Today's tenor players

[Milestones]

I'll confess my ignorance and say I've never heard, or heard of, Ingrid Laubock. 

[JSngry]

1 hour ago, bluenoter said:

Ingrid Laubrock

Tony Malaby

Ellery Eskelin

They too, IMO, "can be deep in the tradition and be very fiery and distinctive" (—Milestones).

yes, those are all good. Only Laubrock is, to me, a relatively new name, though.

Malaby is 54, Eskelin is 59. I've been hearing them for decades.

Laubrock is only 48! Not quite old enough to feasibly be my daughter, although I suppose I was capable of impregnation at 14.

She can play, though. But I'm looking for young people - really young people - who can make a case for me accepting that everything I know and expect is not really...necessary these days. Hell, I'm getting more out of modern "classical" music these days than I am modern "jazz". Sure, that's because I'm late getting to one and have been immersed in the other for decades, but, when I heard AACM, I knew that there was no going back, not that anything old was wrong, jsut that there was now more to consider and new ways of considering it.. Now, all I hear is going back. Oh well...

But Ingrid Laubrock can play. I get that not everybody likes "this type of thing", but she can play her instrument, she's has options at her command and is making choices.

But Bird was 25 when he did Koko. Roscoe has just turned 26 when he did Sound. Again, different times, but what are the 20-somethings of today doing with themselves to claim their own distinct (and distinctly valid) reality? I'll be as grumpy and old as I have to be unless and until I see some action on that front.

[jlhoots]

Ingrid Laubrock: Uba Tuba is great as are several others on Intakt & Relative Pitch!!

[bluenoter]

1 hour ago, Milestones said:

I'll confess my ignorance and say I've never heard, or heard of, Ingrid Laubock. 

So now you have! It's Laubrock, with an R. She's originally from Germany; she and the drummer Tom Rainey are married. She's done a lot of playing with the guitarist Mary Halvorson as well as with Rainey, but lately she's been writing and recording orchestral music.

Several years ago I saw her with Capricorn Climber, a group led by the pianist Kris Davis. Davis didn't impress me much, but Ingrid Laubrock knocked me out!

(Thanks, y'all who commented on the tenor players I suggested.)

Edited October 21, 2018 by bluenoter

[jcam_44]

Noah Preminger is making some of the best music to me. His output is tireless and always fascinating

Walter Smith III

Melissa Aldana

Jure Pukl

I'll think of more for you old fogies.

Edited October 21, 2018 by jcam_44

[Д.Д.]

Bill McHenry

[JSngry]

35 minutes ago, jcam_44 said:

Noah Preminger is making some of the best music to me. His output is tireless and always fascinating

Walter Smith III

Melissa Aldana

Jure Pukl

I'll think of more for you old fogies.

Here's one old fogey who has heard the first three and remain,uh...uncompelled.

[felser]

19 hours ago, BFrank said:

Billy Harper, of course. I saw an impressive tenor recently with Louis Hayes - Abraham Burton. Someone to keep an eye on, for SURE. David Sánchez can bring it, too!

I also like Burton a lot.  I did an "album of the week" on this several years ago, 0 response, and that is when I stopped doing AOTW (the first time).

[jcam_44]

28 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Here's one old fogey who has heard the first three and remain,uh...uncompelled.

Ouch, tough crowd! Haha. So I'm attempting to stay under 40. Let's try: 

Joe Manis

Tivon Pennicott

Stacy Dillard

Jesus Santandreu (not under 40 but definitely worth checking)

Jason Hainsworth

 

Edited October 22, 2018 by jcam_44

[jlhoots]

Melissa & Jure are good.

[Milestones]

jcam:

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  (aka as 0-for-9)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Larry Kart]

Grant Stewart

Donny McCaslin (sometimes)

Ravi Coltrane 

Ingrid Laubrock

Rich (not Rick) Perry — though at age 63 he’s certainly no youngster

Artie Black and Hunter Diamond (they're probably age 30 or less, Indiana U. grads, and they’ve both listened to Warne — and not in that creepy freeze-dried Mark Turner way). They were a highlight of this year’s Chicago Jazz Fest for me: https://blackdiamondchicago.com/about/

[Larry Kart]

Add:

 Jimmy Greene

Tim Warfield

[Larry Kart]

Thumbs down from me on:

Eric Alexander (I've already heard it from George Coleman et al.)

Harry Allen (blech!)

David Murray

Tony Malaby

Noah Preminger

[kh1958]

This question got me to thinking: which tenor saxophonists have I seen in person at least once over the last ten years that I quite enjoyed hearing?

Younger Generation:

James Brandon Lewis

Jimmy Greene

Mark Shim

Noah Preminger

Meiissa Aldana

Stacy Dillard

Calvin Johnson

Wayne Escoffrey

Ravi Coltrane

Tivon Pennicott

David Sanchez

Abraham Burton

Older Generation:

Chico Freeman

Billy Harper

David Murray

Pharoah Sanders

Charles Lloyd

Houston Person

David Schnitter

Wayne Shorter

Kidd Jordan

Ron Holloway

Pete Christlieb

Charlie Gabriel

Chris Potter

Ernest Dawkins

James Carter

Hakan Kornstad

 

Edited October 22, 2018 by kh1958

[Rooster_Ties]

I was really impressed with Greg Tardy (age 52 now) the 4(?) times I saw him back 7-15 years ago (before I moved to DC) -- and I think I've seen him twice in more supporting roles (here in DC), but in groups of more like 8-9 players total.  Meaning he didn't get anywhere near the amount of solo time as when he was in Andrew Hill's band, or Helen Sung's, or another band I'm probably forgetting (or maybe it was Helen Sung who was in his band? - or maybe both, on separate occasions).

I see (now) he has a TON of leader-dates on Steeplechase over the last 10 years or so, which I really ought to explore.

[sidewinder]

7 hours ago, bluenoter said:

So now you have! It's Laubrock, with an R. She's originally from Germany; she and the drummer Tom Rainey are married. She's done a lot of playing with the guitarist Mary Halvorson as well as with Rainey, but lately she's been writing and recording orchestral music.

Several years ago I saw her with Capricorn Climber, a group led by the pianist Kris Davis. Davis didn't impress me much, but Ingrid Laubrock knocked me out!

(Thanks, y'all who commented on the tenor players I suggested.)

I used to see gigs with Ingrid Laubrock quite frequently when she was resident here in UK and a member of the London-based F-IRE Collective. I think the last group of hers I saw was ‘Sleepthief’ with Rainey and Liam Noble. Always an interesting and thoughtful player.

[EKE BBB]

3 hours ago, Larry Kart said:

Thumbs down from me on:

Eric Alexander (I've already heard it from George Coleman et al.)

Harry Allen (blech!)

(...)

After several years following up with the same discussion (lack of originality et al), I still can't understand why some critics -as well as some organissimo members (intersect when needed)- strongly dislike Eric Alexander. For me, he is a marvellous and very gifted player. Actually, to a certain degree I enjoy his discs as much as those of the originals he is supposedly imitating. True that he hasn't discovered a new planet, but who has evaded either Trane or Rollins influence during the last 50 years???

And what's wrong with Harry Allen???

BTW, many thanks to Milestones for opening up this discussion. Good chance to refresh my very limited knowledge of the current scene, as regards tenor sax players.

[king ubu]

So there we go again? all older players (40+), mostly mainstream in the broader sense ... but yeah, Laubrock certainly can play, although I'm not always all that big on *what* she plays - but when she's on, she's great!

Mostly US guys, too, and the somewhat hurting point: those mentioned here mostly don't get any bookings/exposure elsewhere. So I guess with the topic at hand, these days, many of those being mentioned will be known from recordings or they form part of a local/regional scene that does get air time around where one lives. (Okay, I did get a chance to see Mark Shim as part of the Lehman Octet once, I heard Wayne Escofferey with the Mingus Big Band a dozen or more years ago, Donny McCaslin with Maria Schneider, Dave Douglas and his own utterly boring group -- which was quite good w/David Bowie I found)

The youngest I can come up with, off the top of my head, is Sophie Alour, 43, French, mainstream as well -- she's part of the Rhoda Scott Lady Quartet with which I saw her live for the first time recently. I don't think any of her releases shows her potential so far (maybe "Opus 3" best).

 

Of the older generation, over here in yurp, certainly these deserve mention:

Tobias Delius

Ab Baars

Harry Sokal

Roman Schwaller

Andy Scherrer (who's in his seventies by now)

 

There is also Ada Rave, from Argentina ("only" 44)

 

Also, thinking US again, Matt Bauder comes to mind, at 42 he's uhm, quite young.

 

And thinking US, older generation: don't foget about Ernest Dawkins and Ari Brown.

 

And thinking a bit further, it does seem that in the younger generation in avant/improv, the tenor is just one among many instruments again ... I'd rather name some pianists (Kaja Draksler, Eve Risser, Colin Vallon, not to forget our own Alexander Hawkins) if I'd be pressed to name some favourites.

[OliverM]

Ivo Perelman, lots of innovation in his playing.

 

[BillF]

3 hours ago, EKE BBB said:

After several years following up with the same discussion (lack of originality et al), I still can't understand why some critics -as well as some organissimo members (intersect when needed)- strongly dislike Eric Alexander. For me, he is a marvellous and very gifted player. Actually, to a certain degree I enjoy his discs as much as those of the originals he is supposedly imitating. True that he hasn't discovered a new planet, but who has evaded either Trane or Rollins influence during the last 50 years???

And what's wrong with Harry Allen???

BTW, many thanks to Milestones for opening up this discussion. Good chance to refresh my very limited knowledge of the current scene, as regards tenor sax players.

Eric obviously didn't curry any favour with the must-be-over-fifty brigade, but he came of age in August, so now has hopes of a bigger following. 

[EKE BBB]

21 minutes ago, BillF said:

Eric obviously didn't curry any favour with the must-be-over-fifty brigade, but he came of age in August, so now has hopes of a bigger following. 

Yes, he's my elder for three years. That gives him some respectability... 

[BillF]

21 minutes ago, EKE BBB said:

Yes, he's my elder for three years. That gives him some respectability... 

Mind you, if a 78-year-old like me digs him, there must be something wrong with him. 

[Brad]

4 hours ago, EKE BBB said:

After several years following up with the same discussion (lack of originality et al), I still can't understand why some critics -as well as some organissimo members (intersect when needed)- strongly dislike Eric Alexander. For me, he is a marvellous and very gifted player. Actually, to a certain degree I enjoy his discs as much as those of the originals he is supposedly imitating. True that he hasn't discovered a new planet, but who has evaded either Trane or Rollins influence during the last 50 years???

And what's wrong with Harry Allen???

BTW, many thanks to Milestones for opening up this discussion. Good chance to refresh my very limited knowledge of the current scene, as regards tenor sax players.

I, too, get tired of the criticisms of Alexander.  I enjoy his playing.  Does every artist have to be inventing or expanding the musical universe to be deemed praiseworthy?

[EKE BBB]

Some previous very heated discussions here and here.

Sorry to reopen old wounds, but...