Most Important Living.....

[peterdubya]

A guy I worked with and I used to play this little game.....

Most important living..... it goes something like this.

Piano - McCoy Tyner
Bass - Ron Carter
Drums - Roy Haynes
etc

Not your favorite or anything like that, but with the 'greats' leaving the planet, we were just keeping track of the important ones. You can also say second place like
Piano - McCoy Tyner with Herbie in second place (if that's our vote....)

Some are pretty easy, like Roy Haynes and maybe Jack D in second place or gasp...... Billy Cobham

But trumpet is a tough one.... Well, maybe not ....... Clark Terry? His history is such that, he ranks it. But who'd be in second place? IT might be "he who should not be named......"

hmmmmm, well as I put all this in print, it seems kinda dumb..... we'll see if it gets any traction.

[Jazzooo]

So you mean the most important living jazz musicians from the '50s and '60s? Most important living legends still, well, living?

[Steve Reynolds]

depending on one's viewpoint or one's criteria - but from a historical perspective concentrating on American Jazz, I think a few are clear:

Cecil Taylor - piano
Ornette Coleman - alto saxophone
Sonny Rollins - tenor saxophone
Roy Haynes - drums


bass and trumpet are unclear

[hornplayer]

I'd say Clark Terry on Trumpet, and I'll bet most trumpet players would as well.
Trombone: Curtis Fuller?
Flute: Frank Wess
Guitar: Kenny Burrell / Jim Hall

[BeBop]

Soprano Sax: Well, my first thought was Steve Lacy. But Lacy over Shorter (even though it's not Wayne's main horn?) And Jan Garbarek's contributions can't be overlooked, though "most important" would be a stretch. Lol Coxhill's still around I think. Wait, Dave Liebman; nah, not over Lacy. Branford and JC tear the thing up, but that doesn't make them important. Roscoe? Evan Parker? Braxton? Pharoah? Shepp - yeah Shepp's a candidate, as long as you don't get to hung up on what he is/isn't doing today. And Ira Sullivan's out there too, right?

No, I've got to conclude that the most important - not best - is Kenny G. He's the image of the straight horn now, for better or...

[Steve Reynolds]

Lacy and Coxhill are no longer with us.

If we expand to outside the US, for me soprano saxophone and bass are clear:

Evan Parker and Barry Guy

as far as trombone, for me it is George Lewis or Ray Anderson, really two of the players who have helped transform the trombone from a somewhat of a secondary voice to soemthing way beyond that.

[BeBop]

Lacy and Coxhill are no longer with us.

If we expand to outside the US, for me soprano saxophone and bass are clear:

Evan Parker and Barry Guy

as far as trombone, for me it is George Lewis or Ray Anderson, really two of the players who have helped transform the trombone from a somewhat of a secondary voice to soemthing way beyond that.

I do now kinda remember Lacy passing on. My poor befuddled brain. I guess it happened after I (substantially) quit buying recorded music, at which point time froze.

I wasn't trying to troll or "tweak noses" with the Kenny G thing. For me, he is just kind of is what he is. I've ended up in hotels with him and his entourage a couple of times.

[Blue Train]

Most important living, performing and not mailing it in, or just in it for the benjamins like Herbie....and they have to be @ least 60+ and I know some of these are not considered "Jazz" to some of you.

Legends....US Edition:

Cecil Taylor
Ornette Coleman
Sonny Rollins (okay, there are nights he does mail it in....but he's been that way longer than I have been alive and it's Sonny Rollins.)
Andrew Cyrille
Roy Haynes
Wayne Shorter
Anthony Braxton
Roscoe Mitchell
Marilyn Crispell
Joe McPhee

Non-US Edition

Evan Parker
Peter Brötzmann
Alexander Schlippenbach
Keith Tippett
Barry Guy
Tony Oxley
Paul Lytton
Keith Rowe
John Tilbury
Irène Schweizer

[moldyfigg]

Composer-arranger: Gerald Wilson (Phil Kelly is way too young)

[Steve Reynolds]

Most important living, performing and not mailing it in, or just in it for the benjamins like Herbie....and they have to be @ least 60+ and I know some of these are not considered "Jazz" to some of you.

Legends....US Edition:

Cecil Taylor
Ornette Coleman
Sonny Rollins (okay, there are nights he does mail it in....but he's been that way longer than I have been alive and it's Sonny Rollins.)
Andrew Cyrille
Roy Haynes
Wayne Shorter
Anthony Braxton
Roscoe Mitchell
Marilyn Crispell
Joe McPhee

Non-US Edition

Evan Parker
Peter Brötzmann
Alexander Schlippenbach
Keith Tippett
Barry Guy
Tony Oxley
Paul Lytton
Keith Rowe
John Tilbury
Irène Schweizer

Misha Mengelberg and Han Bennink sit right alongside all those other legends from Europe

As well as Louis Moholo-Moholo and Paul Lovens

[bluenoter]

Most important living, performing and not mailing it in, or just in it for the benjamins like Herbie....and they have to be @ least 60+ . . .

Legends....US Edition:

Cecil Taylor
Ornette Coleman
Sonny Rollins (okay, there are nights he does mail it in....but he's been that way longer than I have been alive and it's Sonny Rollins.)
Andrew Cyrille
Roy Haynes
Wayne Shorter
Anthony Braxton
Roscoe Mitchell
Marilyn Crispell
Joe McPhee

Reggie Workman

and I know some of these are not considered "Jazz" to some of you.

Non-US Edition

Evan Parker
Peter Brötzmann
Alexander Schlippenbach
Keith Tippett
Barry Guy
Tony Oxley
Paul Lytton
Keith Rowe
John Tilbury
Irène Schweizer

Yes, and in the case of Keith Rowe and you-tell-me-who-else, they're "not considered 'Jazz' to" themselves.

[harmony5219]

Cecil Taylor, Roy Haynes, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Jim Hall.

[Ron Thorne]

It's so easy to overlook or forget an incredibly important person, but here goes:

Gerald Wilson
Jack DeJohnette
Roy Haynes
Jimmy Cobb
Gary Burton
Chick Corea
Keith Jarrett


... among many more.

[Mike Schwartz]

It's so easy to overlook or forget an incredibly important person, but here goes:

Gerald Wilson
Jack DeJohnette
Roy Haynes
Jimmy Cobb
Gary Burton
Chick Corea
Keith Jarrett
Paul Motian

... among many more.

Motian moved to RIP last year

[uli]

Sunny Murray is still playing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPAS4k8X6rM

[Ron Thorne]

It's so easy to overlook or forget an incredibly important person, but here goes:

Gerald Wilson
Jack DeJohnette
Roy Haynes
Jimmy Cobb
Gary Burton
Chick Corea
Keith Jarrett
Paul Motian

... among many more.

Motian moved to RIP last year

Old age, forgetfulness and wishful thinking all conspired here. Thanks for the reminder, Mike.

[A. Kingstone]

Barry Harris

[John L]

Sonny Rollins (okay, there are nights he does mail it in....but he's been that way longer than I have been alive and it's Sonny Rollins.)

Rollins certainly has a lot of down nights in terms of inspiration and focus, but I have never witnessed him "mailing it in," either live or on record. In fact, that is one reason why he is so exposed to failure. Mailing it in would be no problem for Rollins, but he refuses to do it.