Top 10 Living Tenors Poll

[Lois Gilbert]

Sorry I messed up (I'm still learning as well) But I'll try to recreate and it would be great if we could start the discussion again

[Pete C]

To determine perceptions of the top 10 living tenors, don't you need to list many more than 10, and then see which 10 come out on top?

[gnhrtg]

I would agree with Pete. Your question, Lois, can better be phrased as "top tenor among the 10 I have listed." I do not know if the software / or the board allows for it, but if it does, we can (one of us, so that we don't have numerous polls on the same topic at the same time) put up a list 20, if you like, vote on it for a couple of days and then take the top ten from there to vote again. That might reflect what we, as posters here, think are (1) the top ten tenors, and also (2) our preferences within that top 10. Let me see if I can put a larger list.

Gokhan

(I noticed that the maximum number is 10, so it's not that Lois did not think of not posting a larger list, it's that you can't. Well after all, we can do it in sub-genres maybe)

[Alex]

Well, in any case, it's nice to see Wayne Shorter on top this time (as of the time of this post, anyway).

[Steve Reynolds]

not a valid poll without Evan Parker

c'mon - Lois - Parker, Anderson & Dunmall have to be on this list

We need at least 20 to vote the top ten

god forbid we get to choose among 10 boring bassists to name the greats...

[moneyp]

Who's Anderson?

There you go.

[Uli]

Originally posted by mone peterson
Who's Anderson?

There you go.

Here you go Mone. Btw today is Anderson's 74th birthday. Happy many more!:


Despite being an "old school" musician in terms of grounding and
early influences, Fred Anderson was a founding member of the
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
(AACM) and headed several AACM groups in the '60s.
Anderson had formally studied music theory and was strongly
influenced by Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, and Gene
Ammons. He reflected that training throughout his career, always
having a full, huge tone and being a capable blues and ballad
stylist. But he also absorbed the new ideas pioneered by Ornette
Coleman and other free theorists; it was this ability to merge old
and new that made Anderson a seminal figure among Chicago
musicians in the '60s.

In the late '70s, Anderson ran his first club, The Birdhouse,
named for Charlie Parker, whose music had a huge influence on the early development of the
saxophonist. The '70s were also when he began collaborating with percussionist Hamid Drake;
Dark Day: Live in Verona (Okka Disk, 2001) is a good documentation of their early work
together, and includes trumpeter Billy Brimfield, a frequent collaborator of Anderson's since before
AACM's birth, and the musician with whom Anderson first traveled to Europe in 1977 (Anderson
returned to Europe the following year with a group that included George Lewis). While two
recordings from 1980 came out on CD almost 20 years later, no other available recordings
document Anderson's work from 1981-1993. Despite the lack of recordings, however, Anderson
was busy making music throughout this time. 1982 found him taking over Velvet Lounge after the
death of the previous owner who was a friend of his. It wasn't long before the Sunday jam sessions
started happening (this schedule highlight was still going on at the Velvet as of 2001). When the
Chicago label Okka Disk started up in the mid-'90s, the first thing it did was issue a
previously-unreleased 1980 duo recording of Anderson and drummer Steve McCall. Not too long
after, came the first Fred Anderson recording made in years: Birdhouse, recorded in 1994 and
1995. Since then the under-documentation of this artist who so helped nurture creative jazz in
Chicago was remedied with a steady supply of new recordings released on Okka Disk, Asian
Improv, and other labels. --(amg)

Steve, you can make your own polls now. Ain't that the bomb! Unfortunately I think the options may be limited at 10.

[Jim Sangrey]

Fred Anderson is a BAAAAAD muthaphukker!

I'm also becoming very fond of Parker very quickly, as I expected..

Dunmall I'm not hip to yet. I can fix that, though, and surely will. Give the old hermit some time to come out of his cave.

But I still voted Sonny, for probably illogical reasons long since sent to cyberether by an unfortunate random act of boardal growing pains/learning curve. ;)

When HE dies, we can talk, but not before.

[moneyp]

Here you go Mone.

Ah, that Anderson. Thanks, Uli. I am marginally familiar with the Fred-ster.

[moneyp]

Originally posted by Uli
Steve, you can make your own polls now. Ain't that the bomb! Unfortunately I think the options may be limited at 10.

Not any more!

[Jim Sangrey]

You put Boots up after I had already voted for Sonny. NO FAIR!

What is this, FLORIDA? ;)

[Lois Gilbert]

GIVE ME A BREAK. IT WAS MY FIRST POLL
OR POLE

Tenor is the night

[Jim Sangrey]

It's cool, tenor is invincible!

Now, how about a poll for Top Ten DEAD Tenors? ;-)

[Pete C]

Surely Dr. Dave will lobby for Houston Person's inclusion in the poll.

[BeBop]

How about the last of the original beboppers...James Moody?

[moneyp]

Y'know, you ALL can create your OWN polls...

[Steve Reynolds]

lemme figure out dhow to vote


btw - Jim - Dunmall also plays soprano, alto, baritone and of course the bagpipes

tenor is his main horn

*the* place to start is Ghostly Thoughts or Mujician's Birdman or the seminal Colours Fulfilled by the great improvising quartet

[sashabur]

How about Joe McPhee, guys?
You had at least to give a chance to the others:
"none of the above" or something like that...

Sasha.

[Steve Reynolds]

and add the mad Swede, the *great* Mats Gustafsson


BTW - shouldn't we be able to rate the top ten - and not just vote for one???

[Scott Dolan]

Mats Gustafson is definitely a major omission from this list.

What about Daniel Carter?

Where is Charles Gayle?

If I'm misinterpreting this whole thing, i apologize, but I don't know how you can leave out so many great names.

[moneyp]

For chrissakes, people, it was a TEST POLL! Quit bitching and make your own if it's that important to you!

[Pete C]

Pharoah Sanders is still breathing.

I tell ya, the guy gets no respect around here. All these folks who keep raving about the European screamers don't give Pharoah the time of day.

[MartyJazz]

No mention of George Coleman, Archie Shepp, or one of my favorite unheralded but very unique tenor saxophonists, Bennie Wallace. This list not only contains at least one name that is highly questionable (e.g., Boots Randolph !!???) but it is also woefully inadequate.

[orphan]

all the aacm saxophonists, they play all of em. Anthony Braxton!
Anthony Braxton!

[orphan]

all the aacm saxophonists, they play all of em. Anthony Braxton!
Anthony Braxton!

[Uli]

I am only interested to know what tippy votes.

[shrugs]

http://www.nymuse.com/jazz/JoeMcPhee_sg1.jpg

[bluenoter]

To the people who have posted in this thread: See the *new* Top 10 Living Tenors poll with additions. The thead is called

Poll: Top Ten Living Tenors w/new list

[jazzbluescat]

I know this is a moot thread because Lois screwed it up; only 14 given to choose 10 from.http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung/lachen/laughing-smiley-014.gif

When another list is compiled, providing Lois should live so long as to compile a comprehensive list, I'd like to see Ernie Watts, Dewey Redman, Don Menza and Charles Lloyd included. http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung/party/party-smiley-047.gif