Saxaphone vs. Trumpet...Which do you prefer?


It’s not the first time I’ve thought about it, but it came up again last night as I was listening to Quintessence volume 2, Stan Getz and Chet Baker recorded live. (an amazing disc) I have to say that for myself, I prefer the saxophone because it seems capable of infinite textures and subtle shadings as well as eye opening dynamic shifts. Of course I love the trumpet too; especially in the hands of a player like Chet Baker.


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These instruments are not that comparable physically or acoustically. In the hands of master players, each can sound sublime.

I follow numerous jazz players on each instrument, past and present, including trumpet players such like Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Clifford Brown, Clark Terry, Blue Mitchell, Tom Harrell, Bix Beiderbecke, Ryan Kisor, Dave Douglas; and sax players like Stan Getz, John Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Cannonball Adderly, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Chris Potter. I could go on for pages more...

I have learned one thing about trumpets courtesy of Latin jazz & ensemble genre music: the trumpet is perfectly adapted to play rhythmic lines/figures along w/the rhythm section in an ensemble, thus amplifying the overall rhythmic depth/impact. This capability has been fully exploited by many larger ensembles that play Cubano/Bop music over the years. To see what I mean, listen to the mambo cuts on Tito Puente's "Top Percussion," where sections of 2-4 trumpets double & build on the patterns played by various rhythm instruments.

Saxophones can do this, too--but due to the reed/tongue/embrochure interface (more complex physically than the mouthpiece/mouth interface of the trumpet), it's somewhat harder for saxes to exactly produce & follow very fast, repetitive rhythmic figures. 
"Saxophones can do this, too--but due to the reed/tongue/embrochure interface (more complex physically than the mouthpiece/mouth interface of the trumpet), it's somewhat harder for saxes to exactly produce & follow very fast, repetitive rhythmic figures."

It may be harder, but this statement seems wrong.  I own so many recordings of blistering sax sections (especially within the Latin Jazz/Salsa genre, my absolute favorite!) keeping up with and augmenting the trumpet sections.  I imagine most of us do.  Perhaps I misunderstood it, because as it reads, it's practically nonsensical!  

Sax or Trumpet

Unless your systems can reproduce the subtle reed vibrations of the SAX or the hard Brassy ring of the Trumpet to your ears from your system.

"Then you haven’t got the RIGHT gear." according to Michael Fremer of Sterophile Mag and Audio Planet.

So There all!!

p.s. I play both for 30++ years.