[78-L] Happy 100th, Prez!

[Julian Vein]

David Lewis wrote:
Thanks Cary! I greatly enjoyed reading that, though I do take issue with 
what I feel is the fact that there was far greater variety of tone among 
sax players, even before the advent of Coleman Hawkins, than Dave Gelly 
suggests. His description of a "low mooing noise" fits some Rudy 
Wiedoeft and Nathan Glantz jams, perhaps: I couldn't tell you what a 
"rubbery belch" sounds like, and I'm sure I've never heard it.



Otherwise, it was a great tribute piece.

Uncle Dave Lewis uncledavelewis at hotmail.com
==============
Even as late as 1929, Hawk was still playing in that belchy way (e.g. 
"Hello Lola"), but he was sufficiently inventive for us to overlook it.

I think Babe Russin was the first tenor player to use a "dry" tone, and 
avoid a "flabby" lower sound. In fact, he seems to have been the first 
to remove any sentimentality from tenor sax playing, concentrating on 
pure invention, rather like Sonny Rollins many years later. In his own 
way Russin could play a "structured" solo, but in a different way from 
Hawk. I can't recall Russin ever using arpeggios like Hawkins, or other 
early tenor players for that matter. Like Rollins, he would take a 
melody apart and put it together again. Considering his age, his playing 
was quite remarkable.

There weren't that many quality tenor saxists before 1930, apart from 
Bud Freeman and Pee Wee Russell. The rest were pretty mediocre: Prince 
Robinson, Teddy Hill, Greely Walton, Bingie Madison, Happy Cauldwell, 
Hymie Wolfson, Cecil Scott etc.These seem to fall into the "rubbery 
belch" group, and tended to use a "bumbling" approach. Fud Livingston 
was OK by me though.

Having said that, I have a soft spot for them all--they are like old 
friends, whose names have been become so familiar over the last 53 years 
of listening.

      Julian Vein


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