Update to my last comment. Hadn’t listened to the album in a while. It’s available on TH-cam. “Mobo Splash”. It’s really a 3 for one. “Crisis iii” is Michael Brecker” , “Busiest Night” is David Sanborn upping the ante and then I think Kazutoki Umezu rips a really crazy one on “Sometimes We Say Monk”! Happy Listening.
Yeah, I like that ... I actually played that live with the Damned on Christmas Eve 1985 at the Hammersmith Palais, London (with no rehearsal), and I never quite captured what Gary Barnacle did 🤪 They said to Gary, "Be different," and, said the same to me! 😆
I'm still impressed with Junior Walker solo on the song "URGENT" by FOREIGNER. Even though I saw your video playing it, I'm still trying to reach that G# super altissimo!
You want extremes, here are my favorites so far. It is "Skunk (Thundersmack Original)". Please check it out at least at about 4 min 05 sec then it starts 🤣or "Gauc is Extra (Thundersmack Original)". Thank you very much for this cool video🤩!!! I will check out James Brown, Pleasure with "joyous", Fela Kuti and "Om" 🤣. So the seventees is as always my music!!
Hi Jamie, thanks for all your great content! If you do a part ii, there is an album with Michael Brecker on it that has wild dare we say bonkers solo on it. The album is “Mobo Splash” by Kazumi Watanabe, one of my favourite fusion guitar players. I have it on vinyl not sure how widely available it is. I think it’s side 2 track one “Crisis III”. It’s from1986 and has David Sanborn on it too. Hope you can find it.
@@GetYourSaxTogether LOL... I guess you agree. When I was in High School the first chair Tenor Sax was a huge fan of Kenny G. I thought Kenny G was technically really good, but something really bothered me about his tone. I thought it was just me.
I enjoy playing bonkers and I sound a bit like Sonny. I keep getting better! Thanks Jamie for pointing this out to us.. Now I dont feel like was doing wrong by this.
Two saxes at once - don't forget the hugely-underrated Dick Heckstall-Smith (tenor and soprano) who was doing it way back in the 1960s with Graham Bond and then onto John Hiseman's Colosseum.
I wouldn't say that this is the most bonkers solo, but it is definitely in the "bonkers category". I really like Archie Shepp's solo on "Mama Too Tight" (minute 3:27-4:32), especially after the relatively tame trumpet and trombone solos.
I had ChatGPT write Program Notes for XAS for Saxophone Quartet (1987) by Iannis Xenakis Buckle up, folks! You're about to experience "XAS for Saxophone Quartet," a 1987 brainchild of Iannis Xenakis that promises to take your ears on a rollercoaster ride. Hold on tight - this isn't your average easy-listening piece. Who Was Xenakis, Anyway? Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) was a Greek-French composer who didn't just think outside the box - he tore it apart and built something completely new. Picture this: a war hero-turned-exile who teamed up with legendary architect Le Corbusier, then decided to shake up the music world with math, chaos, and a hefty dose of rebellion. What’s Up with "XAS"? "XAS" sounds like "SAX" for a reason - it’s all about the saxophones. And it’s a beast. This piece is an adrenaline rush, packed with crazy rhythms, wild dynamics, and more twists and turns than a rollercoaster. It's tough on the musicians and, let’s be honest, tough on the listeners too. But hey, who said art was easy? The Sonic Rollercoaster Forget traditional forms - "XAS" is like a musical jigsaw puzzle on steroids. It’s full of deep baritone growls, shrill soprano shrieks, and everything in between. Expect glissandi (those slippery slidey notes), multiphonics (making one sax sound like it’s having a chorus party), and microtonal shifts that might make you question reality. Playing "XAS" - Not for Wimps Performing this piece is like doing a triathlon blindfolded. The saxophonists have to be on their A-game, switching gears faster than you can say "Xenakis." It’s a workout for the fingers, the lungs, and the brain, requiring pinpoint precision and a lot of guts. Why Bother? "XAS" is a milestone in the saxophone world, setting new standards for what these instruments can do. It’s bold, it’s brash, and it’s brutally challenging. Xenakis’s fearless innovation has inspired countless musicians to embrace the wild side of music. In short, "XAS" is a sonic thrill ride through the mind of a mad genius. Strap in, keep your hands inside the vehicle, and enjoy the wild, unpredictable, and utterly unforgettable ride!
I've heard a Pharoah Sanders solo that is particularly bonkers because of the context it is played, in the otherwise beautiful John Coltrane tune "Naima". The "Live at the Village Vanguard Again!" version starts more normally with Coltrane then suddenly gets crazy at 3min 19sec with Sanders. th-cam.com/video/lYo8rdj0bjw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=MHEDdOeQ8dBMR6uB&t=199 You could say that almost every note Pharoah Sanders played with Coltrane was bonkers.
Well, Jamie, to me, the majority of these bonker solos sounded more like musical masturbation than music, per se. But then again, I'm old school, someone who still thinks that the original "Yakety Sax" by the late Boots Randolf, (not the shortened Benny Hill Show version) is still THE master class in skill, technique, and musicality - especially when played uptempo like this video: th-cam.com/video/Zcq_xLi2NGo/w-d-xo.html
Say what you will about technique, skill, talent, or whatever, the last one just sounds like shite. Check out Bruce Johnstone (bari) and Ferdinand Povel (tenor) playing "Got the Spirit" on Maynard Ferguson's "M. F. Horn 4&5" live double album. There's also a great sax solo on "MacArthur Park" from the same set.
I would like to put my picks, James Carter Pick up the Pieces. Then Lonely Island sax man no sax found but funny listen only on headphones. Jack Black is spicy a few times.
Jamie!!!! Could you.please transcribe/look at the sax solo on The Clash song 1,2 Crush On You which was the b-side to their 1978 single Clash City Rockers? It's sung by Mick Jones. The solo is on tenor, I've no idea who did it and it's utterly bonkers!!! Check it out dude.
Ah man. I had a comment to make about James Brown telling Maceo to blow like Trane and now I find out it's someone else to blame for this nonsense! Maybe Maceo had just quit the band and James was making a point that he'd moved on.
Hi Jamie, you don't give a definition for "insanely bonkers" but have you heard David Jackson's contribution to Van Der Graaf Generator's "Meurglys III" ? There's actually 2 solos, one starting at 5'25" and the other at 13'17" in youtube video I/D n9rrFP-3jRM. I'm pretty sure there's nothing comparable around so I hope it qualifies under the IB clause :-)
*C Jam Blues (Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY, January 19, 1974)* Charles Mingus Band: George Adams (is always bonkers) but the worthy mention here goes to Rahsaan Roland Kirk. His solo follows George Adams and starts at about 09:35. It's had a lot written about it and is regarded as a bit of a classic....
I think that last one actually should have broken your Bonkers-O-Meter! I learn something new whenever I watch your videos. I did not know that David Bowie knew how to play the saxophone.
Grab your free masterclass here 🎷www.getyoursaxtogether.com/masterclass
Thanks Jamie! I just realized I DONT suck! I’m just bonkers! Hahahaa!! Another great video!
🤣
I don’t know, but Fela Kuti sounds very straight ahead when played in the middle of these out there solos.
🙏
That's beautiful my brother Frank play's outrageous high note's on his Tenor Sax he learned from Boot's Randolph.
Cool!
Gosh! This was incredible Sunday laughing break. I was laughting constantly during whole video …. Thank you sooo much😂
You're welcome!
That was too much fun. Thanks for digging in and pulling out the bonkers.
Ha! Anything for you pal. 😉
My gosh, I thought I had trouble playing the sax...pharous Saunders is something else!
🙏🏻
Missing John Zorn stuff 🤘🏻
Can't get them all in!
Omg😮.
What.. no transcript pdf of the top 5 Jamie ????
lol😂😂😂😂. Only joking.
Definitely bonkers 🎷🎷🎷
Ha! Imagine!
Update to my last comment. Hadn’t listened to the album in a while. It’s available on TH-cam. “Mobo Splash”. It’s really a 3 for one. “Crisis iii” is Michael Brecker” , “Busiest Night” is David Sanborn upping the ante and then I think Kazutoki Umezu rips a really crazy one on “Sometimes We Say Monk”! Happy Listening.
Thanks 🙏🏻
Street of Dreams the Damned. Gary Barnacle on some bonkers altissimo
Yeah, I like that ... I actually played that live with the Damned on Christmas Eve 1985 at the Hammersmith Palais, London (with no rehearsal), and I never quite captured what Gary Barnacle did 🤪 They said to Gary, "Be different," and, said the same to me! 😆
Wow how amazing!!
Awesome!🤩
I'm still impressed with Junior Walker solo on the song "URGENT" by FOREIGNER. Even though I saw your video playing it, I'm still trying to reach that G# super altissimo!
Yeah it’s hard!
You want extremes, here are my favorites so far. It is "Skunk (Thundersmack Original)". Please check it out at least at about 4 min 05 sec then it starts 🤣or "Gauc is Extra (Thundersmack Original)".
Thank you very much for this cool video🤩!!! I will check out James Brown, Pleasure with "joyous", Fela Kuti and "Om" 🤣. So the seventees is as always my music!!
Thanks manuela!
Thank you for this video 🙏🤘
My pleasure!
Hi Jamie, thanks for all your great content! If you do a part ii, there is an album with Michael Brecker on it that has wild dare we say bonkers solo on it. The album is “Mobo Splash” by Kazumi Watanabe, one of my favourite fusion guitar players. I have it on vinyl not sure how widely available it is. I think it’s side 2 track one “Crisis III”. It’s from1986 and has David Sanborn on it too. Hope you can find it.
I'll check it out!
Lenny Pickett actually played the solo for Last Friday Night? It makes much more sense now. I actually liked the tone used for that solo.
Boom!
@@GetYourSaxTogether LOL... I guess you agree. When I was in High School the first chair Tenor Sax was a huge fan of Kenny G. I thought Kenny G was technically really good, but something really bothered me about his tone. I thought it was just me.
I’m good at doing bonkers , I can’t wait until I learn how to play it properly 😂
🤣
Great video. Really insane solos!
👍
Insane🎶🎵🎶🎵🎷
👍
I enjoy playing bonkers and I sound a bit like Sonny. I keep getting better! Thanks Jamie for pointing this out to us.. Now I dont feel like was doing wrong by this.
Awesome!
@ 12:50 - The Bowie song, if you listen to the lyrics, is T C V - one five, not TCV fifteen.
Of course, you’re right. Doh! 😩
Two saxes at once - don't forget the hugely-underrated Dick Heckstall-Smith (tenor and soprano) who was doing it way back in the 1960s with Graham Bond and then onto John Hiseman's Colosseum.
Rahsaan Roland Kirk played three at once th-cam.com/video/D_0UE7wjFYA/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared
👍
I wouldn't say that this is the most bonkers solo, but it is definitely in the "bonkers category". I really like Archie Shepp's solo on "Mama Too Tight" (minute 3:27-4:32), especially after the relatively tame trumpet and trombone solos.
🙏
Must have taken some time to make this, I owned Pleasure joyus, i had not heard it since the 70's
Cool!
Last Friday Night had Kenny G in the video. I assume from what you say Lenny P. did the actual playing and Kenny just mimed.
That was a surprise for me too!
Yup, Lenny played the solo.
Awesome video Jamie! Lots of fun! Check out the band Viagra Boys, their saxophonist Oskar Carls are bringing to their sound that bizarre feel!
👍
I had ChatGPT write Program Notes for XAS for Saxophone Quartet (1987) by Iannis Xenakis
Buckle up, folks! You're about to experience "XAS for Saxophone Quartet," a 1987 brainchild of Iannis Xenakis that promises to take your ears on a rollercoaster ride. Hold on tight - this isn't your average easy-listening piece.
Who Was Xenakis, Anyway?
Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) was a Greek-French composer who didn't just think outside the box - he tore it apart and built something completely new. Picture this: a war hero-turned-exile who teamed up with legendary architect Le Corbusier, then decided to shake up the music world with math, chaos, and a hefty dose of rebellion.
What’s Up with "XAS"?
"XAS" sounds like "SAX" for a reason - it’s all about the saxophones. And it’s a beast. This piece is an adrenaline rush, packed with crazy rhythms, wild dynamics, and more twists and turns than a rollercoaster. It's tough on the musicians and, let’s be honest, tough on the listeners too. But hey, who said art was easy?
The Sonic Rollercoaster
Forget traditional forms - "XAS" is like a musical jigsaw puzzle on steroids. It’s full of deep baritone growls, shrill soprano shrieks, and everything in between. Expect glissandi (those slippery slidey notes), multiphonics (making one sax sound like it’s having a chorus party), and microtonal shifts that might make you question reality.
Playing "XAS" - Not for Wimps
Performing this piece is like doing a triathlon blindfolded. The saxophonists have to be on their A-game, switching gears faster than you can say "Xenakis." It’s a workout for the fingers, the lungs, and the brain, requiring pinpoint precision and a lot of guts.
Why Bother?
"XAS" is a milestone in the saxophone world, setting new standards for what these instruments can do. It’s bold, it’s brash, and it’s brutally challenging. Xenakis’s fearless innovation has inspired countless musicians to embrace the wild side of music.
In short, "XAS" is a sonic thrill ride through the mind of a mad genius. Strap in, keep your hands inside the vehicle, and enjoy the wild, unpredictable, and utterly unforgettable ride!
🤣
Check out the tenor solo on the Liquid Soul song “Make Some Noise.” Totally bonkers
Thanks!
I've heard a Pharoah Sanders solo that is particularly bonkers because of the context it is played, in the otherwise beautiful John Coltrane tune "Naima". The "Live at the Village Vanguard Again!" version starts more normally with Coltrane then suddenly gets crazy at 3min 19sec with Sanders. th-cam.com/video/lYo8rdj0bjw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=MHEDdOeQ8dBMR6uB&t=199 You could say that almost every note Pharoah Sanders played with Coltrane was bonkers.
Thanks!
I can just see Sanders saying to Trane, "That was nice, brother... Hold my beer!"
🤣👍
Well, Jamie, to me, the majority of these bonker solos sounded more like musical masturbation than music, per se. But then again, I'm old school, someone who still thinks that the original "Yakety Sax" by the late Boots Randolf, (not the shortened Benny Hill Show version) is still THE master class in skill, technique, and musicality - especially when played uptempo like this video:
th-cam.com/video/Zcq_xLi2NGo/w-d-xo.html
lol
Fair enough!
I never knew that the Last Friday Night solo was a real sax player. I thought it was synth.
It’s very processed that’s why.
Man, you had me cracking up on this one - your faces are incredible face-jamming along with OM! 🤣
🤣
Great! Check out also Peter Brötzmann!
👍
@@GetYourSaxTogether His reed consumption during a concert was enormous - he changed reeds even when playing. 🙀
Peter Brötzmann Solo on Machine Gun: th-cam.com/video/aSefSafJ8W4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=5hCqn4C1bMs9mQLy
what about leo p's moani'n solo
Yeh. So many
I think Derek Brown beats all of these but he still sounds musical.
👍
Last one sounds like a kid that just picked up a horn 🤣😂
🤣
Say what you will about technique, skill, talent, or whatever, the last one just sounds like shite.
Check out Bruce Johnstone (bari) and Ferdinand Povel (tenor) playing "Got the Spirit" on Maynard Ferguson's "M. F. Horn 4&5" live double album. There's also a great sax solo on "MacArthur Park" from the same set.
Thanks for the suggestion
You call the solos Bonkers, that noise from Sanders is best described as crap 👎👎👎😱
🤷♀️
i think if Adolf Sax was hear those solos he would roll over in his grave...😳 may be he does...
🤷♂️
God, that Xenakis piece is unlistenable -- at least the other ones have bands carrying the rhythm on behind the sax!
😮
Fantastic Tapes - Lizard Sisterz (Nicole McCabe on alto)
What would the Bonkerz-o-meter score be?
I'll have to check it out
Chico Freeman's live recording Merger from 1977. From minute 10 I hear Pharoah Sanders, John Coltrane & Albert Ayler all in one.
Ok, thanks!
seems like high shrieking altissimo ranks solos as bonkers
For sure!
I would like to put my picks, James Carter Pick up the Pieces. Then Lonely Island sax man no sax found but funny listen only on headphones. Jack Black is spicy a few times.
Someone else said the Carter one. 👍🏻
Grauzone Eisbär .... major hitsingle in germany in 1981 Solo at the end gets even more bonkers in the extended cut
👍
what was those multiphonics in thevinjettes? They where the most nice sounding multiphonics I ever heard! I want to learn those!
I guess you’d have to find the score somehow. They’re usually specified. Dr Wally turned me on to this one.
Jamie!!!! Could you.please transcribe/look at the sax solo on The Clash song 1,2 Crush On You which was the b-side to their 1978 single Clash City Rockers? It's sung by Mick Jones. The solo is on tenor, I've no idea who did it and it's utterly bonkers!!! Check it out dude.
You are welcome!
The stuff coltrane made at the end has the vibe like he has become Colonel Walter Kurtz from Apokalypse Now but for jazz
Ah man. I had a comment to make about James Brown telling Maceo to blow like Trane and now I find out it's someone else to blame for this nonsense! Maybe Maceo had just quit the band and James was making a point that he'd moved on.
😮
That Om solo sounds like some animal dying.
😮
wheres james carter lol
👍
Where is our man Earl Bostic ?
Too many to get them all in
'Om' just sounds like a primary school band.
😮
Hi Jamie, you don't give a definition for "insanely bonkers" but have you heard David Jackson's contribution to Van Der Graaf Generator's "Meurglys III" ? There's actually 2 solos, one starting at 5'25" and the other at 13'17" in youtube video I/D n9rrFP-3jRM. I'm pretty sure there's nothing comparable around so I hope it qualifies under the IB clause :-)
Thanks for the suggestion!
Love this bonkers stuff, wish i could play like that.
👍
*C Jam Blues (Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY, January 19, 1974)* Charles Mingus Band: George Adams (is always bonkers) but the worthy mention here goes to Rahsaan Roland Kirk. His solo follows George Adams and starts at about 09:35. It's had a lot written about it and is regarded as a bit of a classic....
best solo ever IMO. He starts by doing john handy better than john handy then does george adams better than george, then finally does RASHAAN!
Cool thanks
Tank! from Cowboy Bebop is pretty bonk-tastic!
👍
Trane is an absolute winner!
🙏
I think that last one actually should have broken your Bonkers-O-Meter! I learn something new whenever I watch your videos. I did not know that David Bowie knew how to play the saxophone.
He didn't play it a lot, but I remember seeing a live concert video from the 80's where he played on a few songs. Sting plays the saxophone as well
Me neither!
There you go!