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Most Important Living.....
Posted: August 8th, 2013, 4:16 pm
by 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.
Re: "Most Important Living....."
Posted: August 8th, 2013, 4:33 pm
by Jazzooo
So you mean the most important living jazz musicians from the '50s and '60s? Most important living legends still, well, living?
Re: "Most Important Living....."
Posted: August 9th, 2013, 6:14 am
by 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
Re: "Most Important Living....."
Posted: August 9th, 2013, 6:21 am
by 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
Re: "Most Important Living....."
Posted: August 9th, 2013, 7:36 am
by 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...
Re: "Most Important Living....."
Posted: August 9th, 2013, 7:54 am
by 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.
Re: "Most Important Living....."
Posted: August 9th, 2013, 8:48 am
by BeBop
Steve Reynolds wrote: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.
Re: "Most Important Living....."
Posted: August 9th, 2013, 8:58 am
by 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
Re: "Most Important Living....."
Posted: August 9th, 2013, 8:58 am
by moldyfigg
Composer-arranger: Gerald Wilson (Phil Kelly is way too young)
Re: "Most Important Living....."
Posted: August 9th, 2013, 9:36 am
by Steve Reynolds
Blue Train wrote: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
Re: "Most Important Living....."
Posted: August 9th, 2013, 12:31 pm
by bluenoter
Blue Train wrote: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 WorkmanBlue Train wrote: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.
Re: "Most Important Living....."
Posted: August 23rd, 2013, 7:08 pm
by harmony5219
Cecil Taylor, Roy Haynes, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Jim Hall.
Re: "Most Important Living....."
Posted: August 23rd, 2013, 9:03 pm
by 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.
Re: "Most Important Living....."
Posted: August 24th, 2013, 3:06 pm
by Mike Schwartz
Ron Thorne wrote: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
Re: "Most Important Living....."
Posted: August 27th, 2013, 5:24 am
by uli
Re: "Most Important Living....."
Posted: August 27th, 2013, 3:11 pm
by Ron Thorne
Mike Schwartz wrote:Ron Thorne wrote: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.
Re: "Most Important Living....."
Posted: September 7th, 2013, 6:12 am
by A. Kingstone
Barry Harris
Re: Most Important Living.....
Posted: September 7th, 2013, 6:19 am
by John L
Blue Train wrote: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.