What type of saxophone did coltrane play

The black parts of town were filled with bars, clubs, and theaters, all requiring live music of all styles. Despite his dedication to bebop, Coltrane became a journeyman musician on the circuit, blowing alto saxophone and playing whatever the gig required. Coltrane followed orders, and his development continued. It was during this endless succession of gigs and travel when Coltrane first tried narcotics; by , like too many of his peers, he acquired a heroin habit that would stay with him for six years.

Under the spotlight that came with playing alongside Davis, Coltrane evolved from what many heard as faltering insecurity to bold, chance-taking confidence. They had been born the same year and grown to be so different in temperament. Yet they were, at the core, equal in their obsession with the inner workings of music theory, and in their need for musical challenge and surprise.

Save for nine months in when the trumpeter unceremoniously fired him due to his heroin use impeding his appearance and performance—after which Coltrane kicked his habit cold turkey—their relationship remains one of the most fruitful and significant in jazz history. Monk's tutelage—more direct and patient than Miles—helped him grasp music riddled with strange melodic leaps and rhythmic breaks, and appealed with its own logic.

The timing could not have been better. For Coltrane, it was like pouring high-octane into a turbo-charged engine. By the end of , Coltrane was While Miles tried to keep him in his group, it was clear he was itching to go his own way. He began gigging with his own bands, and continued writing material. He began to focus more on the highly emotional, melody-driven influence of the avant-garde jazz of the time, inspired greatly by the music of Ornette Coleman—the Texas-born saxophonist who had turned the jazz world on its ear upon arriving in New York City in His release schedule balanced fiery, live recordings Live!

It was a four-part suite, the first of a series of larger works that held to a higher intent and focus. Their relationship would prove to be one of the most prodigious and prolific husband-wife pairings of the jazz world. After his death, she carried his music and universalist message forward in her own way, fusing modern jazz, Indian ragas, and Vedic devotional songs on eighteen very special albums, and eventually put her career aside to establish and lead an ashram of spiritual followers in southern California.

A Love Supreme was atypical for a jazz recording in many ways. The album cover featured a letter to the listener and a poem, both penned by Coltrane and both espousing a universalist spirituality, and addressing his role as a musician.

Before the year was out, both Tyner and Jones departed: Alice took over the piano seat, the young Rashied Ali was added on drums, and Pharoah Sanders on second saxophone. Coltrane himself remained a humanist, more in tune with the non-violent philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He played a Super 20 alto made by King, an American manufacturer which was used extensively by US military bands.

Woods was initially taught by cool jazz guru Lennie Tristano, and was also highly influenced by Charlie Parker. He played a Selmer Mark VI for many years, but in later years he became an enthusiastic endorser of the Yamaha Custom Saxophone , after the 82ZUL model was designed in partnership with him.

This 82ZUL is far, far superior. An interesting case of a highly respected player swapping a classic vintage horn for a modern saxophone. For many years he used an unmodified New York Meyer 5M mouthpiece with a medium chamber, which was given to him by a friend in the s. Albright is at the smoother, more commercial end of the jazz spectrum, and is another big name who opts for a modern, rather than vintage, saxophone.

He has his own Gerald Albright Signature Series model made by the Salt Lake City-based company Cannonball, which come adorned with semi-precious stones! Albright uses a Fat Neck, also made by Cannonball, which has the octave key on the underside of the crook and is inspired by the design of the King Super Although some players appreciate the consistency of synthetic reeds, most high level saxophonists still prefer the sound and feel of cane.

And although we tend to think of him as a soft, delicate saxophone player — probably in part because of those gorgeous and sensitive solos on the famous bossa nova records — apparently, he actually made a huge sound with unbelievable projection if you heard him live. His very hard reeds — he was known to play from a 3.

Borgani , a small Italian company, designed the Joe Lovano series especially for the great American tenor player, using Pearl Silver alloy with Gold 24k keys. These newer horns are made like an older horn with handmade, hand-pounded brass but with modern mechanisms. He plays a Francois Louis mouthpiece check out their ligatures here! His hard strength Alexander reeds, combined with his wide mouthpiece opening, must surely make his setup feel like quite hard work! Thanks for checking out this guide to the set ups of some of the jazz saxophone greats and we hope it will provide some extra insight when choosing a saxophone, reed or mouthpiece yourself!

When appropriate, these musicians are quoted and name-checked inside the article itself! This post may contain affiliate links. Info here. Of all tested saxophonists, it is however with John Coltrane that listeners tend to agree! Testers spontaneously use the same words: intense , rough , sharp , and cutting. On a second test, this time with musicians taking a jazz course, the results are also the same: everyone agrees that Coltrane's sound is hard , rough , and quite bright.

It seems there is a shared reaction and therefore listeners use the same vocabulary. You can see that we are in the lexical field of brightness and metallic, but still with a notion of cutting. Also, take a look at this article: Warm, bright, focused, dark..? Psychoacoustics brings some light! Cutting, edgy… these are words that come up a lot. The brightness of the sound is not something that everyone agrees on, however its width or non-width is far less contraversial.