The "Best of 2012" lists are out. Rather than recommend studio albums, I would like to underscore the ephemeral nature of the medium and highlight some great, live saxophone performances from the past year that can be heard on the web. Ben Solomon. QED.
Noah Preminger. Noah reminds us that saxophone playing should be musical, and he shows how.
Mike DiRubbo. The alto saxophone is tricky. In the tradition of Charlie Parker and Jackie McLean, DiRubbo plays it with tenor-like toughness.
Antoine Roney. Can't get further from the studio than this.
Ray McMorrin. Listen to a few gripping moments of intense musical feeling here.
Bassist Dezron Douglas discusses some of his formative musical experiences in this recent interview by The Revivalist. Douglas underscores the influence of Jackie McLean, whom he can be heard playing with as a student at the Hartt School in the video below.