If you follow me on Facebook you know I’m a music fan – I post there every morning what I happened to be listening to from my collection at that moment. On Thursdays I have been posting here on WordPress reviews of every cd in my record collection. I love a lot of jazz. Here are some of my favorite sax players – performers & in some cases specific cd’s.
First & foremost there is John Coltrane: in 1996 I directed a stage production of Pinter’s The Servant. I wanted house and incidental music that captured the feel of the 60’s – something that would remind me of British TV shows like The Avengers, Danger Man – but with more jazz coolness – I had a double Lp of best of Coltrane – that lead me to the CD of Blue Train – which was perfect for my purposes –
Blue Train lead to my now having nearly the complete discography from his early days with Miles Davis (Kind of Blue & before that), to his demandingly complex free jazz work. Blue Train has to be one of my all time favorites. His catalogue is extensive. His work with Davis is excellent, with Ellington tender. His own group output moves from mellow to wildly investigative – his solos are meditations that travel through the mind –
His other ‘great’ work is A Love Supreme – at under 35 minutes I always play it twice through – plus there is a fine live recording in Antibes. Other sax players I’m into, thanks to Coltrane, include: old guard: Sonny Rollins, Roland Kirk, Coleman Hawkins; new guard: James Carter, Joshua Redman.
(Note 2023: since writing this I have acquired reissues of Blue Train, A Love Supreme with bonus material &/or live performances. excellent stuff but more for compel tests like myself.)
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