Last year I reviewed Jim Snidero’s excellent trio release with Peter Washington and Joe Farnsworth, For All We Know. Now there’s a new one just as good, Bird Feathers, featuring compositions that relate to Charlie Parker. Snidero’s journey has been quietly impressive, so my questions below reflect my genuine curiosity: I’m trying to learn something!
Ethan Iverson: Some claim the alto saxophone is more difficult than the tenor saxophone. True or false?
Jim Snidero: I've had a running joke with my tenor buddies about playing the "easy" horn, but yes, I do think that the alto is more difficult to control than the tenor, especially the mid to upper written register. For me, the trick is finding the right balance of resistance and clarity that allows you to center the tone and pitch while at the same time being able to articulate freely, with Hodges, Bostic, Bird, Cannonball, Stitt, and Phil being some of the best examples of that delicate balance. The mid to upper register of the alto is really what sets it apart from the other saxophones because it has the potential to soar with such beauty and power, but it's tricky. Good intonation allows for maximum resonance, a kind of ringing quality, and intonation can definitely be an issue on the alto, especially in that register. I remember Scott Robinson mentioning to me something along the lines that the alto was the only saxophone he couldn't quite get, which is a hell of a statement coming from someone that can play the heck out of just about any instrument. A friend of mine refers to the alto as the "lion" of the saxophones, and he might just be right.
EI: You are comfortable with both classic bebop threading and the intervallic modal burn. In the practice room, do you treat these genres as separate or the same?
JS: That's a great question. Over 40 plus years, there have been long stretches where I've concentrated on practicing one or the other as separate genres. It could have been due to certain kinds of gigs or recordings I was involved in, recordings or books I was checking out, the normal stuff. At the time, I felt like total immersion was the most efficient way to get each genre together, but these days, it's more about drawing from one big reservoir, so I really don't practice them separately. I've always believed there were more possibilities when playing over chord changes, things that haven't been done that are interesting and meaningful yet still somehow connected to the tradition, and combining different genres is one time-proven method of pushing things forward.
EI: Peter Washington and Joe Farnsworth have been your rhythm section of choice for your last few records. When did you first play with each of them?
JS: I recorded my first album for Criss Cross in 1987 entitled Mixed Bag (which BTW referred to combining different genres) and hired Benny Green for the date, who recommended Peter. He had just blown into town after being hired by Art Blakey in San Francisco, so I didn't know his playing but I trusted Benny. This was the second album Peter had ever recorded and Benny hadn't recorded that much, so it was a big deal for all of us, especially with Tain on drums along with my running buddy back in those days Brian Lynch, with recording at Rudy's a bonus. Peter is one great musician and human being, truly one of the best ever. I first started playing with Joe in the early 1990's, mostly jam sessions and an occasional gig. He's always been so easy to play with and obviously values swing, which is what I've been looking for these days, but he's also very flexible. No doubt, Peter and Joe are a winning combination, and I think some folks were surprised at how well For All We Know came out in a less traditional alto sax trio setting.
EI: Word association: Feel like giving us a favorite album or track of these alto players?
JS: Great!
Johnny Hodges “Day Dream” from ...And His Mother Called Him Bill
Charlie Parker The Washington Concerts
Lou Donaldson Lush Life
Lee Konitz Motion
Dick Oatts All of Three
Phil Woods Live at the Frankfurt Jazz Festival
Jackie McLean Jackie's Bag
Ornette Coleman “Lonely Woman” from The Shape of Jazz to Come
Charles McPherson “Countdown” from a set at Birdland uploaded by Michael Weiss to YouTube [link]
Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section
Gary Bartz West 42nd Street (I was at this gig! - JS)
Kenny Garrett Pursuance: The Music of John Coltrane
Sonny Stitt “Laura” from The Complete Roost Sonny Stitt Studio Sessions
Cannonball Adderley Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago
Interesting -- I enjoyed his comments about the differences between playing alto and tenor. Centuries (or so it now seems) ago, I played clarinet, and found the bass clarinet easier to play than the B-flat "licorice stick," probably for somewhat similar reasons. Your asking him about favorite tracks was a great idea; I am looking forward to looking some of them up!
Jim has been underrated for years.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/may-2025-jazz-record-reviews