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From: wjh@bonnie.UUCP (Bill Hery)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: Dewars Festival: Jazz in the Park
Message-ID: <546@bonnie.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 29-Aug-85 18:03:04 EDT
Article-I.D.: bonnie.546
Posted: Thu Aug 29 18:03:04 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 31-Aug-85 07:21:46 EDT
References: <407@mhuxr.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Whippany NJ
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> 
> .............................Getz is the greatest living tenor
> saxophonist, with only Wayne Shorter his equal......
>

Although I have a great deal of respect for Getz' playing, particularly
much of his older work, I think it's an exaggeration to call him the
greatest living tenor saxophonist--surely Sonny Rollins and Dexter Gordon 
are at least his equal.  

Sonny's recent (last ten years) work has been less than outstanding 
only because he insists on surrounding himself with
dull musicians, and uses a raggae/disco feel to extend his popularity
beyond serious jazz audiences.  His solos are still marvelous (although
I don't enjoy the entire performance because of the other musicians).
On the basis of his earlier work, he should probably be considered the
greatest living tenor man--the quintets with Miles, the early Monk
collaborations (especially Friday the Thirteenth), the Roach/Brown
quintet, the great trio recordings at the Vanguard, the quartet recordings
with Jim Hall (especially The Bridge) immediately come to mind as
recordings that are as good or better than any of Getz work.  This summer
he gave a solo concert in the Museum of Modern Art Sculpture garden (NYC)
that was supposed to be superb.  It was recorded, and the album is 
scheduled to come out around October.  I think that this lp will 
re-establish Sonny as the top tenor man among serious jazz fans.

Dexter Gordon's work has been consistantly fine since the 1940's,
and he was a major influence in the development of both Rollins
and Getz (actually, he was also later influenced by both Getz and Rollins).  
He can be considered to be the founder of the bebop movement for tenor sax.

As with Rollins, his most important work was done years ago.  But the
same applies to Getz and Shorter (does his work with Weather Report
come up to his work with Miles?).  If you want to define greatest
as the one whose CURRENT work is the best, then I think all four
have to bow to David Murray, who I predict will be winning the db
critcs poll in a few years.  Pick up some of his recent lps, or even
better, catch him live next time he's around.  I'll be there.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still a big fan of Getz.  I've enjoyed seeing
him live around a dozen times, going back to his old quartet with
a teenage phenomenon by the name of Gary Burton (who got his big break
with Stan), and I think his recent duet album with the late Albert Daley
was the best I've heard from him (live or on lp) since his first
quartet with Chick Corea (~1967).
Bill Hery