I received this question in an email the other day and I thought it would be good to try to answer it in detail on the blog here so others can benefit from it:<\/p>\n
Question:<\/p>\n
Steve,<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n I have always listened to jazz, but I tend to favor simpler, lyrical playing like Houston Person, Gene Ammons, etc., but I like Dex, Mintzer, and Brecker. \u00a0 All my studies were aimed at classical (I call it “academic”).\u00a0 I played lyrical jazz well, but I never attempted to play more complex stuff like Mintzer, Brecker, or you.\u00a0 You once heard a sample of me and said I sounded very diatonic.\u00a0 That’s true.\u00a0 I know scales and intervals.\u00a0 I tend to be very symmetric or linear.\u00a0 If I play intervals, I play them in ascending or descending pattern using the same interval.\u00a0 I hear something in your playing that I\u00a0<\/span>cannot put my finger on.\u00a0 It’s like an interval up followed by a different interval down then 2-3 notes of a scale, maybe an approach note, then more dissimilar intervals in the other direction, etc.\u00a0 Basically, the pattern never sits still or repeats sufficiently for me to hear what is going on.\u00a0 And having worked only on academic etudes, concertos, and big band, I have no idea what you are playing.\u00a0 I see jazz improvisation comments about chords.\u00a0 I can play chord tones and arpeggios, but I don’t play chords on saxophone (I do that on guitar).\u00a0 Therefore, I only use chords and key to open up the best candidate notes for the music.\u00a0 Are your patterns (that do not sound like patterns) a way for you to play the chord?\u00a0 If so, it sounds like much more than the chord.\u00a0 On guitar I play 13ths and 11ths, but more than that tends to lose the gravity or real chord meaning. \u00a0 I want to learn to do some of what you, Brecker, Mintzer are doing.\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Your YouTube of Green Dolphin Street (soprano) can serve for some examples.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n