We share a common list of players. I'm definitely a Branford Marsalis man, with respect to today's players. Also a fan of Michael Brecker. I've been listening to a ton of Sonny Stitt lately, to improve my bop-blues chops. The way he plays bop over blues has become an objective of mine to learn. Coltrane and Dexter Gordon go without saying. I also thoroughly enjoy Hiromi, and I've recently added some of Keith Jarrett's right-hand piano lines to my "to transcribe" list.
Right now I'm trying to figure out a decent alto sound. My primary goal as a player right now is to learn the ability to play 4-6 minutes of seamless up-tempo blues (in Bb first...more keys to follow). My opinion is, if there is any one thing that I as a jazz performer should be good at it's the ability to play blues proficiently. By the end of Spring quarter I hope to learn Confirmation and Donna Lee.
Classical studies are the focus if you study the saxophone for credit. Jazz is what I'm best at and most enjoy playing, but I'm developing an appreciation for the art of classical saxophone.
You've caught me at a pivotal point. I'm switching to jazz alto this quarter. We'll see how the big band audition challenges go.
Are you in college? Out of college? What kind of stuff do you play, who do you listen to?