A blowing session????

@stuartk - and I'm not even a jazz fan! I like those records because they don't sound like what I think of as 'jazz'; they're more like Grateful Dead space jams. The only other 'jazz' album I have is the newly released Rhino hi-fi version of Herbie Hancock's 'Crossings', which I like for the same reason as those Miles ones....

how much of this stuff is simply a ’blowin’ session from the artists who are playing the brass instruments, particularly the sax??

But the sax is a woodwind?

@immatthewj  Yes, technically the sax is in the woodwind family. Although this classification is simply because it uses a wood reed, but when was the last time anyone saw a wooden sax?? Almost all of the ones I know of are made of brass.Which is exactly why I referred to it as a brass instrument, not referencing the family it belongs to. 

@daveyf 

but when was the last time anyone saw a wooden sax?? Almost all of the ones I know of are made of brass

Exactly!

I'm in jazz venues pretty often and they're definitely made of brass. As you note it is a "reed" instrument.

Charles

I think of a "blowing session" as a recording session, perhaps driven by the label, with a nominal leader and a team of sideman who are typically also on the label. It features standards and blues tunes, so everyone knows the changes and can roll with it. As stated above, some are great, many run of the mill, but as I find with just about any jazz album, there is often one brilliant tune (or sometimes just a solo) on an album that you are so glad you stumbled across. In some cases, one of the sideman has just discovered his voice and elevates the entire recording, making that the reason to listen to it. This is a such a fascinating genre...