Monday, January 28, 2008
The Tenor Player Everyone Should Know About
He is often noted as being the sax player in the Miles Davis Quintet that was replaced by Wayne Shorter. Some folks refer to his classic solo on Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage. George Coleman is probably my favorite all-time sax player. He does the job, whatever is called for, with a distinct style and a tenor's bell full of class.
An interview in All About Jazz reveals Coleman's major influence as being Charlie Parker (as it is likely for his generation, he was born in 35) but it is also impressive to note that he was captivated by Ray Charles' work and caught his first break working for BB King. You can find Coleman on scores of blues albums, hard bop with the likes of Lee Morgan and of course, the brief Seven Steps to Heaven era with Miles. I like him as the tenor smoking compadre for Joey DeFrancesco's B3 on The Authorized Bootleg. And his solo on his Live at Yoshi's date with him on Mal Waldron's Soul Eyes is an exceptionally moving performance.
As is this wonderful YouTube clip with Ahmad Jamal where they take a classic ballad for a workout. Beware of My Foolish Heart indeed.
posted by well-executed buffet at 8:04 AM
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