Sax Voicings

[Emilio78233]

Can anyone explain or comment on the voicings that were used in the Stan Kenton band's saxophone section? Perhaps my ears have deceived me all these years, but I have always maintained that the Kenton and his arrangers used a particular voicing. The sax section always appears "full-throated". In other words, no one is using a subtone. The sound derived always bellows like a pipe organ to me. Can someone comment?

Emilio C.

[SGUD missile]

One reason for this goes back to the early 40s Kenton band ..Stan always favored a real"wide open " saxophone section voicing with the parts widely spread out like a string section ( Especially on ballads )

whereas other bands of the time favored the "close voicings" ( basically thirds with a doubled lead in the bari ..or in the case of Glenn Miller, a clarinet on top with the melody doubled by tenor 2 )

i.e: Fmaj 9th ( spelling up from the bottom ) F(or G ) below middle C/A/C/E/G ..basically a mid register close sound, Kenton preferrred

same chord Fma 9:

F-Bass clef Space

C- Bass clef 2nd space

A-Bass clef top line

E- Treble clef 1st line

G -Treble clef 2nd line

Later arrangers generally found these kind of voicings somewhat cumbersome and only used them sparingly ..preferring the lighter sounds of fourth voicings, drop 2 voicings, cluster voicings, and the like ..as being more mobile ..

[Emilio78233]

Thanks for the explanation. I have asked several people, but none have ever been so explicit. Although I have no formal training in arranging, I did endure two years of music education in college. I am a former musician and have two sons that are musicians. Thanks once again.

[SGUD missile]

The other thing I forgot to mention:

Sstan preferred a sax sound with basically no vibrato ..thereby making the organ resemblance even more so.

[JSngry]

Phil, how about the role that Bob Gioga's HUGE, ultra-metallic sound played in defining that sound? Built from the bottom up, so to speak?

Didn't Kenton in the Mellophonium days add a bass sax? What was the cat's name, he's been in Dallas now for a good while, Allan...?

Anyway, I've often wondered if the bass sax was an attempt to get back some of that Gioga thing. Personally, his sound kinda scares me, if you knwo what I mean, but it sure was distinctive.

[scottb]

Sstan preferred a sax sound with basically no vibrato

At first I thought this was a typo for SATAN but everyone knows Lucifer likes lots of vibrato so I figured you musta meant STAN.