connoisseur series500 Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 Name some jazz players who are instantly recognizable by their sound. To me, John Coltrane is instantly recognizable. So is Andrew Hill. Grant Green, as Soul Stream mentioned on his thread. Jackie Mclean has his own very identifiable sound. Louis Armstrong. Gene Harris is very recognizable. Let's hear some other names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Larsen Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 (edited) McCoy Tyner. Jimmy Smith. Larry Young. Albert Ayler. Miles Davis. Chet Baker. Ornette Coleman (especially when he's playing a plastic horn!). I guess it wouldn't be fair to name vocalists. Edited August 7, 2003 by J Larsen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 Joe Henderson!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmitry Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 Rahsaan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 All the jazz greats have their signature. Listen to a quick sample of Armstrong, Parker, Prez, Hawkins, Webster Coltrane, Monk or Miles, and you know instantly who's playing. Same goes for Lee Morgan, McLean, Hill, Pepper, Ayler, CT. And how about Mingus? LaFaro? Wilbur Ware? Paul Chambers? When you hear them, you know instantly who's on bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Larsen Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 I agree Brownie, and I'm surprised that Ben Webster hadn't been mentioned yet! Talk about "instantly recognizable"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soul Stream Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 Jackie McLean is a real distinctive voice. I ALWAYS know him, whereas I get lost on with some other famous altos. Also, I'm usually very good at identifying Philly Joe and Sonny Clark, as well as Paul Chambers. Richard Davis is another bassist who has a certain way of playing I identify. Stanley Turrentine is one of the most identifyable Tenor sounds ever. Max Roach too for drummers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cali Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 Did anyone mention Bu? Gary Bartz is someone I recognize instantly. Same with Wayne and Rollins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 Sweets Edison. Ben Webster. Gene Harris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed S Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 Dexter Gordon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vibes Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 Tony Williams is extremely recognizable to me. I'm not familiar with his work outside of the 60's, but his 60's work is very easy to spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphie_boy Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 No mistaking Ike Quebec. I can always pick-out Sam Rivers and Woody Shaw also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 For me, it's Jackie. The way he plays his horn is just unique. Second, would be Bird, no one has that delicious sound on the alto like Bird (Sonny might be close). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 Don't know if Brownie meant Art Pepper or Pepper Adams, but they're both instantly identifiable to me. Another Art is Tatum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 Well I was wondering if I should add (Art and Adams) to the Pepper name, but didn't! Their sound is instant recognition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John L Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 (edited) I agree with Brownie as well. Part of being a "great" jazz musician means having a unique and recognizable voice. One distinction between great jazz musicans might be how quickly they can be recognized, i.e. part of the greatness of some musicians is that they can be identified right away, only after one or a few notes. It could be a unique tone, a unique approach to bending notes, or phrasing so distinctive it is always immediately apparent. In this category, we have people like Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, Thelonious Monk, Gene Ammons, Lockjaw Davis, Jackie McLean. I tend to love a lot of musicians who give their calling card right away. Then there are other great musicians who, while maybe not having as individual a tone or delivery of a single note, are always recognizable after a few bars on the basis of their approach to music and improvization. Charlie Parker is a good example. Edited August 7, 2003 by John L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soul Stream Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 Monk. How could I have forgotten his sound. Perhaps his is THE most recognizable voice in jazz. And that's not even on a wind instrumnet. He was a really amazing STYLIST. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainyDay Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 Miles, Monk, Coltrane, and Kenny Garrett. Sometimes Tyner and Pharoah Sanders (who I'm going to see tonight). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 Bubber Miley Quentin Jackson Clark Terry Django John Lewis Doug Watkins Teagarden Steve Lacy ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEK Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 Billy Harper Booker Ervin Johnny Hodges Eric Dolphy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 All of those already mentioned. Dexter Gordon was the first that came to my mind. Some more that I instantly recognize: Eddie Harris Von Freeman Clark Terry Duke Ellington (at the piano, not to mention his writing) Charlie Rouse Earl Hines James Spaulding Jane Ira Bloom Thad Jones James Carter Milt Jackson Kenny Burrell Lucky Thompson That list would be longer than we all expected! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kari S Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 In addition to Monk and McCoy Tyner, one of the most easibly recognisable pianists is definitely Corea. Only one second of his solo gives it away... Another one - Herbie Hancock (of course...). Although with all the pianists that base their style on Hancock's playing, it sometimes takes a while - like two seconds... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel devos Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 Art Blakey, Erroll Garner, Jimmy Smith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted August 10, 2003 Report Share Posted August 10, 2003 Prez...Webster...Hodges...Miles...Desmond----just some names that come immediately to mind. I agree that the greatest stylists in jazz almost always had instantly or very quickly identifiable sounds. Bird, Rollins, Monk, Hawkins, the list goes on and on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonym Posted August 10, 2003 Report Share Posted August 10, 2003 Man Alive!!!! Forgive me if i'm wrong, but no-one has mentioned Getz.... he was pure sound.....ahhh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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