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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charles1dad made a comment : " 5 truly superb musicians who’ve mastered their respective instrument ". I very well understand, that someone can enjoy the " sound of a particular instrument ", but instruments, require someone to play them." Any instrument, can be simply glorious, when played by a master. I enjoy, pretty much every musician mentioned above. I purchase / listen to them all, for the beauty of their " musicianship ". If I want to listen to instruments ( and I am talking live, non recorded ), I can do that, by visiting the local high school band ( and, I do not mean that in a derogatory way ). Enjoy ! MrD.
I love the sound of a full throated Baritone sax. Some artists I enjoy
Ben Webster
Jimmy Forrest
Ike Quebec
Charlie Rouse

Sax because it makes softer, more rounded music.  Trumpets often sound harsh/strident to me.
A lot of the classic Blue Note jazz records from the 50s and 60s had both instruments in the ensemble with the sax on one channel and the trumpet on the other channel- I'm talking about the stereo versions of course.  They sound great together!  A good system test is how well your system can highlight the timbres of both instruments as distinct from each other.  Does your system tend to blend the sounds as a single "horn" sound or can you easily distinguish the tone of the sax and the tone of the trumpet when both are playing together?
Rereading some of the posts and I noticed that I wrote something that is factually incorrect without meaning to. The saxophone is NOT an “American creation”. Its popularity can definitely be said to be an American phenomenon, but its inventor Adolf Sax was Belgian.  Apology for that.