Tenor player w/ biggest influence on players today

[Chuck Nessa]

Everybody's too busy obsessing over Stump Evans, that's why.

←

Listen to Ellington's "Immigration Blues" from 1926 (Decca set) and tell me Robinson didn't influence a shitload of tenors!

Stump usually played alto.

[Soul Stream]

Who teaches everyone at Berkley School Of Music? That's who they all sound like...

They're all so good now, they're back to being bad.

Edited September 28, 2005 by Soul Stream

[Spontooneous]

I've heard a pretty good-sized bunch of under-30 tenors who take after Joe Lovano.

I've also heard a major alto saxophonist whose name you've all heard complain that there were too many young Lovano imitators out there.

Stump Evans rules. (I live about 40 miles from where John Chilton says he's buried. I need to locate that grave some day.)

Edited September 28, 2005 by Spontooneous

[Free For All]

I believe it's spelled Berklee.

I know George Garzone, Bill Pierce and Frank Tiberi all teach there. There are probably others as well. I haven't heard too many Tiberi clones, although Jsngry's bandmate Pete Gallio seems to have more than a little of Frank's influence (more from playing with him on Woody's band than applied study).

[lkaven]

[...] 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.

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Mark Turner was born in 1965, so he is turning forty this year. He frequently cites Wayne and Warne as his big influences.

Personally, I think Turner, even though not so old, is a major influence on players of today. He was a direct influence on, just in what I've witnessed first hand, Ravi Coltrane, Myron Walden, Greg Tardy. These are people who spent many days practicing with him, besides performing with him. Some feel he was influential through his records on much of this generation.

I recorded many hours of the original Omer Avital sextet, which featured Turner, Tardy, Walden, and Charles Owens. He was a source of a lot of ideas on the bandstand, and a major catalyst in that group.

Luke

[jazzbo]

I voted for Wayne. I think he's the most influential on the youngest players I've heard of the list.

That's slightly unfortunate as I'm really sort of glad we have Wayne, but don't want a lot of his influence in the future. Too snakey and my interest in this style and flavor of music. .. wanes.

[Johnny E]

Everybody sounds like Brew Moore to me.

[Soul Stream]

I believe it's spelled Berklee.

I know George Garzone, Bill Pierce and Frank Tiberi all teach there. There are probably others as well. I haven't heard too many Tiberi clones, although Jsngry's bandmate Pete Gallio seems to have more than a little of Frank's influence (more from playing with him on Woody's band than applied study).

←

Hey Free, just a little jab at the BerklEE crowd. As you can tell, I'm not a huge fan of music schools in general in the sense that if you have the same few people teaching a lot of people, no matter how good the teaching is, it leads to a certain musical DNA interbreeding.

[JohnS]

I voted for Coltrane but on reflection some of the younger players I hear (and there's not that many) seem to sound more like Brecker.

[Stefan Wood]

I voted for Wayne.  I think he's the most influential on the youngest players I've heard of the list. 

That's slightly unfortunate as I'm really sort of glad we have Wayne, but don't want a lot of his influence in the future.  Too snakey and my interest in this style and flavor of music. .. wanes.

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Snakey? Please explain, Lon. I think his influence lies in the expanded possibilites and the language that a jazz player can have in playing, but I don't think there will be imitators.

Edited October 3, 2005 by Stefan Wood

[JSngry]

[...] 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.

←

Mark Turner was born in 1965, so he is turning forty this year. He frequently cites Wayne and Warne as his big influences.

Personally, I think Turner, even though not so old, is a major influence on players of today. He was a direct influence on, just in what I've witnessed first hand, Ravi Coltrane, Myron Walden, Greg Tardy. These are people who spent many days practicing with him, besides performing with him. Some feel he was influential through his records on much of this generation.

I recorded many hours of the original Omer Avital sextet, which featured Turner, Tardy, Walden, and Charles Owens. He was a source of a lot of ideas on the bandstand, and a major catalyst in that group.

Luke

←

Well, if we go Turner, can we give an asterisk to Warne Marsh?

[johnagrandy]

Definitely not Trane.

Chris Potter is perhaps the biggest name today under 35 ... Chris is not exactly a Trane sound-alike.

Potter lists his influences as John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Eddie Harris, Wayne Shorter, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Ornette Coleman and Charlie Parker. So, basically ... everyone.

But Chris Potter is nearly 35, so he almost isn't on the list for this poll.

The best young tenor on the scene today is John Axson Ellis, who sounds nothing like Trane or Potter.

To me, Ellis doesn't sound like anyone at all for very long. He's unique. I'd point to him as the next great on tenor. Check out "Chalmette Shawarma" from "One Foot In The Swamp" ...

I see the talent in the newer school of players tending towards partial immersion in the groove jam-band side of things. These are guys who are bored of trying to sound like the greats. Charlie Hunter started it all. Tell me which guitarist he's copying ...

Today's most influential great ... ok, it's gotta be Joe. Not because young guys are directly copying him, but because he continued to innovate until the very end and there's so much to absorb. So many sounds, so many genres, so many twists and turns, stuff out of nowhere. And ultimately he played so simple and sparse ... a uniquely profound statement ... he decided the message was the most important part of the music ... and the message only required a few notes.

But Joe Lovano and Steve Coleman both have huge influences heard in the younger cats.

10-20 years ago, Brecker and Shorter, in their fusion periods, but not today.

[Free For All]

Did we mention Tony Malaby?

[Soul Stream]

I don't know where you guys are, but down here in the outer regions of the jazz universe...guys still trying to play Wayne and Joe Henderson.

[md655321]

I think Trane provides the overall thrust of influence and desire to play, while people like Sonny and Joe fill in the nuances of peoples playing. Sorta like Hendrix for guitar players. Every guitar player knows Hendrix is our daddy, and we use everyone else to fill in the cracks.