[jgztw2es]

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.

[Dilangfh]

Okay, I can't believe I'm actually going to start this thread but I'm really bored so I thought I would just put it out there. I recently walked into A&B Sound and heard "Joshua" being played by The Miles Davis Quintet with Wayne Shorter. I have the record but haven't listened to it in some time and was just so inpsired and excited by it. I ended up buying the complete Quintet Sessions on Columbia 1963-64. I have listened to it quite extensively and it re-enforced what my original opinion was about the tenor saxophone chair. Sam Rivers, Wayne Shorter and Geroge Coleman all bring unique beauty to the quintet but I just cannot get enough of George Coleman in that band!! I know its almost passe to not say that SHORTER is the man in that and and I will face ridicule no doubt.....Im just curious to see what other people think about the tenor chair in that band!!!!!

[Verriasana]

I don't own any recordings of the Miles Davis Quintet with George Coleman and so can't offer an opinion on him.

As far as Wayne Shorter's concerned, I'd be interested to hear what others think of his playing. Based on the half-dozen good Wayne Shorter CDs I've got, I don't think he's a great sax player. But I absolutely love almost all those CDs; they're among my favourites. What makes Wayne Shorter special to me is his compositions -- tunes like Footprints, Adam's Apple, Speak No Evil, Juju, Deluge, House of Jade, Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum, Night Dreamer, The Big Push, Lady Day and Sacajawea, as well as others he wrote with Art Blakey's and Miles Davis's bands, like Lester Left Town. They're some of the finest tunes ever written.