Klarinet Archive - Posting 001223.txt from 1997/09

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: no one sounds like.........
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 1997 11:19:16 -0400

On Sat, 27 Sep 1997, Charles wrote:

> There are people that can play higher, lower, faster, louder and better
> jazz, but no one gets a more personalized, virtually unmistakenly
> individualized sound (style) than:
>
> Bill Harris
> George Roberts
> Urbie Green
> Louis Armstrong
> Buddy Defranco
> Tommy Dorsey
> Bobby Hackett

We may have to take this discussion to another list, but....

Since individuality of tone is one of the primary expressive devices of
jazz, shouldn't every jazz player be on this list? I started thinking of
who might be added to the list, but finally found myself trying to figure
out who could be excluded. For example, among trumpet/cornet players,
certainly Louis Armstrong and Bobby Hackett have recognizable tone
quality, but so do Miles Davis and Chet Baker. Bill Harris is an easy
choice (if we are thinking of the same Bill Harris) because there are
almost no other bass trumpet players with whom he can be compared. The
same can be said of George Roberts in the world of the bass trombone.
Perhaps I'm not correctly understanding the criterion for inclusion on the
list.

Still, I will mention a personal choice which may be surprising to many.
On the basis of tone quality only, one of the tenor saxophonists I most
enjoy hearing is Bill Perkins, formerly with the Woody Herman band in the
late 1950's and 60's. But, then certainly John Coltrane belongs on a list
of musicians with easily identifiable sounds, and in addition is among the
very top echelon of jazz musicians on the basis of any criterion. Others
would include Stan Getz, and perhaps the most widely-recognized saxophone
sound of Paul Desmond. So, I am back to where I started. How can any of
the great players be excluded from the list?

Ed Lacy
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Dr. Edwin Lacy University of Evansville
Professor of Music 1800 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville, IN 47722
el2@-----.edu (812)479-2754
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