Best Musicians of all time

AsSiMiLaTeD

This IS an audio forum, so I figured this would be appropriate...a thread on the best musicians.

The point of this thread is to share and compare opinions, but also to educate each other. Maybe you'll list someone I've never heard of, and vice-versa.

1 - You're not limited to just 1 person for each instrument, feel free to list more than 1 (but not get carried away).

2 - List players from any style of music (jazz, rock, etc)

3 - Let's try to keep things organized by keeping them in categories

I'll get it started - this is just a sampling, I'll be adding more later.

Best Drummers:
Dennis Chambers
David Geribaldi
Carter Beauford
Stewart Copeland
Neil Peart
John Bonham

Best Guitarists:
Steve Vai
Joe Satriani
Eric Clapton
Jimi Hendrix
Tim Reynolds

Best Bass Player:
Jaco Pastorius
Victor Wooten
Teny Levin
The guy form Yes (don't remember a name)

Best Pianist:
Jordan Rudess
Adam Wodniski (sp)
Tim Harrison

Best Sax Player:
Michael Brecker
Lenny Pickett
Charlie Parker
John Coltrane

Best Trumpet Player:
Arturo Sandoval
Maynard Ferguson
Scott Englebright (sp)
Bill Chase
Miles Davis

Best Trombone Player:
Ron Wilkins

Okay, I got it started- let's see those lists:D

ND13

Under bass players let's not forget Flea. Love or hate the Chili Peppers, you have to give him his due.

Guitarist:
Randy Rhodes
Chet Atkins
Roy Clark, yes the country singer. He can pick with the best of 'em
Andre Segovia
Carlos Santana
Mark Knopfler
David Gilmour
SRV
Slash
Jeff Healy
then of course the obvious:Jimi, Jimmy, Jeff, Eric, Eddie, etc...

Drummers:
Buddy Rich
John Bonham
Neil Peart
Nick Mason
The guy from the Allman Brothers, can't for the life of me remember his name, and yes I know they have two , but one is more percussion.

Bass:
Flea
Roger Waters
Geddy Lee
John Paul Jones
Bootsie Powell
Wayman Tisdale
Sting
My father, I know none of you have ever heard of him but he rocks his Vox pretty damn good and I've never heard a part he couldn't replicate.

Sax
John Coltrane
Bird Parker
Clarence Clemons

Trumpet:
Miles

Dennis Gardner

Drummer: Buddy Rich
Guitarist: Les Paul
Bass: Stanley Clarke or Jaco P.
Piano: Oscar Peterson
Sax: Charlie Parker (active) David Sanborn
Trumpet: Wynton Marsalis or Dizzy Gillaspie
Trombone: Who cares?:D

bobman1235

Some jazz faves of mine :

Bass : Charlie Mingus

Piano : Vince Guaraldi
Dave Brubeck

Trumpet : Miles Davis anyone?


And for rock, did no one mention Stevie Ray Vaughn for guitar? I mean, c'mon!

marker

Old school:
Guitar - Jimy Page (is there ANY question?)
Bass - Paul McCartney/John Entwistle (too close to call)
Drums - John Bonham (With Keith Moon a close second)

More modern:
Guitar - Joe Satriani (out of many others who could also be)
Bass - Billy Sheehan
Drums - Eric Singer (only because Neil Pert is more old school)

MacLeod

Guitarist:
Steve Vai is GOD and John Petrucci is his only begotten son!

Drummer:
Mike Portnoy - Dream Theater
Virgil Donati - Planet X / session
Mike Mangini - Annihilator / session
Dave Lombardo - Slayer / Grip Inc

Bass:
John Myung - Dream Theater
Geddy Lee- Rush
Billy Sheehan - Mr. Big

Vocalist:
Geoff Tate - Queensryche
Sandy Patti -Dont laugh. I dare you to listen to her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner and not shed a couple of tears.
Sting - The man.
Ray Alder - Fates Warning
Tarja Turunen - Nightwish

Keyboards:
Jordan Rudess - Dream Theater
Derek Sherinian - Planet X
Tuomas Holopainen - Nightwish

AsSiMiLaTeD

Derek Sherinian - I forgot to add him to my list. I liked his stuff with DT and I like his stuff now...

I also forgot to add Sting - probably my favorite singer, not sure how I missed that...

ND13

I've never heard Dream Theater, but i guess I'll stop on the way home and pick up a cd to give them a try. This is why I started the other thread. Any recommendations on which one to get? Who can I make a comparison to? Remember I'm a little more old school, but love newer music also, like Tool.

Spawndn72

Guitar:
Eddie Van Halen
Yngvie Malmsteen(spelling?)

Bass:
Jaco Pastorious
Les Claypool
Stanley Clarke
James Jamerson

Drums:
Neal Pert
Stewart Copeland

Cello:
Jonas Starker

Keyboards:
Chick Corea

AsSiMiLaTeD

It's hard to compare them to much, especially old school. Rush and Yes come to mind, because they're both sort of progressive rock (DT is hard core progressive rock btw)...

Awake is really good, so is Images and Words, so is their new one Octavarium...

But if you're gonna pick up just one album, you should pick up Scenes From a Memory (Metropolis Part 2). It gives you a good sample of their different styles, but to get a good sample of what Dream Theater is, I'd recommend that album and either Awake and Images and Words as well.

But then, let's not forget Train of Thought...which is also a great album, and has a bit more mainstream sound to it...

AsSiMiLaTeD

And another thing with Dream Theater...you may have to listen to an album a couple of times to really get into their sound. Once you do, then it's all over and they'll be one of your favorite bands. But, their sound is a bet...we'll say eclectic and spastic, so it usually takes someone listening to it a couple times to really get into it...

I've just recently started really listening to their stuff. I think that for musicianship, you can't find a better group in rock music.

Also, there's a good chance that you can't stand the lead singer's voice, but don't let that deter you from the group, his voice grows on you, just like the Rush guy. If you want Dream Theater without the singer, then check out Liquid Tension Experiment CDs - it's basically their group without the singer and with Tony Levin on bass...awesome stuff....

ND13

Cool, thanks for the info. Will hit BB or somewhere on the way home. Which set of speakers should I listen to them on:
SDA 2A's
Monitor 10A's
RTA8TL's
or a combo of the latter two.

W WALDECKER

GUITARIST........MICHAEL HEDGES A ACOUSTIC GENIUS WHOSE ALBUMS INCLUDE AERIAL BOUNDARIES BREAKFAST IN THE FIELDS TAP ROOT AND SEVERAL OTHERS.......FRANK ZAPPA WHO WAS WEIRD BUT WONDERFUL I SAW HIM PLAY AT PAINTERS MILL IN THE 1980.S DURING THE YOU ARE WHAT YOU IS TOUR AND HE HAD A ASPIRING YOUNG GUITAR PLAYER BY THE NAME OF STEVE VAI IN HIS BAND AND THEY TRADED OFF SOME OTHERWORLDLY RIFFS BETWEEN EACH OTHER................... STEVE HOWE OF YES....EARL SLICK WHO IS A SESSION MAN WHO SOMETIMES PLAYED WITH DAVID BOWIE.........................JIMMY PAGE...JEFF BECK...ROBERT FRIPP OF KING CRIMSON....EDDIE VAN HALEN...STEVIE RAY VAUGHN WHO ALSO SOMETIMES PLAYED WITH DAVID BOWIE AND PLAYED MOST OF THE GUITAR ON THE LETS DANCE ALBUM......................JIMI HENDRIX...ALEX LIFESON...BRIAN MAY OF QUEEN...LARRY CARLTON...STEVE MORSE...ALEX DEGRASSI... BASS GUITARIST..CHRIS SQUIRE OF YES...GEDDY LEE... JOHN ENTWISLE... MICHAEL MANRING... DRUMMER........ STEWART COPELAND...JOHN BONHAM...NEIL PERT..BILL BRUFORD ...GINGER BAKER

SuperDave

Guitar
Jeff Beck
Joe Satriani
Al DiMeola
Eddie Van Halen
Neal Schon
Joe Perry
Jimi Hendrix
Jimmy Page
Slash
Frampton

Bass
Stuart Hamm
Fat guy from Atlanta Rythm Section:)
Mother's Finest bass player

Drums
Micky Basio
Tommy Lee:)

Vocals
Paul Rodgers
Steve Perry
Tommy Shaw
Ronnie Van Zant
Greg Allman
Michael McDonald (I keep forgettin....)
Simply Red
Phil Collins


Lots more I missed....

SuperDave

I'm sure there is talent there but I coudn't wait for them to get off the stage so Satriani could jam. Dream Theater seems to start out playing one song and gets lost and finishes playing something else. IMHO

MacLeod

Originally posted by ND13
I've never heard Dream Theater, but i guess I'll stop on the way home and pick up a cd to give them a try. This is why I started the other thread. Any recommendations on which one to get? Who can I make a comparison to? Remember I'm a little more old school, but love newer music also, like Tool.

Depends on what you like. If you like it heavy definitely check out Train of Thought which is my personal favorite.

A lighter, almost jazzy mix would be Awake.

Falling Into Infinity is my 2nd favorite. Darker then the others but Derek Sherinian gave this one a great sound and feel.

heiney9

Drummer:
John 'Bonzo' Bonham
Mitch Mitchell
Max Roach
Neil Peart
Carmine Appice
Buddy Rich
Bill Bruford
Billy Cobham

Bass:
John Paul Jones
Geddy Lee
Noel Redding
Trey Gunn
Roger Glover
Billy Sheean
John Entwistle

Guitar:
Jimmy Page
Jimi Hendrix
Jeff Beck
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Robert Fripp
Ritchie Blackmore
Otis Rush
Alex Lifeson
Al Demiola
John McLaughlin

Female Vocal:
Jewel
Jewel
Jewel
Gwen Stefani
Allison Krauss
Sarah Brightman
Erin McKeown
Norah Jones

Male Vocal:
Robert Plant
Jimi Hendrix
Robin Zander
Neil Diamond
Geddy Lee
Ian Gillan

Certainly not a full list and not nec in any order, except the 1st in every category!

H9

heiney9

Originally posted by ND13
I've never heard Dream Theater, but i guess I'll stop on the way home and pick up a cd to give them a try. This is why I started the other thread. Any recommendations on which one to get? Who can I make a comparison to? Remember I'm a little more old school, but love newer music also, like Tool.

They are kind of like Rush meets Tool and when they slow down add a bit of King Crimson. Just got done listening to "Six Degrees" Try it..you might like it!

H9

AsSiMiLaTeD

Six Degrees is cool, but not something I'd personally recommend for a first timer...to each his own though.

I have yet to meet anyone who didn't like Scenes From a Memory. There's something there for everyone, even my wife liked it...

heiney9

Suppose some truth to that....Six Degree's just reminded me of the Tool connection he mentioned. I'm fairly new to Dream Theater as well. Those who are more familiar probably can steer you a little better, ND13.

H9

danger boy

I don't know who most of those people are.. i'm sure they all have immense talent in their fields..

for guitarist.. i'd have to add Steve Stevens of Billy Idols group. really incredible on the guitar.. esp live.

for vocals. i'd add Steve Perry of Journey

did anyone mention SRV already?

venomclan

Male Vocals:
Maynard James Keenan
Eric Adams

Guitar: Vernon Reid

ND13

H9 good call on Noel Redding.
Venom good call on Vernon Reid.

Sorry guys, but I bought DT's "Awake" and wasn't very happy. Please tell me that isn't one of their best efforts. It's like they were trying too hard to sound different. I would say they sounded like a meld of Rush, Queensrhyche, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra(fusion jazz). The SQ was superb, though, and you could tell that they are excellent musicians, but just not my cup of tea. I'm not going to give up on them, yet.

AsSiMiLaTeD

And like I said, you'll really need to listen to a given album a couple times to let it grow on you a bit.

I'd still suggest Scenes from a Memory...it's their best IMO...

I'll tell you what, give that album a listen at least a couple of times. If you don't like it, I'll buy it from you...

ND13

Originally posted by Polkmaniac
And like I said, you'll really need to listen to a given album a couple times to let it grow on you a bit.

I'd still suggest Scenes from a Memory...it's their best IMO...

I'll tell you what, give that album a listen at least a couple of times. If you don't like it, I'll buy it from you...

PM, I'll give it a spin again tonight. Last night I used the SDA's with my sub. Due to sleeping kids, it was at less than normal listening volume, but still had very good SQ. Tonight I'll hook up the Mon 10A's. If I still don't like, I was thinking of adding it too the LZ give away on the other thread. BTW, as of right now, you are in the lead for that. So far you've been the only one to intrigue me enough to go out and purchase something new. The changing of the speakers is only for SQ differences, I know it's not going to change their style. I just like to listen to things on different combos, some groups sound better on one set of speakers than they do on others, IMO.

heiney9

Originally posted by ND13
PM, I'll give it a spin again tonight. Last night I used the SDA's with my sub. Due to sleeping kids, it was at less than normal listening volume, but still had very good SQ. Tonight I'll hook up the Mon 10A's. If I still don't like, I was thinking of adding it too the LZ give away on the other thread. BTW, as of right now, you are in the lead for that. So far you've been the only one to intrigue me enough to go out and purchase something new. The changing of the speakers is only for SQ differences, I know it's not going to change their style. I just like to listen to things on different combos, some groups sound better on one set of speakers than they do on others, IMO.

Uhmmm. What LZ give-a-way thread???

H9

ND13

Originally posted by heiney9
Uhmmm. What LZ give-a-way thread???

H9

"Best Hard Rock Band" here in the Music & Movies forum

AsSiMiLaTeD

Originally posted by ND13
PM, I'll give it a spin again tonight. Last night I used the SDA's with my sub. Due to sleeping kids, it was at less than normal listening volume, but still had very good SQ. Tonight I'll hook up the Mon 10A's. If I still don't like, I was thinking of adding it too the LZ give away on the other thread. BTW, as of right now, you are in the lead for that. So far you've been the only one to intrigue me enough to go out and purchase something new. The changing of the speakers is only for SQ differences, I know it's not going to change their style. I just like to listen to things on different combos, some groups sound better on one set of speakers than they do on others, IMO.

Cool, and if you don't dig that one and can't find a copy of Scenes From a Memory, let me know and I'll get one over to you.. SFAM is in my opinion the best album out there made in the past 10 years or so, and it's basically a story kind of like the one by Queensryche that I can't think of right now...

If you don't like SFAM, then you probably just won't dig Dream Theater at all unless you're into the heavy stuff then you may like Train of Thought...

My intention here isn't to cram them down anyone's throat, not everyone is going to like any group, simple as that...just trying to share great music with people who may not have otherwise listened to it...that's how they and many other group were first shared with me...

heiney9

ND13,

Dream Theater IS an acquired taste and it may take several listens to actually start liking them. Funny as it seems, for me the cd’s I end up loving are the ones that need a few listens to sink in. Conversely, the ones I like instantly don’t tend to stay in my rotation very long. There are always exceptions, of course, but that’s how it goes with me.

H9

AsSiMiLaTeD

Yep, I have NEVER met anyone (myself included) who listened to Dream Theater and liked them the first time. That doesn't mean that it's not possible, but I've never seen it.

Normally, I don't like things that are an acquired taste, why should I have to try to make myself likesomething? But music for me is an exception...

ND13

Originally posted by Polkmaniac
Cool, and if you don't dig that one and can't find a copy of Scenes From a Memory, let me know and I'll get one over to you.. SFAM is in my opinion the best album out there made in the past 10 years or so, and it's basically a story kind of like the one by Queensryche that I can't think of right now...

If you don't like SFAM, then you probably just won't dig Dream Theater at all unless you're into the heavy stuff then you may like Train of Thought...

My intention here isn't to cram them down anyone's throat, not everyone is going to like any group, simple as that...just trying to share great music with people who may not have otherwise listened to it...that's how they and many other group were first shared with me...

Never thought you were trying to cram them down my throat. It was my decision to try 'em out. I love to discover new or not so new talent. I'm always on the prowl for new music selections to add to the library. Hopefully I'll like one of there other releases. Iwould like nothing more than to add them to my collection. I'm going to sit down tonight and go thru my cd's and weed out some I no longer like or bought to try out and didn't like. Then I might do one of those Karma thingees for them. I think it's cool that we do things like this for each other. Too many people worry about the almighty $. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I can give something to someone who really does appreciate it.