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**jgztw2es** · 11-11-2005, 08:00 AM

Hi Corey. Hi Ben,

For what it's worth, I've never been able to understand why George Coleman is so overlooked. I wouldn't hazard a guess about his short tenure in that band, I'm not really into Monday morning quarterbacking. Anyone who's led his own bands can tell you there's a million reasons for tapping a particular musician for a spot, not all of them having to do with who is the 'best' player.As for comparing him with Shorter, it's apples and oranges. And I really and truly believe that when you get that high on the totem pole it's quite pointless to rate one guy against another, as Shelley Manne once said, it's like going to a museum and giving 5 points to the Van Gogh and 6 points to the Gaugin.

I saw George once at the Village Vanguard in the late 70s, and Frank Foster sat in. He said ," Come on up and play, Frank. It'll be fun." So Frank goes up and George calls "Cherokee." In the key of E (F# on the tenor). And with the bridge in 3/4. And the changes in the bridge (which are bad enough in ANY key) starting a half-step down and then sliding up to the change. And Frank Foster, as good as he is, you could tell that he was scuffling. This was George Coleman's idea of 'fun.'

I've got George's CD "My Horn's of Plenty." He does a workout on "My Romance" that's...everything you could do on that tune on a tenor sax, he does. The fact that this man does not have a major label contract astounds me.

As for Wayne, I think I'd agree that he's not the technician that Colemn is. But the attraction of Shorter's playing for me is in his conception, he comes at things from angles I could never come up with in a million years, even in my dreams. So, like I said, apples and oranges.

11-11-2005, 08:00 AM	#1
jgztw2es Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 291 Senior Member	Hi Corey. Hi Ben, For what it's worth, I've never been able to understand why George Coleman is so overlooked. I wouldn't hazard a guess about his short tenure in that band, I'm not really into Monday morning quarterbacking. Anyone who's led his own bands can tell you there's a million reasons for tapping a particular musician for a spot, not all of them having to do with who is the 'best' player.As for comparing him with Shorter, it's apples and oranges. And I really and truly believe that when you get that high on the totem pole it's quite pointless to rate one guy against another, as Shelley Manne once said, it's like going to a museum and giving 5 points to the Van Gogh and 6 points to the Gaugin. I saw George once at the Village Vanguard in the late 70s, and Frank Foster sat in. He said ," Come on up and play, Frank. It'll be fun." So Frank goes up and George calls "Cherokee." In the key of E (F# on the tenor). And with the bridge in 3/4. And the changes in the bridge (which are bad enough in ANY key) starting a half-step down and then sliding up to the change. And Frank Foster, as good as he is, you could tell that he was scuffling. This was George Coleman's idea of 'fun.' I've got George's CD "My Horn's of Plenty." He does a workout on "My Romance" that's...everything you could do on that tune on a tenor sax, he does. The fact that this man does not have a major label contract astounds me. As for Wayne, I think I'd agree that he's not the technician that Colemn is. But the attraction of Shorter's playing for me is in his conception, he comes at things from angles I could never come up with in a million years, even in my dreams. So, like I said, apples and oranges.
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