Ammons, Dexter, Prez and Trane

[AllenLowe]

Listening to the Billy Eckstein version of Blowing the Blues Away (12/15/44 matrix 120-1), I believe that in the chase choruses between Jug and Dexter one can hear the whole pre-history of John Coltrane, insofar as:

The sound of both tenors - out of Lester Young but with a harder edge - predict the later Trane sound - a hard, dark tenor sound with a paradoxically bright center - light surrounded by dark if one wants to get literary about it; more-so with Ammons than Dexter, if I am hearing them correctly -

Also, the transformation of Prez's scalular ideas into a method of going inside/outside by simple but effective chromatic movement and emphasizing the slight dissonance through a kind of frozen repetition -

I find Ammons to be the more dynamic of the two (people know my thoughts on Dexter) but both are fine musicians and humanitarians who loved their mothers (hey, I don't want to start another feud here) -

Just a thought or two -

Edited April 3, 2009 by AllenLowe

[mtodde]

I think it is fascinating to track the development of musicians and identify their influences. When I was just getting into jazz I would read all of the liner notes, find out who the influences were and work my way backwards. I discovered lots of great music that way.

[carnivore]

I always thought Ammons or Gordon were both terrific tenor players, but I always found Jug to be the more purely enjoyable with, for me, a more attractive sound and a more directly emotional appeal. There was a hard edge to Dexter's tone that was less compelling.....and then there was Wardell

[AllenLowe]

I agree, I love Jug but Dexter is a mixed thing for me (but that's an argument we already had here a few years ago). Ammons is amazing, incredible technique and soul, and the last recordings show he was keeping up with the times, but in his own way -

[papsrus]

Listening to the Billy Eckstein version of Blowing the Blues Away (12/15/44 matrix 120-1), I believe that in the chase choruses between Jug and Dexter one can hear the whole pre-history of John Coltrane, insofar as:

The sound of both tenors - out of Lester Young but with a harder edge - predict the later Trane sound - a hard, dark tenor sound with a paradoxically bright center - light surrounded by dark if one wants to get literary about it; more-so with Ammons than Dexter, if I am hearing them correctly -

Also, the transformation of Prez's scalular ideas into a method of going inside/outside by simple but effective chromatic movement and emphasizing the slight dissonance through a kind of frozen repetition -

I find Ammons to be the more dynamic of the two (people know my thoughts on Dexter) but both are fine musicians and humanitarians who loved their mothers (hey, I don't want to start another feud here) -

Just a thought or two -

I like your descriptions of the sound. I'll have to listen to both Ammons and Gordon more closely. ... I think your reference to "the transforming of Prez's scalular ideas into a method of going inside/outside by simple but effective chromatic movement ..." interests me most.

Are there other examples that come to mind?