Klarinet Archive - Posting 001272.txt from 1997/09

From: Charles <chardy@-----.com>
Subj: Re: no one sounds like.........
Date: Sun, 28 Sep 1997 22:40:58 -0400

At 12:38 PM 9/27/97 -0400, you wrote:
>At 10:19 AM 9/27/97 -0500, you wrote:
>>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
>>*****************************************************************
>>Dr. Edwin Lacy University of Evansville
>>Professor of Music 1800 Lincoln Avenue
>> Evansville, IN 47722
>>el2@-----.edu (812)479-2754
>>*****************************************************************
>>
>>
>>Bill Harris rarely played bass trumpet. Most of his recordings were made on the slide trombone (with a lucite mouthpiece).
>
>Being a great jazz player does not necessarily mean having a distinctive tone.
>
>Charlie
>

Sy Touff played bass trumpet with Woody for many years.