Duke Ellington's Music Is My Mistress contains a portrait of the soprano saxophonist and clarinetist Sidney Bechet, whom Ellington characterizes as "one of the great originals." (pps. 47-8) Bechet was greatly admired by Johnny Hodges and John Coltrane greatly admired Johnny Hodges. Although, Hodges main instrument was the alto saxophone, he occasionally played the soprano saxophone - he even had a hit recording in the late 1950s featuring his soprano saxophone. It seems to me that John Coltrane's and Lucky Thompson's soprano saxophone conceptions are primarily by way of Hodges, whereas Steve Lacy's is by way of Bechet. These master musicians, masters of the soprano saxophone, are about it for me as far as liking soprano saxophone action. Typically I don't like what the younger, Wayne Shorter generation does with this difficult instrument. A couple of other soprano saxophonists who I think master the instrument are Bob Wilber and Oliver Lake - they play the curved version of the soprano.
Ellington talks about Bechet's getting a wooden sound from his clarinet, something Duke finds very rare. Sidney Bechet gets an almost Ben Webster or Gene Ammons sound that blows one away. The other soprano-players tend to squeeze where Bechet has an intense vibrato and huge sound - try Bechet's wonderful French Vogue recording with the 'moderns' Martial Solal, Pierre Michelot, and Kenny Clarke.
Bechet was a great clarinet player; according to Gunther Schuller, Early Jazz, one of the three great clarinetists in the New Orleans tradition; the other two were Johnny Dodds and Jimmy Noone. (p. 195) Schuller explains Bechet's unique soprano sound as deriving from his clarinet conception. Bob Wilber is closest to Bechet in his conception; Wilber is a clarinetist too, whereas most of the younger soprano players play either tenor or alto saxophone and have a saxophone conception.
For a thrill listen to Sidney Bechet's and Billie Holiday's Summertime (the latter in a small group with Artie Shaw on clarinet).
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