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Unlike the structured precision of a piano-driven quartet, saxophone-guitar albums thrive on
spontaneity.
Imagine a smoky jazz club where the deep, soulful wail of a saxophone weaves effortlessly with the nimble, melodic lines of a guitar. This rare instrumental combination is a hidden gem in the world of jazz that deserves more attention.
Jazz is not just a genreit is a universe with galaxies of swing, bebop, hard bop, and free jazz. But amidst this cosmic diversity, there’s a rare constellation that shines especially bright: the saxophone-guitar quartet.
Uncommon yet consistently electrifying, these albums groove, sing, and resonate with joy. They are dynamic dialogues between two of the most expressive instruments in jazz, each with its own voice and story.
Unlike the structured precision of a piano-driven quartet, saxophone-guitar albums thrive on spontaneity. The guitar’s flexibilitymoving from rhythmic comping to fiery soloscreates an unpredictable canvas on which the saxophone paints in bold, sweeping strokes.
And with each listen, these albums become more than music; they cast a spell that never fades. They shimmer, sizzle and soar. The sax’s bold, breathy notes wrap around the guitar’s intricate, warm riffs like a swirling dance that is both intimate and expansive.
You would think sax-guitar combo albums would be very common, but you would be wrong. In my collection of about 7,000 jazz albums, there are only 180, just 2.5% of the total in that genre.
The sax-guitar combo was much rarer pre-1969.
Sonny Rollins
saxophone
b.1930
” data-original-title title>Sonny Rollins recorded his landmark comeback album, The Bridge with
Jim Hall
guitar
1930 – 2013
” data-original-title title>Jim Hall in 1962.
Chico Hamilton
drums
1921 – 2013
” data-original-title title>Chico Hamilton recorded several albums with saxophone and guitar, notably Man From Two Worlds with
Charles Lloyd
saxophone
b.1938
” data-original-title title>Charles Lloyd and
Gabor Szabo
guitar
1936 – 1982
” data-original-title title>Gabor Szabo, and The Dealer with
Arnie Lawrence
saxophone
b.1938
” data-original-title title>Arnie Lawrence and
Larry Coryell
guitar
1943 – 2017
” data-original-title title>Larry Coryell. The famous Midnight Blue (1963) by
Kenny Burrell
guitar, electric
b.1931
” data-original-title title>Kenny Burrell featured
Stanley Turrentine
saxophone, tenor
1934 – 2000
” data-original-title title>Stanley Turrentine on grooving, sinuous saxophone.
Jazz albums featuring saxophone and guitar weren’t that unusual, but it was also common to add piano and other instruments to the mix. Guitarist,
Grant Green
guitar
1935 – 1979
” data-original-title title>Grant Green, for instance, never (to my knowledge) recorded a straight sax-guitar quartet. Instead, he played with a multitude of combos including piano, organ, vibraphone, and saxophone.
John McLaughlin
guitar
b.1942
” data-original-title title>John McLaughlin broke the mold; with his first album, Extrapolation, he shattered jazz norms with a fearless fusion of rock, blues, folk, and improvisation that still reverberates 55 years later.
In 1970 ECM Records went all-in with this new sound and started releasing albums by saxophonist
Jan Garbarek
saxophone, tenor
b.1947
” data-original-title title>Jan Garbarek and a stable of forward-thinking guitarists.
” data-original-title title>Terje Rypdal,
” data-original-title title>Ralph Towner,
Mick Goodrick
guitar, electric
1945 – 2022
” data-original-title title>Mick Goodrick,
” data-original-title title>Bill Connors,
John Abercrombie
guitar
1944 – 2017
” data-original-title title>John Abercrombie,
” data-original-title title>Pat Metheny and
Bill Frisell
guitar, electric
b.1951
” data-original-title title>Bill Frisell recorded several electrifying, and often other-worldly sax-guitar albums for ECM.
They include The Esoteric Circle, Afric Pepperbird, Solstice, Of Mist and Melting, In Pas(s)ing, 80/81, Eventyr, Paths, Prints, Wayfarer and It’s OK to Listen to the Grey Voice.
These sax-guitar albums comprised a very small percentage of the albums released by ECM in those early years, but they stood out as sonic beacons for our ears and minds.
John Scofield
guitar
b.1951
” data-original-title title>John Scofield, after a stint with
Miles Davis
trumpet
1926 – 1991
” data-original-title title>Miles Davis, released a dozen or so sax-guitar combo albums over a 30-year period with top-tier saxophonists such as
Joe Lovano
saxophone
b.1952
” data-original-title title>Joe Lovano,
Joe Henderson
saxophone
1937 – 2001
” data-original-title title>Joe Henderson,
Chris Potter
saxophone, tenor
b.1971
” data-original-title title>Chris Potter,
Tommy Smith
saxophone, tenor
b.1967
” data-original-title title>Tommy Smith, and
Adam Niewood
saxophone
b.1977
” data-original-title title>Adam Niewood with bluesy jazz that boasted an infectious groove.
Charlie Hunter
guitar
b.1967
” data-original-title title>Charlie Hunter, in the 1990s, astonished us all by playing a whole new kind of jazz guitar (with added bass strings) in trios with saxophonists
Dave Ellis
saxophone, tenor
” data-original-title title>Dave Ellis and
John Ellis
saxophone, tenor
b.1974
” data-original-title title>John Ellis playing funky jazz blues you could dance to.
In the late ’90s, guitar wunderkind
Kurt Rosenwinkel
guitar
b.1970
” data-original-title title>Kurt Rosenwinkel collaborated with several up-and-coming saxophonists, producing a batch of standout sax-guitar albums. Though these recordings represent only a small portion of his overall discography, they remain some of his most distinctive and acclaimed works.
In the past twenty years, rising jazz guitar stars such as
Gilad Hekselman
guitar
b.1983
” data-original-title title>Gilad Hekselman,
” data-original-title title>Brad Shepik,
” data-original-title title>Dave Stryker,
Samo Salamon
guitar, electric
b.1978
” data-original-title title>Samo Salamon, Steve Cardenas,
” data-original-title title>Ben Monder and
” data-original-title title>Charlie Ballantine have all released exceptional sax-guitar albums with a handful of equally talented sax players.
Dayna Stephens
saxophone, tenor
” data-original-title title>Dayna Stephens, and
” data-original-title title>Amanda Gardier have recently put out some of the finest albums of the genre including Closer Than We Think, and Auteur, inspired by the movies of Wes Anderson.
Finally, The Bad Plus transitioned from a ground-breaking jazz piano trio to a vibrant sax-guitar quartet with their acclaimed self-titled release in 2022. Their next album, Complex Emotions, is set to drop the Friday after the 2024 presidential election, just in time for a weekend of celebration (We hope!).
In a world overflowing with jazz, these sax-guitar albums offer something almost magicala sense of adventure, a bold step into uncharted territory, where every track feels like a new discovery.
If you’re ready to dive into the world of saxophone-guitar combos, I have curated a Spotify playlist featuring my top 50 picks from the 180 in my collection, arranged chronologically for a memorable and exciting listening journey to the very heart of jazz.
My Top Ten Sax-Guitar Masterpieces
1
Extrapolation
John McLaughlin (with John Surman)
Marmalade
1969
2
” data-original-title title>Dave Holland (with
Steve Coleman
saxophone, alto
b.1956
” data-original-title title>Steve Coleman and
Kevin Eubanks
guitar
b.1957
” data-original-title title>Kevin Eubanks)
ECM
1990
3
So Near, So Far
Joe Henderson (with John Scofield)
Verve
1993
4
Voice in the Night
Charles Lloyd (with John Abercrombie)
ECM
1999
5
The Next Step
Kurt Rosenwinkel (with
Mark Turner
saxophone, tenor
b.1965
” data-original-title title>Mark Turner)
Verve
2000
6
Peter Epstein
saxophone, sopranino
b.1967
” data-original-title title>Peter Epstein (with Brad Shepik)
Songlines
2005
7
” data-original-title title>Geoff Vidal (with Joe Hundertmark)
Self Produced
2010
8
Hearts Wide Open
Gilad Hekselman (with Mark Turner)
LeChant Du Monde
2011
9
Homage
Adam NIewood (with John Scofield)
Vectordisc
2024
10
Auteur: Music Inspired by the Films of Wes Anderson
Amanda Gardier (with Charlie Ballantine)
Self Produced
2024
Happy listening!
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