| Organ Stops
Great post Noel. The times I have heard Jon Faddis live, he impressed me with the way his lead didn't dominate, but rather blended in just like the organ stop you mentioned. His timbre was sweet with a beautiful blend of harmonics. However, when he switches on the afterburners, he has the capability to bury anyone.
To me, other players who play lead sounding like a harmonic of what's underneath them are Bernie Glow and Alan Rubin. Check out the high D played by Rubin at the end of the Blues Bros "Can't turn you loose".
While many people would regard Conrad Gozzo as a dominating kind of player, from the recordings I've heard, his timbre blended beautifully. It was his sheer unbelievable strength of personality that stood out. He was kind of like a wild animal.(albeit with musicianship)
One interesting story about Faddis, Marvin Stamm once told me that in all the years of playing with Jon in the studios, he never once saw him tire. He had endurance that was superhuman.
Peter Salt |