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Tenor player w/ biggest influence on players today

Rooster_Ties

By Rooster_Ties
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Which 'modern era' tenor player seems to be having the greatest influence on today's younger players???  

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Rooster_Ties Proficient

Rooster_Ties

Posted
Posted (edited)

I won't argue for my own choice until like a dozen or more votes come in, but I'm curious to hear what other people here think about this topic. In effect, I'm asking who is the father of "modern tenor playing", in terms of influence on the younger players of today.

Edited by Rooster_Ties
pryan Newbie

pryan

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Tough to say for sure, but if I were to vote (which I'm not going to do), it would be a close one between Trane and Joe Henderson.

I kind of know what you're getting at RT, but a poll like this that excludes Prez is stupefying. :wacko:

connoisseur series500 Newbie

connoisseur series500

Posted
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Although I voted for Sonny Rollins on the other tenor poll, the clear winner here is Coltrane.

I see his influence all over the place with younger tenormen. Carter Jefferson springs to mind immediately as an example. Roland Kirk doesn't fall into the age category neatly, but there are others. Kenny Garret; Salim Washington; Billy Harper; Branford Marsalis; even Michael Brecker himself! Could probably think of a ton of others if I had the time. Coltrane's presence is overwhelming.

Edited by connoisseur series500
Joe Proficient

Joe

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I said Henderson because I think a lot of tenor players nowadays, in looking for a model that is not the predominant one -- i.e., is NOT Coltrane -- have turned to Henderson. Javon Jackson, Mark Shim, Mark Turner, Seamus Blake, even a relatively elder statesmen like Joe Lovano all bear a marked Henderson influence (IMHO). There are others, of course. I think Wayne Shorter has also been more influential than is normally acknowledged, but, becuase his music is still growing and evolving, and he is no longer known primarily as a tenor saxophonist -- though that COULD change again -- he presents more challenges to the young musician who might fall under his spell. But, to take an extreme example, Ravi Coltrane to me sounds much more like Wayne than he does his father...

Edited by Joe
bertrand Enthusiast

bertrand

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When I talked with Ravi for about 20 minutes 4 years ago, all he could talk about was how much he loved Wayne. His father's name never came up. Ravi said that High Life was a masterpiece.

Bertrand.

Rooster_Ties Proficient

Rooster_Ties

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I hear some Wayne in Ravi, but I also hear quite a bit of Joe in there too. Ravi also covered Joe's “Inner Urge” (on his first album: "Moving Pictures") - although I realize that doesn't necessarily prove anything. In any case, the point is clear that Ravi has certainly taken influences from a number of other players besides his father.

Gary Thomas is another guy I think has some serious Joe Henderson influence (at least in terms of tone, but also some in terms of playing too), who I think is a very underrated player. Though he isn’t always as consistently good as I’d like, sometimes I think Thomas is a monster!! :excited:

And another odd name to mention here is Don Byron, who mentioned Joe as an influence when I heard a pre-concert lecture with Byron about 2 years ago. He was specifically asked about his influences, and the first non-"clarinet-player" name to come out of his mouth was Joe. I can't hear it, personally, but that's what Byron said - for what it's worth.

Rooster_Ties Proficient

Rooster_Ties

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...the clear winner here is Coltrane.

I see his influence all over the place with younger tenormen. Carter Jefferson springs to mind immediately as an example. Roland Kirk doesn't fall into the age category neatly, but there are others. Kenny Garret; Salim Washington; Billy Harper; Branford Marsalis; even Michael Brecker himself! Could probably think of a ton of others if I had the time. Coltrane's presence is overwhelming.

While I agree that Coltrane has been a HUGE influence on guys all through the 70's and 80's, I'm really looking for who is the biggest influence NOW, and over the last 10 or 15 years or so.

All the guys you mention, Conn500, are all well over 40, and half of them are over 50. (I don't know how old Salim Washington is, afraid I'm not familiar with him.) But I looked up all the rest on AMG, and they're all older (or even "much older") than what I'm looking for.

The cats who are 30 and under, or 35 and under --- those are the guys who I'm most currious about who their biggest influences are. I can only think of so many names, but Chris Potter turned 32 this year. There's Mark Shim, he's young enough. (Ravi Coltrane is creepin' on 40, so maybe he's outside of my range.) Joshua Redman is under 35.

I'm not saying Coltrane isn't an influence still, but I think his influence is reduced somewhat from when it was THE dominant voice that everybody seemed to be reaching for in the 70's, and even the 80's.

I voted for Joe Henderson. I hear him in Shim, Ravi, and even some in Potter (though less than the other two). I wish I could think of some other tenor players under the age of 35. There have to be some I'm totally forgetting. Oh, Mark Turner - he's another one who's got to be under 35, who I also hear some 'Joe' in, though I hear 'Wayne' in him too I think.

Rooster_Ties Proficient

Rooster_Ties

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Thought of another young tenor player who sounds like a Hendersonian to me: Jimmy Greene, who isn't yet 30 (having been born in 1975). Actually, it wasn't so much that I thought of Greene, but rather I put on a recent Ralph Peterson quintet CD ('Subliminal Seduction', on Criss Cross), and thought "damn, there's another guy who's been listening to Joe Henderson" - and had to look to see who it was.

Soul Stream Newbie

Soul Stream

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Posted

When I talked with Ravi for about 20 minutes 4 years ago, all he could talk about was how much he loved Wayne.  His father's name never came up.  Ravi said that High Life was a masterpiece.

Bertrand.

Funny, I was watching Ravi on BET Jazz today. My thought was...he sounds just like Wayne Shorter.

connoisseur series500 Newbie

connoisseur series500

Posted
Posted

...the clear winner here is Coltrane. 

I see his influence all over the place with younger tenormen.  Carter Jefferson springs to mind immediately as an example.  Roland Kirk doesn't fall into the age category neatly, but there are others.  Kenny Garret; Salim Washington; Billy Harper; Branford Marsalis; even Michael Brecker himself!  Could probably think of a ton of others if I had the time.  Coltrane's presence is overwhelming.

While I agree that Coltrane has been a HUGE influence on guys all through the 70's and 80's, I'm really looking for who is the biggest influence NOW, and over the last 10 or 15 years or so.

All the guys you mention, Conn500, are all well over 40, and half of them are over 50. (I don't know how old Salim Washington is, afraid I'm not familiar with him.) But I looked up all the rest on AMG, and they're all older (or even "much older") than what I'm looking for.

The cats who are 30 and under, or 35 and under --- those are the guys who I'm most currious about who their biggest influences are. I can only think of so many names, but Chris Potter turned 32 this year. There's Mark Shim, he's young enough. (Ravi Coltrane is creepin' on 40, so maybe he's outside of my range.) Joshua Redman is under 35.

I'm not saying Coltrane isn't an influence still, but I think his influence is reduced somewhat from when it was THE dominant voice that everybody seemed to be reaching for in the 70's, and even the 80's.

I voted for Joe Henderson. I hear him in Shim, Ravi, and even some in Potter (though less than the other two). I wish I could think of some other tenor players under the age of 35. There have to be some I'm totally forgetting. Oh, Mark Turner - he's another one who's got to be under 35, who I also hear some 'Joe' in, though I hear 'Wayne' in him too I think.

I think you are right, RT.

I guess the 40-50 year old ternormen are "young" to me.

I am not familiar enough with the younger crowd.

Have to go out into the old folks pasture and listen to my cds.

At least I'm not as old as Catesta or Moose. Those guys are ancient! ;):P

Rooster_Ties Proficient

Rooster_Ties

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Posted (edited)

Another young 'Hendersonian' tenor player: Aaron Stewart, who's on that Brett Sroka disc I'm pluggin' in another thread (the one with Jason Moran as a sideman). From the one full-length sample I've heard (from Sroka's disc), Stewart sure sounds like he's in the 'Henderson' camp to me - and he can't be over 30 is my guess.

Edited by Rooster_Ties
  • 2 years later...

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