Jazz for aficionados
I am big fan of Joey DeFrancesco as are a few others here. I believe there was a discussion about JD a few months ago. I never got a chance to see JD before he passed on last year and this is a regret. I have a copy of that Christian McBride Big Band CD and the bands rendition of Night Train is awesome as is the rest of the album. Interesting story of the origins of the song Night Train, of which jazz and R&B tenor sax great Jimmy Forrest made famous in 1951 with his signature solo over the 3 minute long groove head laid down by the rhythm section. Night Train (Jimmy Forrest composition) - Wikipedia
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@pjw81563 -that is interesting. I do like Jimmy Forest's grittier version. I didn't know there were so many to choose from :-) Forest's saxophone reminds me of the sax on this song-
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That Viscounts rendition of Harlem Nocturn is new to me. Definitely a "gritty tone" on the sax. This is my "go to" rendition of the same tune. But then again I am mesmerized by almost anything Illinois Jacquet blows and the brief but mesmerizing trumpet solo by Roy Eldridge just makes this version that much better
That said, there are hundreds of renditions of Harlem Nocturn on record for us all to enjoy thanks to Earle Hagen. Here is Telecaster master Danny Gatton's rendition.
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And here is a favorite tenor of mine who's tone always sounds "edgy" or "gruff" but I really like a lot of Willis Jackson's recording sessions especially all of the sessions with a very young Pat Martino on the guitar. Pat's solo starts at 4:40 and even then, as young as he was (I think he was 17 on this session but not sure), you can hear the virtuosity in his playing. I saw Pat live at Birdland in NYC a couple years before he passed and I am so glad I went to that show.
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