A Few Great Saxophone Players

GREAT SAXOPHONISTS

I shall be adding to this page week by week, featuring some of the great saxophone players who have influenced me - a sort of saxophonist of the week page.

Ornette Coleman

One of the great jazz innovators, Ornette Coleman paid his dues in the rhythm and blues bands of the south, but along with John Coltrane, his name is synonymous with Free Form, a new style of jazz that became prominent in the 60s.

His 1959 album The Shape of Jazz to Come was the most radical innovation in jazz since Thelonius Monk, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie burst on the scene with bebop. Ornette did away with conventional chord structures and often the restrictions of barlines. Unlike Miles Davis’ modal jazz, Ornette was not even restricted by a mode or scale, he allowed his improvisations to go anywhere, confined only to the feelof the tune.

His style was a strong influence on John Coltrane but developed very differently: Ornette used the freedom from traditional harmony and rhythm to explore a more melodic but very extreme approach to jazz, which still often tipped its hat to his gutbucket R &B roots. He caused as big a stir amongst many of the bebop fans as bebop did amongst the traditionalists due to his disregard of traditional structure, sometimes quirky intonation and unusual tone, the latter partly due to his choice of instrument - the English made Grafton acrylic alto.

It was Ornette Coleman that first turned me on to jazz, until I heard him on a Radio 3 programme I had only ever heard traditional jazz which of course I hated because my parents liked it. Still playing and innovating today, his classic period for me is when he had the quartet with Don Cherry, Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins.

Earl Bostic

"Nobody knew more about the saxophone than Bostic, I mean technically, and that includes Bird."

- Art Blakey.

Earl Bostic came to new York in the 40s after studying composition at home in New Orleans. He was a regular on the bebop jam session scene with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie but went on to play a more commercial style when he became a band leader in the early 50s. (The young John Coltrane was one of his sidemen). He was an absolute master of the saxophone with a style that, although very definitely full of soul and gutsy R & B, had a formidable technique with an almost uncanny ability to formulate and place every note and every phrase of his improvisation perfectly.

His best known hit was Flamingo...more coming soon.

No. 3 Lee Allen

Lee gave me my biggest break when he asked me to guest with the great Fats Domino band. I was in the support band on tour in Europe and I used to sit by the side of the stage watching Lee and Herb Hardesty. One day he asked me up on stage to do a duet solo with him, then a few years later fats asked me to join the band on a European tour. 6 piece horn section - no rehearsal. The first night on stage Fred Kemp, who was standing next to me in the section, played my part towards me. The next night I was on my own and he yelled at me if I got it wrong! The biggest thrill was taking the extended"duet" solo on Jambalaya, in which Lee and I "traded" 8 bar phrases. This was an incredible saxophone leson, Lee would repeat what I played and embellish it, I had to try to do the same with his phrases.

I remember Lee was always very friendly and encouraging to any young sax players, always finding time to talk to them. It was fascinating listening to stories about recording with Little Richard, or his early gigs in the south when he played for strip shows - he spoke about a gauze curtain between the band and the strippers so that the white customers could not see that there was black band on stage with white naked women.

In the studio he was terrific, always blew a great solo every take. One time the engineer lost a beautiful first take solo. Everyone was yelling at him except Lee who calmly said, "no problem I’ll just blow another one..."

During the time I knew him he used a Selmer D mouthpiece (the stock one that Selmer used to provide with the horn, not the more expensive Soloist model) - however he sounded the same on whatever he used. The guys in the band used to say he had an amplifier inside him, his sound was so big. And entirely unique.

Listen to those solos on the early Little Richard hits, but if possible try to find some of his earlier recordings with Paul Gayten - shades of Ben Webster! Later stuff with Dr John (Gumbo).

You will hear how its possible to say an awful lot with very few notes. He had a knack of making simple melodic phrases right on the beat with no syncopation sound as funky as anything. His solo on "Walking With Mr Lee" is a perfect example of how to make a solo just keep on building in intensity.

The name "Walking with Mr Lee" comes from Lee’s habit of walking (more of a stomp as excitement builds) on the spot while playing. Perhaps this has some connection to his amazing ability to state the beat, his phrasing was so in the pocket he was almost part of the drum kit. When he did some gigs and recording with my band in London he insisted on standing with the drummer.

I was with Lee in LA a week before he died of lung cancer, and met his wife "Tiny" who was bringing him home cooked meals into the hospital every day. I was in the process of getting legal help for him to get royalties for his music which he never received, however I’m sad to say I was too late. If anyone know the whereabouts of his widow please let me know as I have lost contact.

Lee Allen Solo from Little Richard's Lucille

Lee Allen Solo from One For Tiny (Mr Lucky):

Lee Allen Solo from Etta James’ Tough Lover:

Download PDF transcription of Lucille (Bb, Eb C)