Jazz Rock: December 2008

Couldn't get tickets to see him at Ronnies recently. Currently Follow The Red Line is my favourite album. Some blistering lines and great original tunes. What mastery of the sax across the whole range with real emotional force.

Our Fantastic Sax Players

When I started listing British saxophonists it made me realise 1) how many fantastic players we have, and 2) that it all depends on what style of playing you like. While some people rave about Toni Kofi, Jean Tousaint or Soweto Kinch my preference is for the Coltrane / Brecker style of playing.

Nigel Hitchcock has been my favourite player for a long time, closely followed by Mornington Lockett . I also think that Julian Nicholas is one of the best lyrical players this country has, sounding like Wayne Shorter in his later period.

Some more:
Courtney Pine, Mark Lockheart, Ian Ballamy, Stan Sulzman, Theo Travis, Ben Clatworthy, Alan Barnes, Ben Waghorn, Dave O'Higgins. Can I include Gillad Atzmon now he lives here, albeit in exile?

Favourite Albums

Not necessarily in this order:

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats, Burnt Weeny Sandwich, Joe's Garage, Live in New York (with the Bracker Bros), and about 50 others.
Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom and all of his solo albums.
Matching Mole - Eponymous.
Elton Dean - All The Tradition
John Luc-Ponty - King Kong and his other albums.
Keith Jarrett - Koln Concert, Arbour Zena, The Survivors Suite.
John Coltrane - My Favourite Things, A Love Supreme.
The Dedication Orchestra - Ixesha, Spirits Rejoice.
Jon McLaughlin - Industrial Zen, One night In San Francisco.
Steps Ahead - All albums with Michael Brecker, Eponymous and Smoking in the Pit are a couple of good examples.
Michael Brecker - all his solo albums.
Pat Metheny - Off Ramp.
Caravan - Land of the Grey and Pink.
Alan Skidmore - Tribute to Trane.
Irakere - Live atRonnie Scotts and all of their others.
Avishia Cohen - At Home is my favourite but all 7 albums are winners.
Bill Bruford's Earthworks - Dig, albums with Django Bates.
Loose Tubes - everything.
Chick Corea - Three Quartets.
Courtney Pine - Modern Day Jazz Stories.
Joe Zawinul - World Tour, and the rest.
Sting - The Dream of the Blue Turtles and most of his solo albums.
Ruben Blades Y Seis De Soler - Escenas.
Blood Sweat and Tears - Blood Sweat and Tears.
Esbjörn Svensson Trio - Seven Days of Falling.
Chucho Valdes - New Directions
Gilad Atzmon - Refuge

Jazz Rock

Thursday, 4 December 2008

Chris Potter

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