Top Ten Tenor Tones

[Pete C]

Tenor players whose sound most gets you on a tactile level, regardless (or in spite of) other factors. A number of players who would be in my top ten overall tenors don't make this list, and vice versa.

in n.p.o.:

Gene Ammons
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
Coleman Hawkins
Ben Webster
Lester Young
Stan Getz
Gato Barbieri
Booker Ervin

I'm holding 2 spots open. David Murray, Paul Gonsalves, Archie Shepp & George Adams are among the contenders.

[Tom Storer]

Let's see... in no special order:

Paul Gonsalves
Lucky Thompson
Stan Getz
Sonny Rollins
Joe Henderson
Ben Webster
Lester Young
Coleman Hawkins
Dewey Redman
Clifford Jordan

[bluenoter]

I'll just do five:

John Coltrane
Sam Rivers
Booker Ervin
Gato Barbieri
Joe Henderson

Pete and Tom have it pretty well covered for me, although I would add

Albert Ayler
Bill Perkins
Herschal Evans
James Carter

[stonemonkts]

So far these players do it for me:

Lester Young
Coleman Hawkins
Ben Webster
Booker Ervin
Albert Ayler
David Murray
Peter Brotzmann
Sam Rivers
Fred Anderson
Wayne Shorter

Curiously, John Coltrane's tone does not affect me in tactile terms.

[Pete C]

Originally posted by stonemonkts
Ray Anderson

?

[stonemonkts]

Originally posted by Pete C
?

Oops.

I meant FRED Anderson.

When I saw your post, I thought you were calling me on my choice of Fred Anderson. After thinking about it, I'd list George Adams ahead of Fred Anderson. Changes One & Two, and Old Feeling alone provide me with more of what you refer to as tactile enjoyment than anything I've heard of F. Anderson.

Lucky Thompson and Hershel Evans are right up there too.

[Derek Taylor]

No true order here, though I guess I'd put Jaws at the top.

Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis
Von Freeman
Gene Ammons
Joe Henderson
Fred Anderson
Lucky Thompson
Joe Maneri
Warne Marsh
Ben Webster
Albert Ayler

Originally posted by David Gitin
no Dexter?

David: Yes, Dexter had a beautiful and rich tone. But he would get to you by telling elaborate stories, as opposed to puncturing your soul on the basis of tone or sheer "sound" alone. Am I wrong?

On the other hand, people like Pres, Jug, Getz, Ben, Ayler could hit you with a one-note knockout at any time. In fact, those 5 would probably comprise my short list in this category.

Dex did get a nice deep tone on those spoken introductions, didn't he?

[Tom Storer]

I remember him saying, "That was 'Days of Wine and Roses - 'Les Jours du Vin Rosé'."

David: I'm from Berkeley, myself, although I never saw Dex there. On the other hand, I would never miss him at the Keystone Korner across the bay. I am sure that we must have been sitting near each other at some of those concerts.

[Captain Hate]

Two JG's: Johnny Griffin & John Gilmore

OK, time to move on to altos. For this category, I nominate:

Johnny Hodges
Lee Konitz
Ornette Coleman
Tab Smith
Arthur Blythe
Gigi Gryce
Earl Bostic

[Pete C]

Originally posted by John L
OK, time to move on to altos.

I'd definitely add Paul Desmond & Jimmy Lyons. Probably Thomas Chapin, Henry Threadgill & Steve Potts too.

[walto]

Some tenor players who have a sound that I like:

Hawkins
Gonsalves
Shepp
Shim
Anderson
D. Redman

[Tanager]

For altos, I kinda like Cannonball's tone. Konitz too, for sure.

[Vince Kargatis]

For me, I find it a bit difficult to separate tone and phrasing, in terms of my reaction to "their sound".

Tenors (in no order):
late Coltrane (check out his tone on something like "Offering")
Coleman Hawkins
Albert Ayler
Stan Getz
Ellery Eskelin
Michael Brecker (yes.. though his phrasing is probably part of that, so maybe not completely germane here)

Nods also to Gato, David Murray, George Adams

And altos, since they were brought up:
Hodges, Ornette, Threadgill, Berne, maybe Steve Coleman

[Jim Dye]

Tenors - Billy Harper, David Murray and Joe Henderson

Altos - Jackie McLean, Ornette Coleman

[Pete C]

I can't believe I forgot McLean for alto. It's a love it or hate it tone, and I love it. Also John Handy, especiallly on his recordings with Mingus.

[Mike Schwartz]

I veto Gato from any list personally[unuque sound/a NON-fave of mine], and add someone who had a big unmistakable sound;Stanley Turrentine!!


In the 'no slouch as far as pure sound department'
-'Fathead' Newman
-Houston Person
-Scott Hamilton
-Jimmy Forrest
-Tina Brooks
-Charlie Rouse!
-King Curtis
-[can't mention Gene Ammons w/o] Sonny Stitt who probably makes a few alto lists;-)
-Branford


...in his recent passing have been listening to the *GREAT* Teddy Edwards [underecognized for life]

Excellent additions, Mike!

[Mike Schwartz]

Oh my goodness...all those tenor players and no mention yet of Hank Mobley!

Another cat I forgot before, who I saw a couple of times in the '70s with Woody Shaw and others who was a hard-bop/post bop tenor MoFo, Carter Jefferson!

John L;
Start an alto thread if you like.

This one ain't near done, one would think, except as far as you're concerned.

OK, time to move on to altos. For this category, I nominate:

Oh really.

Being a little quick and/or presumptuous, aren't we..

OK, guys. Just for that, we are moving on to sopranos right away.



Let's see, in this category we have

Sidney Bechet
Steve Lacy
Lucky Thompson
Zoot Sims


and that's all folks

[Mike Schwartz]

That's OK John aka/Bart

You'll start a thread one day...;-)

[shrugs]

a few recordings that come to mind where the tone just knocks me off my feet:

Joe McPhee Sweet Dragon from Tenor
Frank Lowe on Billy Bang's Valve No. 10
Lucky Thompson Lord, Lord Am I Ever Gonna Know, the unaccompanied tenor-soprano-tenor piece really woke me up to Lucky
Gene Ammons Boss Tenor
Dewey Redman Qow from Coincide
Tubby Hayes on Dizzy Reece's Blues In Trinity
Von Freeman Serenade And Blues
Getz/Gilberto
David Murray Blues In The Pocket from John Hicks' Sketches of Tokyo
Joe Henderson The State Of The Tenor

many more but I am at work so I gotta run.....

[gnhrtg]

James Carter
Michael Brecker
Sonny Rollins
Johnny Griffin

for now

You guys were right. I can't believe that nobody thought of Von Freeman until Shrugs. Talk 'bout a "sound."

Joe McPhee and Frank Lowe certainly also have a special presence of tone. If fact, for Lowe, it may even be the essence of his art.

[Pete C]

Originally posted by John L
You guys were right. I can't believe that nobody thought of Von Freeman until Shrugs. Talk 'bout a "sound."

Derek Taylor, post #9.