Who has the all-time best Tenor Tone?

[mrpeebee]

Arnett Cobb

His sound is full, lush, beautiful sub-tone, loads of power, full in the higher register, with a very nice edge, wonderfull high G.
Check out this YouTube video if you want to know why I mentioned him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka4qujkzcSA

[Tenor Man]

Arnett Cobb

His sound is full, lush, beautiful sub-tone, loads of power, full in the higher register, with a very nice edge, wonderfull high G.
Check out this YouTube video if you want to know why I mentioned him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka4qujkzcSA

Arnett was great, and definitely in my Top 10 for Tone, along with fellow Texas T-Man Booker Ervin. And that's a priceless vid though it would be cool to see something with him from the 40s or 50s.

Getting back to Wardell, though there is at least one extant video of him from the 1950s Basie Band, this is the clip that to me really displays his power on the tenor. Like someone in the comments said...pure but strong, and his and his alone:

[Karzkin]

I'm partial to Dexter. A fan of Sonny Rollins too.

[mrpeebee]

Arnett was great, and definitely in my Top 10 for Tone, along with fellow Texas T-Man Booker Ervin. And that's a priceless vid though it would be cool to see something with him from the 40s or 50s.

Getting back to Wardell, though there is at least one extant video of him from the 1950s Basie Band, this is the clip that to me really displays his power on the tenor (a King Super 20 in this case). Like someone in the comments said...pure but strong, and his and his alone:

Arnett played on this video of 1979 a Florida Otto Link, I think with a tip of around 9 or 9*. In the 40's he used an Otto Link Tone Master (don't know the tip, but smaller then the Florida Link). Still his sound of the fourties is even fuller and darker, I guess because of the other Link and maybe also because of the other recording technology. I did never see a video of that area, but check his recordings with Lionel Hampton of that period (1942-47).

Nice video of Wardell also. He's a great player and died much too young, but sound wise I like Dexter (his battle partner in the fourties) more. I think Wardell played a high baffle Dukoff with a small tip, which makes him in my ears a bit sharp and thin in the higher register. But still a fantastic player ofcourse, no doubt about that.

[JL]

Coltrane
Archie Shepp
Pharoah Sanders
Albert Ayler

While I would say all the great players had at least a very good tone, including the ones quoted above, for 'all-time best tenor tone,' none of them would be anywhere near the top of my list, in terms of tone alone. I really dig Pharoah Sanders and have seen him live many times over the years, but not so much for his tone; rather for his overall sound and approach.

If I had to name just one (and I really can't do that!) for tone quality, it would be Dexter Gordon. Or Gene Ammons. I know, that's two.

[tinpalaceroach]

I think they are all the best tenor tone individually since really no two are alike and i already mentioned quite a few.
I am still diggin' John Gilmore and one of his inspirations was Wardell Gray so you see every great tenor player does influence the next generation.
Two more Gary Windo, Antoine Roney, and whats his name from the N.O.L.A. Astral project who jammed with Tim Price and played with Carla Bley bands who also demo'd a Steve Goodson $15,000 tenor and kills everytime he touches that damn horn... that guy!

[DMZSX90R]

Dexter

[SaxPlayer1004]

all-time best tenor tone is wayy too subjective... All mentioned are phenomenal. If you're looking for a damn good tenor sound out of an amateur, ask Martysax if he'll post a recording or two. It's downright incredible. rock and roll esque, not smooth jazzy

Pros, Dexter, Rollins, and the main man, the BIG man, the he man beast, CLAAAAAARENCE CLEMONS!

[SaxTon]

To me it's very style dependent as I like a lot of sax sounds: Stan "The Man" Taylor had a great sound for his style of playing. I also like Pete Christlieb (like his tasteful solo on Unforgettable)
Also Lucky Thompson had a great sound but hard to find a high quality recording that really captures it. I could go on and on. But Dex, Stanley Mr. T and Arnett are way up there for me as for many others as mentioned above. Also like Getz's sound mostly for his ballad and bosa playing.

[ericpd]

Mickey Fields

[tflanster]

Charlie Ventura, Jimmy Giuffre ( He wrote 4 Brothers for the Woody Herman Herd), Christlieb, Lew Tabackin, Coleman, Dexter, Mobley and on and on. How to pick just one. I have an old Charlie Ventura album on which he plays soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass and swings hard on all of them. Great big tenor sound. Its on a 33 1/3 vinyl disc - anybody remember those?

Its equally hard to pick least favorite - for me, the reedy Mr.Getz, then the I don't know what sound is next, Coltrane.

[Flâneur]

Chris Potter

[Jazz House]

Jerry bergozi, sonny Rollins, Rex, bob mintzer, Ernie watts

[piwikiwi]

I don't really care about the all time best but my favorites are Zoot Sims, Scott Hamilton, Sonny Rollins, Chu Berry, Gene Ammons & Dexter Gordon

[Locust Solus]

hank mobley

[Tenor Man]

Arnett played on this video of 1979 a Florida Otto Link, I think with a tip of around 9 or 9*. In the 40's he used an Otto Link Tone Master (don't know the tip, but smaller then the Florida Link). Still his sound of the fourties is even fuller and darker, I guess because of the other Link and maybe also because of the other recording technology. I did never see a video of that area, but check his recordings with Lionel Hampton of that period (1942-47).

Nice video of Wardell also. He's a great player and died much too young, but sound wise I like Dexter (his battle partner in the fourties) more. I think Wardell played a high baffle Dukoff with a small tip, which makes him in my ears a bit sharp and thin in the higher register. But still a fantastic player ofcourse, no doubt about that.

Can you cite some instances in tunes in which Wardell plays sharp? In other words, can you show it's a pattern rather than just an isolated incident or two? Because I'm not hearing it.

Also, if we remove tone from the equation, it's not really fair IMO to compare Wardell to Arnett because the former is a true Jazz giant who was an important and necessary link in the Bebop time line and influenced so many who came after him.

Arnett is a great player who had a lot of influence to be sure, but I tend to think of him more as yet another great R&B/soul jazz player in the Illinois Jacquet/Jimmy Forrest vein who, like those two greats, played more simplistic R&B-laced jazz that was less hardcore than the Jazz that Wardell and his buddy Hampton Hawes were laying down--and with a regular R&B growl in his tone--kind of like Earl Bostic on the alto.

But again, when you're talking tone only and not jazz history, Arnett was really one of the special ones.

[LiAm84]

I think Wardell played a high baffle Dukoff with a small tip, which makes him in my ears a bit sharp and thin in the higher register. But still a fantastic player ofcourse, no doubt about that.

I'm pretty sure Wardell never played a Dukoff. Pictures show him playing both master link and tone master otto links and also metal berg larsen.

[ericpd]

Chris Potter

Yeah, I'll second the Chris Potter thing! But I like his voicing, rhythm and solos better than just his lone tone.

[MartinMods]

I have always liked Jay Corre's sound.

Great tenor sound!

[caruso]

Sound wise my favorites are Stan Getz, and Dexter Gordan. I especially like Getz. The colors he could get out of his horn were phenomenal.