Ian McDonald\Mel Collins sax\flute playing

[JKL2000]

I liked them both back in the day. I have to say that Collins's playing was the glaring weak spot on the Jakszyk-Fripp-Collins album. Just bland and uninspired noodling for the most part.

That's sadly true for the most part. Weird how that happened.

[WytchCrypt]

For some reason I love Ian's flute playing but detest his sax playing. Mel Collins though has so many great performances on record...Lizard and Islands!

-noisynoise

Me too - though I generally prefer flute to sax any day of the week. One of my fave albums with Mel is Pete Sinfield's '73 solo album "Still". Mel is all over it with amazing flute and sax work.

[Scrotum Scissor]

One of the aspects rendering the sax an often weak point in much progressive rock, is that the instrument - when used fully and not just to timbre out the odd harmonic layer - has to be played with a sense of convincing intensity. Way better players like Elton Dean, Brian Smith, Geoff Leigh, Didiere Malherbe, Gary Windo, Yoch'ko Seffer, Vratislav Brabenec, Roland Schaeffer and Klaus Doldinger were all "jazzheads" with shorter or longer offroads into rock, but I personally think higher even of players like John Earle (Gnidrolog and Nine Days' Wonder) and David Jackson (VdGG and The Long Hello) than I do of the two musicians in question here.

[Nijinsky Hind]

I liked them both back in the day. I have to say that Collins's playing was the glaring weak spot on the Jakszyk-Fripp-Collins album. Just bland and uninspired noodling for the most part.

Ihave to agree with this if its scarcity of miracles your talking about? Too Kenny G. For me

[jkelman]

I suppose it's odd coming from a guy who reviews a lot of jazz, but I don't really give a hoot if Collins or McDonald are credible jazzers. What they brought, specifically to Crimson but in the case of Collins other groups as well, is plenty good enough on their own. If em could play jazz it would just mean they're even broader, which can' the anything but a good thing, but if they can't, I don't think it's a sign of weakness, it's just a sign of choice.

But I suspect Collins would have an easier time playing through standards than McDonald....that said, as below, McDonald on flute was, at the time, a serious force with which to he reckoned.

[Watanabe]

One of the aspects rendering the sax an often weak point in much progressive rock, is that the instrument - when used fully and not just to timbre out the odd harmonic layer - has to be played with a sense of convincing intensity. Way better players like Elton Dean, Brian Smith, Geoff Leigh, Didiere Malherbe, Gary Windo, Yoch'ko Seffer, Vratislav Brabenec, Roland Schaeffer and Klaus Doldinger were all "jazzheads" with shorter or longer offroads into rock, but I personally think higher even of players like John Earle (Gnidrolog and Nine Days' Wonder) and David Jackson (VdGG and The Long Hello) than I do of the two musicians in question here.

Collins could certainly play with convincing intensity in the early 70s.And not just in a textural way like the technically limited jackson, but as a lead player playing more convential lines that could have sounded a lot weedier by a lesser player.

[Progbear]

I can’t even bring Collins’ playing to mind in KC. I barely even remember he was a member.

I was listening to Camel’s Breathless yesterday and couldn’t help but notice that Collins plays the soprano sax like an oboe. Make of that what you will. For the title song, at least, it works.

[Joe F.]

I can’t even bring Collins’ playing to mind in KC. I barely even remember he was a member.

Lady of the Dancing Water is sublime, imho.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Collins could certainly play with convincing intensity in the early 70s.And not just in a textural way like the technically limited jackson, but as a lead player playing more convential lines that could have sounded a lot weedier by a lesser player.

I agree to some degree; in fact I think he pretty much singlehandedly *ALMOST* rescues Earthbound on that strength. And his playing on a tune like "The Letters" is exactly what the song requires and then more. The free-blowing sax inputs on "Starless", however - appear superfluous and somewhat contrived to my ears. Jaxon was at his best in pieces like "White Hammer" and "Plague...", IMO. But there were still unlikely distances from these folks and up to someone like Elton Dean or Geoff Leigh.

[JeffCarney]

From 1971-1972, it is arguable that Crimson live was first and foremost about the boy wonder that was Mel Collins.

The man blew his horn with intensity of a volcano.

Really surprised by a few of the comments here.

[Trane]

I liked them both back in the day. I have to say that Collins's playing was the glaring weak spot on the Jakszyk-Fripp-Collins album. Just bland and uninspired noodling for the most part.

So Collins ruined King Crimson s well??

==========

Neither JMD or MC ever reached theColtrane-Shepp-Sanders-Rollins-Shorter level, of course...

But I wouldn't say they disserve Crimson

[Watanabe]

I think Collins had the talent to go on and develop into really great player,but he ended up becoming a bit of a smoothed-edges go through the motions hired hand instead.