Sax on the Web Forum banner

Best Bass Sax Player?

37K views 100 replies 58 participants last post by  sopsax 
#1 ·
I vote James Carter. :)
 
#5 ·
Who was that guy that used to dance while playing a vintage bass sax on Saturday Night Live?
 
#9 ·
I guess I could, at least, get the name right. Randy posts as "Saxtek," not "Saxtech."
Another very fine player, who may also be a member here, is Bert Brandsma, who is the leader of the Dixieland Crackerjacks, a European dixieland band. They are easily found on You Tube.
Both of these players have tremendous fluency and are very inventive improvisers. When you add in Paul Woltz, also mentioned above, I wonder if we are living in a new golden age of the bass sax.
 
#15 ·
Swimming does nothing really for wind playing. maybe a stroke or two. I used to play bari in the schools top jazz band, in which there are hard low bari lines, and i swam varsity swim at the same time. i didnt feel much of a difference in my breathing.

now i know bari isnt bass sax, but, its as close as im going to get in high school.
 
#17 ·
Actually, swimming is a very good way to work out your lungs, and helps with counting while maintaining breath control (if done properly). Its a highly recommend form of exercise. I dunno if the Phelps reference was because he would have strong lungs, or if he is most like the bass fish :D
 
#24 ·
Adrian Rollini wins hands down!
 
#27 ·
I just came upon this thread. While I recognize that Rollini was the recognized all-time master of the bass saxophone, I gotta toss a thought to Paul Woltz, shown in one of the links above. Not only is he a fine bass sax player, but his alto is to die-for (in the trad-jazz sense). I know Paul and have played with him and listened to him many times over the years. What a great guy and what a fine, fine player. Before he moved to Washington state, he lived in SoCal and was the bass/alto sax player in the band with whom I play now. He is also a repair-tech (worked on my VI alto several years ago and his work is what made the thing play),

Another fine bass sax player (long gone now) was Joe Rushton who played with Red Nichols and His Five Pennies for many years. And was it Min Leibrook (sp?) who did much of the fine bass sax work with Bix's bands? There haven't been many, but those who master the thing have my admiration. I played one during a rehearsal - once. DAVE
 
#28 ·
I'm a fan of Klaas Hekman, in the free-jazz idiom.
 
#29 ·
Spencer Clark, with the California Ramblers and Lud Gluskin, was second only to Rollini in the '20s. Sadly, he didn't get to record much after that.

Min Leibrook, with Bix and Whiteman, was a strong accompanist but his solos were a mess. He probably did a lot to make the bass sax a white elephant.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top