The Bluffer's Guide to Jazz by Paul Barnes

Author:Paul Barnes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bluffer's Guides

One of the reasons for the ubiquity of the saxophone, usually the tenor, could be that most women are beguiled by its qualities, thus making it the musical equivalent of the E-Type Jaguar.

COLEMAN HAWKINS (1901–1969)

While Louis Armstrong was the cream of the jazz crop, everybody was trying to copy him, and then along came Coleman Hawkins wielding the newfangled saxophone, recently invented (in 1846). He set out to show the jazz world a new way of doing things altogether, consolidating his supremacy with a stunning version of ‘Body and Soul’. Often referred to as ‘Bean’, an allusion to his broad tone, or as ‘Hawk’ or ‘The Hawk’, which is obvious.

WILLIAM ‘RED’ MCKENZIE (1899–1948)

In 1929 Hawk played on one of the happiest recordings ever: ‘Hello Lola’ by the Mound City Blue Blowers. The leader was Red McKenzie, the only virtuoso performer on comb-and-paper, a sort of cousin to the saxophone as the paper could be loosely defined as a reed. McKenzie became a household name for a while, but is mainly remembered fondly by musicians as one who found jobs for the boys during the Depression years.

SIDNEY BECHET (1897–1969)

Nobody ever had a problem with identifying the sound of Sidney Bechet on the soprano saxophone, with its forceful projection and vigorous vibrato. To see why, just listen to ‘Nobody Knows the Way I Feel this Morning’ (1940).

BENNY CARTER (1907–2003)

One of the most versatile of musicians, Benny Carter played not only tenor and alto saxophones, but also clarinet, trumpet and trombone, resisting any temptation to play them all at the same time. Carter was a fine arranger too – almost in the same league as Duke Ellington – though you might observe sadly that his arrangement of ‘The Teddy Bears’ Picnic’ for Henry Hall and the BBC Dance Orchestra (1932) should not be considered as one of his more distinguished works.

LAWRENCE ‘BUD’ FREEMAN (1906–1991)

It is said that someone once commented to Bud Freeman, ‘You look like a doctor but you play like a murderer.’ It is certainly true that he dressed in a dapper fashion (he once did a one-off modelling job on the strength of it) and played in a huffing and puffing manner like a big bad wolf. His style on tenor saxophone was entirely his own creation, with a vibrato-like washing flapping in the breeze. He was that rarity, a Chicago jazzman actually born in Chicago. The most important thing to seize on is whether or not he was an influence on Lester Young. You can take either view, for it is difficult to tell.

LESTER YOUNG (1909–1959)

Justly celebrated for being the coolest of the hot tenors, Lester Young took up the saxophone only because he saw his brother Lee miss the pick of the girls at a gig owing to the time it took to pack up his drum kit. Lester was almost as famous for his pork-pie hats, which he even wore in bed. He was the last of the saxophonists to please Hugues Panassié (an influential French jazz

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