Question:
Soprano Players and Albums I Like
I think we can always use a review of good soprano music available today. These are players and albums I like to listen to. I have found them useful as inspiration when learning the sop. But, in most of these albums, the featured player also plays other saxes. It is intersting to see how the same player approaches solos on the different horns. There is no particular importance to the order of the list.
1. Grover Washington, Jr. Album: All My Tomorrows
2. Richard Elliot. Album: Jumpin Off
3. Zoot Sims. Album: Soprano Sax
4. Dave Koz. Album: off the beaten path
5. Kim Waters. Album: The Best of Kim Waters
6. Eric Marienthal. Album: got you covered
7. Kenny G. Albums: (in order of time, old to new)
......Duotones
......CLASSICS IN THE KEY OF G
......paradise
All of these albums show something positive about the soprano sound. This does not mean anyone should sit down and try to copy them. Nor should you try to find out their setups and go out and get those setups. Each time I listen closely, I get something that I can take to the practice room. Maybe it is more of a feeling than a particular set of notes. In the past 16 months, I have tried a number of reeds, ligatures and mouthpieces. I have settled on one setup that works for me in the type of music I like to play - this type of light jazz. I am quite sure my setup id different from the setups these players used on these albums. Certainly I don't get exactly the same tone as any of these guys. But at times it comes remarkably close - maybe for a fleeting instant!
Many of these players are known more for their work with other saxes. But they bring something important to the soprano sax, playing it in their unique style.
For some reason I cannot figure out, Kenny G is controversial on thei Forum. Many people dislike his music very strongly. The reason I mentioned these three albums is because I think his strongest critics have never listened to these albums. In the beginning (his Duotones album) he may have had a rough edge or two. But that album showcases his many musical talents. He has a considerable understanding of music in genral as shown by the song "Esther" in which he begins by playing a synthetic violin (using a breath input device so he is 'blowing' the violin). He plays every instrument heard on that piece. The "Classics" album showcases his tenor as well as his soprano. The "paradise" album shows that he has matured a bit from the first album.
I'll throw this open to anybody else who'd like to comment on these albums or on others that they like. The theme is the soprano sax and many of its varieties of sound.

Answer:
If you like Zoot, try listening to Lucky Thompson's soprano playing--an album called "Lucky Strikes"--another very personal approach.
Interesting also to listen to "Sonny Rollins Next Album" to hear his short tenure with the Soprano.
Other than Grover, frankly I care not for the others.

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You forgot my favorite Wayne Shorter . He won many Downbeat awards for best soprano player in the 70's and 80's . He has a very distinctive sound . I actually prefer his sop to his tenor playing . Also Steve Lacy only played soprano and was always the critics choice .

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Well, you can't believe everything you read in Down Beat.... :)
I'm just kidding, I love Wayne Shorter, one of my primary inspirations. I agree, his soprano playing on every Weather Report album is priceless; ditto on his modern albums. If I may offer some more:
John Coltrane (My Favorite Things, Coltrane's Sound)
Branford Marsalis (esp. Crazy People Music, Requiem, and several Sting albums)
Michael Brecker (on Herbie's "The New Standard")
Chris Potter (on most of the Dave Holland Quintet albums)
Benny Maupin (on Herbie's "Headhunters," "Thrust," and "Man-Child" especially)
Tom, I don't think Kenny G (as with many other players of similar style) is controversial due to our lack of familiarity with his work. I think people object to his success because he panders to a low intellectual common denominator, artistically speaking. There's nothing wrong with playing "accessibly," which is to say emotively; however, if emotive playing is not backed up with some cerebral substance, then musicians like us (and many other music appreciators who don't sing or play an instrument) tend to get bored.
Many players who are marketed as "Smooth Jazz" artists (Mr. G included) make use of extremely elementary harmony, melody, and rhythm. This is OK, and there's nothing wrong with liking it. Many of us just find little there to keep us interested, and as a result it can become objectionable.
Sorry for the freaking tirade. Not like enough people on this forum haven't already said the exact same thing already.

Answer:
I have shopped online for albums by those guys mentioned by HeavyWeather77 but have been turned off by the noise I heard on the short clips from the albums. I do have a Coltrane album but don't care for it. I prefer more melodic jazz. I suspect more people in the general population prefer melodic jazz.

Answer:
Branford Marsalis: The Russia House (soundtrack album), Romances for Saxophone.

Eric Marienthal: One Touch

- but not keen on the soprano tones of Sonny (otherwise he's my hero!) and Coltrane.

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There is a great album that I have with Zoot Simms and Joe Pass playing duets. Zoot plays soprano on most if not all of the tunes. Fantastic playing.

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Originally Posted by Tom Goodrick I have shopped online for albums by those guys mentioned by HeavyWeather77 but have been turned off by the noise I heard on the short clips from the albums. I do have a Coltrane album but don't care for it. I prefer more melodic jazz.
Now THIS I believe can be attributed to a lack of familiarity. There is a heavy amount of intellectual investment an individual has to allow him- or herself to make before he or she can start to understand what Coltrane's music means... hence the "cerebral substance" I mentioned. To say that Coltrane is less melodic than other jazz artists is (I don't mean to offend), in my opinion, an uneducated statement. His melodies are sophisticated, but strong, strong, strong.
As for the general public, you will find that Coltrane is one of the best selling jazz artists in history, not just one of the most respected. Many non-musicians own and enjoy Coltrane albums.

Answer:
An album I never seem to read references to -maybe it's out of print- is Phil Woods "Floresta Canto" which has some really nice, and rare, recorded soprano playing by Phil. Recommended.
Another favourite Coltrane of mine is "Olè"
Originally Posted by Tom Goodrick For some reason I cannot figure out, Kenny G is controversial on thei Forum... The reason I mentioned these three albums is because I think his strongest critics have never listened to these albums.
Tom, hopefully not to open Pandoras box -after all your topic is soprano recordings to recommend and I think that's a great idea - let me just answer your comment quoted above and maybe that'll help you understand some of our views. I'll use one of your own references: The Duotones recording.
If I remember right, the opening tune is “What does it take to win your love. For many of us familiar with the original Jr. Walker recording that Kenny is covering, his performance shows a lack of depth and emotion. His take on this tune emasculates it. Some of us would see Kenny G to Jr.Walker, as Pat Boone was to Little Richard. I'm sure there are others who feel the same as I. I'm just not comfortable with the safeness of that perfomance vs the original.
I have a lot of “smooth jazz” recordings, including about 5 Kenny G recordings, so I am hardly uninformed. With the exception of perhaps Bob James, Spyro Gyro, the Yellowjackets and a few rare others, the music is just too boring and I usually don't last more than 5 tunes before I have to take it off. It gets to my nerves in its redundancy.
I was in a coffee shop this morning and there was some really nice smooth jazz playing. I have no idea who it was but it hit the spot. IMO it's not all bad. It';s just that, like I said, so much of it is redundant and contrived. And the coffee shop was the perfect setting. :)

Answer:
Antonio Hart has a great soprano sound. He plays some on "For Cannonball and Woody" and on The Jazz Networks' "Beauty and the Beast." Tom Scott has a great soprano tone, too. If you like Marienthal, give Jeff Kashiwa a listen.
There's nothing wrong with liking smooth jazz. As you listen to and analyze players who are a little more ear-friendly, you'll get used to Branford's or Coltrane's styles of playing. Go at your own pace, but try not to write off Trane as noise. Not too much controversy. Ha. Happy listening!
Dave

Answer:
Originally Posted by Dave Collins Antonio Hart has a great soprano sound. He plays some on "For Cannonball and Woody" and on The Jazz Networks' "Beauty and the Beast." Tom Scott has a great soprano tone, too. If you like Marienthal, give Jeff Kashiwa a listen.
There's nothing wrong with liking smooth jazz. As you listen to and analyze players who are a little more ear-friendly, you'll get used to Branford's or Coltrane's styles of playing. Go at your own pace, but try not to write off Trane as noise. Not too much controversy. Ha. Happy listening!
Dave
Wow, I forgot about Antonio. He was at Berklee at the same time as I was.
Jeff Kashiwa is fantastic as well. Warren Hill has a great soprano sound too.
Oh, and I HATE the term "smooth jazz". I prefer "comtemporary jazz", or "c-jazz" as XM-Radio Watercolors calls it.

Answer:
Most "smooth jazz" is really instrumental pop music. Nothing wrong with that--though I don't find any of it worth my time--but it shouldn't really be compared to jazz. Kenny G is a great pop musician; Coltrane, Shorter, Liebman, Lacy, etc. are jazz musicians. They're not doing the same thing as Mr. G, and so should be judged on different criteria. You might find some vague similarity or point of reference between Kenny G and, say, Zoot Sims (to take two names from Toms' list), but they're in different worlds and any commonaltiy is purely coincidental. Grover Washington is somewhere in the middle, though I stopped listening to him 25 years ago. He's more pop than jazz, but perhaps the best of those trapped between those two worlds.

Answer:
Originally Posted by HeavyWeather77 Now THIS I believe can be attributed to a lack of familiarity. There is a heavy amount of intellectual investment an individual has to allow him- or herself to make before he or she can start to understand what Coltrane's music means... hence the "cerebral substance" I mentioned. To say that Coltrane is less melodic than other jazz artists is (I don't mean to offend), in my opinion, an uneducated statement. His melodies are sophisticated, but strong, strong, strong.
As for the general public, you will find that Coltrane is one of the best selling jazz artists in history, not just one of the most respected. Many non-musicians own and enjoy Coltrane albums.
Tom, I'll agree with Heavyweather on this one. The last Kenny G recording I bought was the Classics recording, and it did send me back in time to start listening to Monk and Ellington. etc.
I believe that your ears have to be prepared for Jazz music, instead of the typical Instrumental Pop that Kenny plays most of the time. For example, after listening to Summertime on the classics album, I decided to check out the Coltrane take; and it sounded like total chaos and noise, as if the group was playing random stuff. Whatever happened to the music, this isn't the melody I am used to?, so I thought.
But now, I realized that Coltrane and his group were actually sharing the music amongst one another, with everyone's contributions brought to the forefront for the listener to appreciate. This is also why I appreciate the Branford Marsalis quartet ( e.g Gigging, off the Footsteps... recording). One gets to hear more from everyon else, other that the leader's instrument.
It was quite different from Kenny G, or most popular singers for that matter, where one singular voice/instrument is in the forefront of the music, and the supporting cast are just in the background, almost to the notice of no one.
Until one starts to realize this change in the way one hears music, jazz in my opinion, will always be noise to the individual, and that individual will appreciate "smooth" jazz more than the "non-smooth" jazz.

Answer:
My purpose in recommending those albums was not to introduce people to "jazz". I considered myself a jazz musician back in the 50's and 60's when I played in big swing bands. Recently I have stopped using the term.
Instead, my purpose was to pick examples that have good tone, good dynamics, and a good use of melody in the music with interesting rhythm and some jazzy flourishes. Most people listening to that music would say "It sounds nice." As I get older, I find that much more important than whether a guy makes a statement that can be dissected in Music Class. "Smooth Jazz" is a channel I listen to a ot on XM radio. But I agree that much of it insults our intelligence with excessive repetition. The albums I recommended do not have too much of that.
Young people today need something to listen to that shows them the range of performance possible from their horns. I think these do quite well for the soprano. I have been alarmed at some of the soprano-playing I have heard that sounds like it was recorded in a slaughter house. The soprano can be a terrible noise-maker at times. Let's hope that more people make music that people like to listen to.

Answer:
Hi Tom,
I would like to introduce you to my fellow countryman Anders Paulsson. Not only he has marvelous technical skills and a tone to die for but he also plays music that you describe as "music people like to listen to". You can learn more about him and his music on his homepage, (make sure to switch to high fidelity audio). He plays everything from contemprary art music, electronica, lullabies, folk tunes over Ellington to Mozart and Bach.

Answer:
Tom,
Sorry I was off topic, but my comment was based on the fact that you felt Heavyweather's recommendations sounded like noise.
Anyway, of all the guys you mentioned, I really don't like Kenny's tone on soprano, because it sounds really shrill and with a lot of edgy effects, and Dave Koz's because it doesn't have the fullness of a soprano, even for a curved soprano player. There are better sounding sopranos, and better soprano applications out there. And their styles are distinct but not unique.
However, I do enjoy Kenny's Tenor work, and the Happy Dave Koz sound on Alto

Answer:
"Evidence" by Steve Lacy

Answer:
Originally Posted by Gange Hi Tom,
I would like to introduce you to my fellow countryman Anders Paulsson. Not only he has marvelous technical skills and a tone to die for but he also plays music that you describe as "music people like to listen to". You can learn more about him and his music on his homepage, (make sure to switch to high fidelity audio). He plays everything from contemprary art music, electronica, lullabies, folk tunes over Ellington to Mozart and Bach.
I agree, Anders Paulson is magnificent, absolutely on a par with Branford Marsalis. In fact I would go so far as to say that these are the two best soprano players in the world at present, with Delangle coming in a rather intellectual third. There may well be people who are musically equal to these three - Jan Garbarek, Iain Ballamy for example - but I know of none who have quite the spectacular intonation and control that these players do.