Classic tenor sax style
344160
Rickey has power and finesse in his tenor sax style, plus exceptional beauty in his ballad playing. I enjoyed the play of the very young (just turned 20) Christian McBride on bass in this live 1992 club setting.
4754561
This saxophone master was the main reason I fell in love with the sound of a sax over 20+ years ago! When a Man Loves a Woman?  Yes!  Plus Richard is amazing in person!  I have seen him over 15 times all around the U.S. and you will not be disappointed.  You will be disappointed if you don't get this CD though.  He rocks it as usual.  Get it.  ;-)
2443246
Tenor sax virtuoso Gary Thomas (recently of John Mclaughlin's band) and  his equally adept partner on alto, Greg Osby, blaze on with non-stop solos  backed by the killer rhythm section of Formanek and Arnold. I love this  record; it is dense as hell with no compromise in sight and at the same  time supercool and great fun to listen to (it rocks). The first tune starts  off in 15/8 and it doesn't get any simpler folks. Highly recommended.
698169
I have only just discovered this CD, having had an earlier one by Nino Tempo for over 20 years, which is REAL favourite.

So (as there is nothing more one can say about a top-notch sax player ) I recommend this heartily!

I give it 5 stars to balance the earlier reviewer who must have accidentally hit '2' !
3712930
Buddy Tate (1913-2001) ranks among the great masters of classic tenor sax. He played in Count Basie's orchestra after Lester left the band,and belongs to the family of the great players of the swing era, with Don Byas,Arnett Cobb,Illinois Jacquet,Ben Webster and Chu Berry. THis CD combines two different sessions originally issued on Swingville : "Tate's date" (tracks 1-6) and "Groovin' with Buddy Tate" (tracks 7-13).For the first session,Buddy plays with the rare Ben Richardson (alto,baritone and clarinet),Sadik Hakim (piano),Wendell Marshall (bass) and Osie Johnson,a very talented drummer. The second session shows us Buddy on tenor sax,of course,but also on clarinet (a magnificent version of Duke's "I'm just a lucky so and so"),with pianist Ronnell Bright,guitarist Wally Richardson,bassist George Tucker and Roy Brooks on drums. The spirit of Kansas City's music is everywhere in this record: blues and jumping tunes in which Buddy's saxophone shines from the beginning to the end. In the second session,the blues alternates with three beautiful standards: Duke's "lucky" (beautiful chorus by Wally Richardson),"East of the sun" and "makin' whoopee".The recording engineer was Rudy Van Gelder, so the sound quality is irreprochable. An essential reissue,and a milestone in Buddy Tate's very long musical carreer.
277979
My admiration continues to grow for Gene Ammons each time I hear a new album. He has a distinctively rich, warm tone that makes his playing of tenor sax so unique. There is no loud, flashy chord progressions here, just sensitively handled ballads, interpreted in a very personal manner. Granted, the initial tracks are almost a little too smooth and lack some edge, but as you move deeper into the album (in particular the 1962 recording session), the real gems start to appear. What I particularly like about this album is how the arrangement is totally pared down to provide a subtle accompaniment, allowing Ammon's sound to totally take centre stage. It is a relaxed and very cool double album, ideal for late night listening.
2233258
The man knows how to smoothly play his sax.  I love his music and this is my favorite release.
1173944
Though the liner notes for "Grant Stewart +4" provide little biographical information, it seems that Grant Stewart is a well-traveled and highly experienced tenor saxophonist in his 30's. His style is rooted in hard bop and he is certainly up to the level of the first-class band assembled for this CD.  Stewart's tenor sound is quite remarkable. While many younger tenor players opt for a harder, cutting sound, Stewart's sound is softer and very attractive, especially on ballads. It is quite personal too, and while there are certainly traces of Gordon, Mobley and Cohn in his sound, it's hard to pinpoint any particular tenor player Stewart sounds like. Put this personal sound together with Stewart's flowing, melodic improvisations and it doesn't take long to know that you are listening to a very impressive young tenor saxophonist.

The program for this straight ahead CD contains no great surprises and leans mainly on standards such as "Yesterdays",  "You Leave Me Breathless", and the ballad "The Folks Who Live on the Hill" (which is a particular highlight of the CD).  The originals by Al Cohn ("You and Me"), and his son Joe Cohn ("Cohn on the Cob") take us deep into swinging bop territory. "Limehouse Blues" is a uptempo romp on which Stewart really shows off his impressive tenor chops.  Jobim's "Sabia" and the standard "Lonely Town" are fine performances but don't seem quite as inspired as the other tracks.

The "+4" (guitarist Joe Cohn, pianist Bill Charlap, bassist Paul Gill and the swinging drummer Willie Jones 111) are particularly supportive and cohesive, especially for a group that came together in the studio (though Stewart has played many live gigs with guitarist Joe Cohn). Indeed, in this group Cohn is nearly as up front as Stewart, sometimes playing the melody in tandem with the tenor man and adding some strong and often blazing guitar solos.  Charlap is a cooler, less extroverted soloist than Cohn but the contrast between them makes for a nice balance of styles.  But at the end of the day no one steals the show from the leader Grant Stewart. This very well recorded 60 minute CD is warmly recommended and if you enjoy the music of Dexter Gordon, Hank Mobley and  Sonny Stitt, you will surely enjoy this outing by Grant Stewart.
4726816
This is a classic Brubeck-Desmond Quartet track, and possibly the best; good upbeat tempo and beautiful, swinging melodic lines by Desmond. (Paul Desmond is a favorite of mine.)
2981634
Alto down to baritone playing mostly ballad's. Who ever picked these performers/tunes, must have been thinking of me. Not a 'clinker in the bunch. 2 by Rollins,(2)Hawk,(2)Getz w/Strings+Orchestra,Donaldson with Herman Foster,(2)Dexter, A perfect tune("Harlem Nocturne") for Earl Bostic,(1)David (Fathead)Newman sounding like Hank Crawford on alto,(2) the BIG sound of the under rated Don Byas ,(1) Harold Land,(1)Benny Carter orchestra with guest,Coleman Hawkins,(1)Shank,(2)Desmond with Mulligan (on one track) ,(1)Wayne Shorter(2) Turntine (I didn't know how good he was on ballad's until now!) (2) Ben Webster with Hawk (on one track),(1) Booker Ervin,(2)Coltrane one from his first album,(2) Cannonball from that great album;SOMETHIN' ELSE;"Dancing in the Dark" Miles told him to play this ballad and "Flamingo",(1) Lockjaw without  Dolphy,"Star Eyes" Art Pepper meets the 'Rhythm section';Red, Paul,Philly Joe +"You Go To My Head" which takes the place of Prez&O.P.:It's not on my CD.
This is over 130 minutes of "CLASSIC JAZZ".  2 CD's for the price of one.  P.S. There is a couple of other soloist's;trumpet,french horn (I think?),and guitar etc.
3564674
During the mid-1940's, jazz underwent a reworking as it evolved from the "swing" style into the "bop" style, resulting in the beginning of what we now call "modern jazz" (to distinguish it from "traditional" or "vintage" jazz, including swing and "dixieland"). This recording pays tribute to the music of the transitional figures who brought their own styles from the swing era to the bop era and helped the music to evolve - swing era artists like guitarist Charlie Christian and tenor saxophonists Coleman Hawkins and Don Byas who embraced the new sounds and worked with younger musicians, experimenting with the new sounds and textures of bop.
  Reedman and session leader Dan Block is quite visible and well-known, especially around NYC, as lead saxophonist for Vince Giordano's Nighthawks band.  Having worked with him myself, I knew his vocabulary of swing and traditional jazz was comprehensive and vast.  But Dan's bop playing on this recording was a surprise and a pleasant one.  Dan is no one-trick pony!  Dan's bandmate in the Nighthawks, Jon-Erik Kellso, shines on this recording as well, bringing a modern, boppish voice to the recording and complementing Dan's tenor saxophone and clarinet work nicely.  The rhythm section swings right along.  I highly recommend this recording!
615163
If you like Sinatra and enjoy listening to the saxophone, then I think you'll really like this album. I like the arrangements and the artist plays many of the songs one would identify with Sinatra in a very upbeat way. Listen to this album while you're doing work around the house and it'll make the work a little more fun!
2469067
Coltrane played with Mile, the Duke, Monk, and Saunders, and some time was spent with Shepp and Dolphy for sure.  With each, Coltrane modified his sound to remain distinct yet give a more full experience when accompanying, or in duet with, these other musicians.  That's why on this album you get Coltrane playing mainsteam swinging jazz:  he's playing alongside Burrell, not Jimi Hendrix or Sonny Sharrock.  One reviewer stated that this is the Coltrane album to buy last, only after you own all of his others (or sometime like that).  Not true.  The ballads are sensitive, just as Coltrane was sensitive to the art of Johnny Hartman.  But if you want Coltrane blowing a lot of 1/32th notes at full volume, this isn't it.  Who is the leader here?  I don't know, but Burrell is on top of his game, and Coltrane has yet to throw conventional song structures out the window.  I like all the numbers, although Big Paul is a bit long.  Nice to play in the car, in bed, or when I don't have the chance to give my full attention the way later albums would demand for full comprehension. Freight Trane is a five star number, and is faster than a freight train and just as heavy.  Enjoy.
4755859
Hats off to Verve for continually culling their vast vaults and re-releasing long out-of-print classic jazz albums as limited edition CDs. Recently this effort has included a bunch of old Argo LPs, including this one by tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet. Though I'm very familiar with this legendary jazzman, it's hard to believe "Desert Winds" is the first album of his as a leader I've ever purchased. And overall it is quite enjoyable as the sextet of Illinois, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Wendell Marshall on bass, Ray Lucas on drums, and Willie Rodriguez on bongos & conga are in top form on this 2/13/64 session.  On "Desert Winds" the band breezes through a set of mostly standards with the title track, "Lester Leaps In" and "Canadian Sunset" the highlights.  The disc's one Jacquet original, "Blues for the Early Bird," also gives us the opportunity to hear Illinois on alto sax.  Overall, an enjoyable CD but be aware this limited edition title will only be available until June 2007.
2463128
I have long admired his sax playing and his thematic ploys and riffs. As always, an excellent listening experience for me.
1484633
I got this album back in the 80's. Great CD. A must have for jazz afficiando's. Sadao's smooth style on the alto is refreshing to hear, not to mention the great cast of musicians, Marcus Miller etc. Buy it
257113
Ben Webster IS the King of the Tenor sax men, in my opinion.  This is a great album for some cool jazz and the price is right.