Rick Margitza solo on “Invitation”

Here is an amazing video of one of my favorite tenor saxophone players. His name is Rick Margitza. I first saw him when I was in high school and I went to the Syracuse Jazz Festival. This was in the early 80′s I believe. Flora Purim came out. I had never heard of Flora Purim and wasn’t too excited but then I saw they had a sax player up on stage. Halfway through the first song I was listening with my mouth open in amazement. This was the best tenor saxophone playing I had ever heard in my life. This young guy was ripping it up life I had never heard before. His range seemed like it went up a couple of octaves above what my saxophone would play. I looked up his name on the program……..”Rick Margitza”. Since that day I think I have bought almost every Rick Margitza album I have come across. I love his big fat tone. To me it sounds nice and fat but with some nice brightness to it that sings right through. The way he can play seemlessly into the altissimo and make it sound like the normal range of the saxophone is impressive also. Lastly, check out his lines. I love his lines because they weave in and out of the tonality in such a fluid and unobtrusive way. He can play a line that on paper looks like it would have no connection to the chord being played. There is a certain amount of tension created and then he resolves that tension perfectly. I have always had a lot of respect for Rick Margitza’s playing. Check out this clip. There are many others on Youtube and around the internet if you do a search. After that do yourself a favor and go out and buy some of his recordings. All right, I have to go and start transcribing this great solo………………

Rick Margitza with Wolfgang Maiwald trio from Wolfgang Maiwald on Vimeo.