Some saxophonists.

December 12, 2007 7:06 AM

Here's a chance to acquaint (or reacquaint) yourself with the music of some of the great saxophonists who've made their mark in American improvised music. The following MySpace Music pages feature audio, video, photos and text aplenty, to get your jazz mojo working. In no particular order: Lester Young, Hank Mobley, Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Don Byas, Pharoah Sanders, Albert Ayler, Charlie Parker, Joe Henderson, Earl Bostic, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Johnny Hodges, Wayne Shorter, Sonny Stitt, Benny Carter, Sidney Bechet and David Murray.
posted by flapjax at midnite (33 comments total)

Sax-a-ma-phooone!
posted by oh pollo! at 7:11 AM on December 12, 2007

Bookmarked. Thanks.
posted by languagehat at 7:18 AM on December 12, 2007

No Candy Dulfer?
posted by Brockles at 7:18 AM on December 12, 2007

Very nice! (although any such list is incomplete without Stan Getz)
posted by mcstayinskool at 7:39 AM on December 12, 2007

Stan Getz.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:43 AM on December 12, 2007

How is it possible that I have more friends than Sonny Rollins? WTF, SONNY??!!!!
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 8:01 AM on December 12, 2007

Also, Gerry Mulligan.
posted by psmealey at 8:12 AM on December 12, 2007

Tom Scott?


Nahh. Just kidding.
posted by ba at 8:29 AM on December 12, 2007

What, No Archie Shepp?
posted by Floydd at 8:32 AM on December 12, 2007

Paul Desmond
posted by rocket88 at 8:33 AM on December 12, 2007

Greg Osby, Kenny Garrett, Steve Coleman, Joe Lovano, Michael Brecker, Steve Lacy, Dave Liebman, Dewey Redman, Joshua Redman, Ellery Eskelin, Johnny Griffin, Lee Konitz, Cannonball Adderley, Eddie harris, Gary Bartz, Sonny Fortune, Archie Shepp, Anthony Braxton, etc...
posted by nicolin at 8:35 AM on December 12, 2007

John Zorn
posted by dobbs at 8:37 AM on December 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

Once again, Gary Bartz.
posted by nicolin at 8:44 AM on December 12, 2007

dobbs ftw
posted by PugAchev at 8:56 AM on December 12, 2007

Maceo Parker
posted by Big_B at 9:03 AM on December 12, 2007

Your favorite saxophonist sucks
posted by Big_B at 9:05 AM on December 12, 2007

Jackie McLean, George Coleman, Chris Potter, Eric Dolphy, James Carter, Booker Ervin, Jerry Bergonzi, John Handy,...
posted by nicolin at 9:08 AM on December 12, 2007

He was actually American and French, but I can't resist to put him in this fine company : Barney Wilen.

Thanks Flapjax.
posted by nicolin at 9:14 AM on December 12, 2007

Peter Brotzmann.
posted by box at 11:22 AM on December 12, 2007

Google isn't turning up a MySpace page for Art Pepper. Can someone get on that?
posted by Devils Rancher at 11:25 AM on December 12, 2007

This is fabulous! Thanks! Also, I'll find some links later but I would add a few of my favs, Stanley Turrentine, David Sanborn. and Grover Washington, Jr.
posted by fuse theorem at 11:30 AM on December 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

What? No Kenny G?
posted by Eekacat at 1:08 PM on December 12, 2007

BORBETOMAGUS!!!
posted by stinkycheese at 1:13 PM on December 12, 2007

I saw a doc last week on VH1 (i think) about Syd Barrett where Roger Waters pronounced the word "Saxaphonist" thusly: "Sax-aw-fun-ist". WTF? Is this the British pronunciation? Seriously, you people are crazy!

PS: Booker Ervin.
posted by space2k at 1:27 PM on December 12, 2007

Oh, and John Gilmore.
posted by space2k at 1:27 PM on December 12, 2007

Thanks for all the links, friends. When I made this post I knew full well that there'd be plenty of folks adding links in the comments, and MeTaFilter did not disappoint! I actually had a figure in mind: I'd assumed about 20 to 25 links. But we're now at 38! Yay!

I'd consciously decided to limit myself to a shortish survey of players who were clearly within the jazz camp, that is, with a capital J, and who had MySpace pages with audio (though there might be 1 or 2 in the OP with no audio players on the page). BUT... with the addition of folks like Brotzmann and especially Borbetomagus, we've moved out of the confines of jazz defineabilty and entered a wider territory. With that in mind, I'll add to this list a couple of my favorite saxophonists (and yes, that's often sax-AW-phonists over in England) to this thread:

Ned Rothenberg (who I've worked with a lot over the past 20 years or so) and Evan Parker.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:45 PM on December 12, 2007

As repulsive and spammy as it is, MySpace really is a wonderful resource, as this post is proving in spades.
posted by dhammond at 10:25 PM on December 12, 2007

Stanley Turrentine
David Sanborn, with Eric Clapton and D'Angelo bonus
Grover Washington, Jr
posted by fuse theorem at 5:16 AM on December 13, 2007

I've been thinking about it since yesterday, some pretty huge players still to go :
Von Freeman, Chico freeman (hmmm that's sweet), Clifford Jordan, Illinois Jacquet, Teddy Edwards, Louis Jordan, Larry Schneider, Charles McPherson, Branford Marsalis, Ernie Watts,..(some more), Bob Berg, Sonny Simmons, Rick Margitza, Ricky Ford, Ben Webster, (hmm... not long enough), Anthony Ortega, Steve Grossman, Benny Golson, Dexter Gordon (playing), Ralph Moore, Sam Newsome, Ike Quebec, Sam Rivers, Charlie Rouse, Warne Marsh, John Stubblefield, Lucky Thompson, Billy Harper, Bill Evans, Bunky Green, Buck Hill, George Adams, Carlos Ward, Gary Thomas, Craig Handy, George Garzone, Bob Mintzer, Seamus Blake, Henry Threadgill, Charles Neville, and...
posted by nicolin at 6:39 AM on December 13, 2007

Jazz stuff for seamus blake is here.
posted by nicolin at 6:53 AM on December 13, 2007

Yeah! Go nicolin!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:06 PM on December 13, 2007

Pete Christlieb, Lou Donaldson, Tim Berne, Donald Harrison, Steve Slagle, Chris Cheek,...
posted by nicolin at 1:04 PM on December 15, 2007

Frank Morgan
posted by nicolin at 2:56 AM on December 16, 2007