The Tenors Study Guide

Virtually more than any other instrument, the tenor saxophone embodies all the shades of jazz. This episode’s guests include the veteran sax man Benny Golson (who has performed with Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey) and Chris Potter, the fiery young horn player who has performed with everyone from the Mingus Big Band to Steely Dan, as well as rising young star Marcus Strickland. In additional to three memorable solo performances of three notable jazz standards, including Benny Golson’s “Killer Joe,” these tenor stars reveal their tenor mentors and talk about their lives in the music. The episode touches on the significant contributions of jazz tenor legends Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Sonny Rollins, Coltrane and Stan Getz. The beauty of this episode is seeing (and hearing) three generations of great jazz tenor players in action and coming away with a wonderful feeling that jazz remains in good hands. Click here to learn more about these great artists and explore our educational activities and resources.

The Tenors Index