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The 1950s were packed with amazing, vibrant saxophone performers.
And the R&B sax solos from the 1950s are so important for us as saxophone players, because it’s the great transition from jazz into all the commercial styles that we hear today.
Commercial inspiration
In fact, just about every commercial player today is inspired in some way by what was going on in the 1950s. So that’s why I love learning these 1950s R&B sax solos. And I think you should check them out as well. If you want to get the basics of improvising, and understand rhythm and timing and style, these are a brilliant starting point.
So today I want to share with you my 9 greatest R&B sax solos. I’m sure I’ve missed a few off the list. It’s hard to narrow it just down to 9. So if you’ve got a favorite that I’m not covering today, let me know!
#9: David ‘Fathead’ Newman with Ray Charles
But let’s kick off with number nine. It’s David ‘Fathead’ Newman. He’s playing with Ray Charles, and the track is I Got A Woman.
I love the rhythmic simplicity of that track and I also love that shake on the D. Really cool.
#8: King Curtis with The Coasters
Number 8 is King Curtis. He’s playing with The Coasters. The track is Turtle Dovin’. Now this is a masterclass in bends and smears. Check this out.
#7: Illinois Jacquet Live at Chicago Opera House
Number seven is a classic track. It’s Illinois Jacquet. It’s Live at the Chicago Opera House. The track is just called The Blues. It’s packed with smears and bends. He’s got a great shout chorus line in there, and he’s also using this Texas wobble effect. Check this out.
#6: Red Prysock’s Energetic Style
Number six is from one of my all time favourite R&B sax players, Red Prysock. He’s such an energetic player. So, this track is called Red Speaks, and Red Prysock is just a master at doing the one note solo.
It’s something we talk about in our Blues Mastery course, which is part of Sax School. If you’ve not checked it out, we’ve got a 14 day free trial for Sax School. Here’s a link.
#5: Sil Austin’s Slow Walk
If you want to know how to play a slow R&B sax solo, you’ve got to check out number 5. It’s Sil Austin, and the track is called Slow Walk.
Now, there’s so much going on in here. Mostly, the simplicity is amazing. It’s so rhythmical. And I really love the bends and the smears, but also this super cool flutter technique that he’s doing later on in the solo. Check this out.
#4: Lee Allen’s Rhythmic Mastery
Number four is Lee Allen playing Walkin with Mr. Lee. Now, I love Lee Allen’s playing for his rhythm. It’s just amazing. And he does a really cool thing in this solo where he displaces the rhythm, and moves it to a different place in the bar. It’s so effective, and it works great in this style. Check it out.
#3: Big Jay McNeely’s Honking Techniques
One of the great honking players from the 50s is Big Jay McNeely. And number three is his track Deacon Rides Again, – a really iconic track. So in here he’s using some great honking effects where he puts his right hand down to mute the sound. It sounds awesome. Also, he’s really leaning on the flat five note in his lines here. But the main thing is the rhythm. It’s so simple, but it’s so powerful.
#2: Sam the Man Taylor’s Taylor Made
So number two is Taylor Made by Sam ‘the Man’ Taylor. Oh man, this solo is just awesome. If you don’t know much about Sam Taylor, you should definitely check out the video that Dean from our Sax School tutor team made.
Dean digs into the history of Sam the Man Taylor, because he’s a really important guy to check out.
And in fact, this solo – you could spend a year looking at this solo! There’s so much in there. So the rhythm is incredible, the bends, the smears. He uses an amazing flutter technique, and he screams right up into the altissimo as well. Check out this solo. I can’t do the flutter thing, but I’ll have a go at it for you. Here it is.
#1: Sam Butera with Louis Prima and Keely Smith
Okay, number one, my all time favorite solo from this period is Sam Butera and the track is Buona Sera. he’s playing with Louis Prima and Keely Smith. This track is just great. It’s kind of like the polished version of all of the guys that we’ve heard before in this video today. So the rhythm is impeccable, and the style. Listen to the way he’s using his tone and his bends. And his energy is just incredible. Check it out.
Which R&B sax solo is your favourite?
So which of these solos today was your favorite? Let me know
But for now, go check out this video so you understand a bit more about Sam the Man Taylor and why he’s such an important guy to check out.
