Multi talented musicians

[Humbert Humbert]

Vladimir Chekasin

Vladimir Tarasov

Vyacheslav Ganelin

I think they've played everything.

[Elissa]

Avishai Cohen - plays both bass and piano.

And Trumpet as well...

It's a different Avishai Cohen that plays trumpet actually...or is that what your wink meant?

Though the bassist Avishai's friend Amos Hoffman plays killing oud & guitar.

Jay Collins plays tenor, soprano and all manner of flute - often at the same time a la Rahsaan, and not at all in a cheesy fashion - & he sings.

Has anyone mentioned the countless things James Carter plays?

Art Blakey started out as a pianist, but then many drummers play (well!) and compose on piano.

and to reverse that:

Eric Lewis, my favorite young pianist, plays the drums with total independence.

hi btw, my first post

Edited January 15, 2005 by Elis

[Alon Marcus]

Welcome Elis!

You were right about Avishai the bassist and the trumpeter, that's what the wink was all about.

[Craig23]

Marc Copland (saxophones, piano)

[Alon Marcus]

Lester Young first played drums in his father's family band, later switched to alto and only then to tenor. He also played clarinet.

Was Lester recorded playing instruments other than tenor sax?

[Rosco]

anyone mentioned Milt Jackson?

Vibes and piano

And, on an LP with Ray Charles, guitar! Wisely chose to stick with the day job...

[mmilovan]

Lester Young first played drums in his father's family band, later switched to alto and only then to tenor. He also played clarinet.

Was Lester recorded playing instruments other than tenor sax?

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Yep, pretty good clarinet playing was recorded.

Jimmie Dorsey - alto and clarinet

Benny Goodman - b flat and e flat clarinet, bass clarinet, trumpet, alto

Harry Carney - baritone and bass clarinet

Willie Smith - alto and clarinet

Johnu Hodges - alto and sopran saxes

[White Lightning]

Lester Young first played drums in his father's family band, later switched to alto and only then to tenor. He also played clarinet.

Was Lester recorded playing instruments other than tenor sax?

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Yep, pretty good clarinet playing was recorded.

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Pres also sang "Tea for Two"...

[mmilovan]

And one vocal as well as few scat recordings survived...

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Where does Benny Goodman play trumpet? Or is that just something told in a story, never recorded? Then again, his brother Irving did play trumpet. Could there be confusion there?

Mike

[CJ Shearn]

Mark Ledford (RIP) vocals, guitar, keyboards, sax, trumpet, percussion

Richard Bona- vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion, bass

Chick Corea- piano, drums

Pat Metheny (yep, Pat) guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, percussion (most of these he plays himself on Secret Story, as well as bass on some ECM stuff, also plays additional keyboards on Anna Maria Jopek's "Upojenie" in addition to guitar)

Keith Jarrett-piano, sax, orgasmic yells

John Patton- organ and tambourine

[Rosco]

Joey DeFrancesco- organ and trumpet

[Jazz Kat]

Jaco Pastorious- bass and drums

Brian Wilson- guitar, piano, saxophone, recorder, trumpet, sitar, marimba, percussion

[king ubu]

Larry Bunker: drums, vibes, accordion, percussion

[Kalo]

Didn't Sidney Bechet make a record where he played everything? All the reeds of course, but also bass, drums and piano.

Fred Astaire played piano and drums and sang as well as danced. What a lounge act he and Ray Nance would have made!

[jazztrain]

Where does Benny Goodman play trumpet? Or is that just something told in a story, never recorded? Then again, his brother Irving did play trumpet. Could there be confusion there?

Mike

←

Mike:

My recollection is that there were a few early examples of Goodman soloing on a brass instrument. Your question prompted me to browse through the early years of Goodman's recording career as documented in Russ Connor's "Benny Goodman - Listen to His Legacy." Here are two cases that he lists:

(1) 12/17/27. Ben Pollack and His Orchestra. On "Waitin' for Katie" Goodman plays a 2-bar introduction to Jimmy McPartland's cornet solo and then joins in on a three part trumpet/cornet chorus involving Jimmy McPartland, Frank Quartell, and Goodman.

(2) 1/4/28. Bennie Goodman's Boys. Goodman solos on both clarinet and cornet on "Jungle Blues."

I have both of these upstairs and will take a listen later.

Incidentally, no one seems to have mentioned either Jimmy or Tommy Dorsey. Although Jimmy was best known for his work on alto sax and clarinet and Tommy on trombone, they both soloed effectively in early years on cornet.

- Jon

[brownie]

Jaki Byard recorded on trumpet, sax, cello, vibes, and guitar.

Byard played piano (acoustic and electric), celeste, vibes, tenor saxophone and drums on his 'Freedom Together' album (Prestige)!

[Jazz Kat]

Jaco Pastorious- bass and drums

Brian Wilson- guitar, piano, saxophone, recorder, trumpet, sitar, marimba, percussion

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Brian Wilson??? I meant Brian Jones..

[Ted O'Reilly]

If it's not unfair, many/most reed players can play all the reeds comfortably, but pick one horn as a specialty. I really think it's not at all remarkable therefore to note someone plays tenor and soprano. (And probably both especially well).

Remarkable should be reserved for someone like Scott Robinson, whose name hasn't popped up yet--he really plays 'em ALL, and WELL. You should check him out for his range and understanding of the whole music, too. He plays all genres, committedly, and still sounds like himself. He's way under-recoginized.

The Australian James Morrison (mentioned earlier) once made a big band record on which he played every part but guitar, bass and drums. That was because he had Herb Ellis, Ray Brown and Jeff Hamilton. (Morrison could probably have played those instruments, too. Oh, yeah--he wrote all the charts).

I have recordings of Benny Carter on trumpet, trombone, clarinet, alto, tenor, and piano. I hear he wrote pretty good, too.

[Peter Friedman]

I don't recall seeing Ira Sullivan or Jay Thomas mentioned. They both play trumpet and saxophone well.

Don Thompson plays bass, piano, vibes, drumes.

Dan Barrett plays trombone and cornet.

Peter Friedman

[Ted O'Reilly]

I don't recall seeing Ira Sullivan or Jay Thomas mentioned. They both play trumpet and saxophone well.

Don Thompson plays bass, piano, vibes, drumes.

Dan Barrett plays trombone and cornet.

Peter Friedman

←

Jay Thomas! That's the name I couldn't come up with--thanks, Peter. Don Thompson is a pretty good drummer, though I've not heard him on 'drumes'

Don used to play trumpet, he told me, loving Clifford Brown; and a good trombone playing friend (Dave McMurdo) once traded trombone lessons for arranging lessons with Don, and after three or four sessions Thompson could play at a professional level. He's just an amazing musical talent---

[LAL]

Valaida Snow

~ According to online bios, she could play cello, bass, violin, banjo, mandolin, harp, accordion, clarinet, saxophone and trumpet. Her records only have her playing (excellent) trumpet...and she could sing too.

John Kirby - bass, tuba and trombone.

[LAL]

Didn't Sidney Bechet make a record where he played everything? All the reeds of course, but also bass, drums and piano.

From Sidney Bechet society:

Sidney Bechet (sop/clt/ten/pno/bs/dms) (multi-track recording)

New York, April 18 1941

063785-1 *The Sheik Of Araby

063785-2 *The Sheik Of Araby

063785-3 *The Sheik Of Araby

063785-4 The Sheik Of Araby

063786-? Blues of Bechet (ten/pno only)

063786-1 Blues of Bechet (no bs/dms)

Originally recorded for Victor (now BMG). All discographers after M. list the different takes of "Sheik", although RCA and MŽdia7 include only one in their 'Complete' releases. Per D., takes #1-#4 all have the 6 instruments, and takes 3 & 4 are "similar". The ? take of "Blues" was first released on French CD MŽdia7 MJCD 127 and contains the first two instruments to be recorded, so the first dubbed take. Studio time ran out, leaving no time to include bass & drums on the "Blues".

[Kalo]

Yeah, that's the Bechet track (or tracks) I was thinking of.

He must have been one of the very first to multi-track. Of course he had to do it by playing onto a disc, playing that back into the studio and playing along with it, etc., etc., until all the instruments were there.

[P.L.M]

Joe McPhee (tenor & trumpet)

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+ soprano and valve trombone.