939, where he was recruited by bandleader Lionel Hampton (who persuaded Jacquet to swap his alto for a tenor sax). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15DC-_cfh_w. future saxophonist than any of the 50 listed. Theres a whole lot of other mess on the list. Michael Brecker (3/29/49) played with his older brother Randy (11/27/45)not his younger brother as written above. He started playing the saxophone at an early age of 13 so he was highly skilled at his craft. Lester Young should have been two. Hes the Sonny Rollins favorite. This list is mired in a rather parochial hard-bop sensibility. I didnt know who Steve Lacy and Teddy Edwards were ten years ago, and Im still learning. ), Paul Desmond (#27), Sidney Bechet (#25), and Johnny Hodges (#12) are vastly underrated by comparison. It explores racial prejudice and the art vs. commerce debate, and offers some lessons on what it takes for someone to be successful in any field. His 2010 album Heart and Soul is strongly influenced by R&B, featuring Robin Thicke and his long-time collaborator Babyface. He played in many big bands (including those of Artie Shaw, Stan Kenton, and Buddy Rich) and was always conducive to working on collaborative projects with other saxophonists. When he entered high school he failed at his first attempt to get into the jazz band but auditioned again the following year and earned first chair. A prolific purple patch at the Impulse! Pharaoh Sanders at # number 47 really that is a joke dont know who came with this list but no way, GIANLUIGI TROVESI from Italy? 7 on the Hot 100. 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