# Musician playing jazz with oboe/english horn **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-playing-jazz-with-oboe-english-horn/643846 "2012-12-12T18:01:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-playing-jazz-with-oboe-english-horn/643846/1 "2012-12-12T18:01:54Z")
Has anybody heard of this? I’ve been a jazz buff for most of my life but can’t recall any double reed instrument musicians playing jazz… ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-playing-jazz-with-oboe-english-horn/643846/2 "2012-12-12T18:45:06Z")
Well,[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_jazz_oboists) lists a number of them, including Yusef Lateef and Paul McCandless. (I think McCandless was featured on the Paul Winter Consort’s signature tune “Icarus”.) ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-playing-jazz-with-oboe-english-horn/643846/3 "2012-12-12T19:38:39Z")
I believe I once heard a jazz piece by… was it Harry Freedman?.. that had an oboe in it. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-playing-jazz-with-oboe-english-horn/643846/4 "2012-12-12T19:45:00Z")
And here’s a YouTube video for you to enjoy: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/VJ23kEC-JYk/maxresdefault.jpg "OBOA NOMADE = Oboman + Symphonic Orchestra") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ23kEC-JYk) The jazz part starts a few minutes in. I don’t know if it’s “pure” jazz but it’s nice. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-playing-jazz-with-oboe-english-horn/643846/5 "2012-12-12T21:38:20Z")
Paul McCandless played primarily oboe throughout his days with Paul Winter Consort and with Oregon. There were a couple of Weather Report albums that featured English Horn - I Sing the Body Electric and Sweetnighter. It wasn’t particularly easy to distinguish the English Horn from Wayne Shorter deliberately playing soprano sax with a heavy reed, though. There’s a jazz/rock bassoon player in Toronto by the name of Jeff Burke. Here’s a sample of him playing on the local cable access channel - [Jeff Burke](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfQIjs2kat0). ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-playing-jazz-with-oboe-english-horn/643846/6 "2012-12-12T21:46:47Z")
For more traditional jazz, Bob Cooper is featured on oboe on the Howard Rumsey’s Lighthouse All-Stars album _Vol. 4: Oboe/Flute_ [Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjdrBrAA49k) is an astonishing recording of tenor titan Illinois Jacquet, of all people, playing bassoon. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-playing-jazz-with-oboe-english-horn/643846/7 "2012-12-12T21:53:21Z")
Yusef Lateef’s “Into Something” has a lot of oboe on it. Pretty cool. You can’t bend a tone on an oboe, so when he plays the blues it’s kinda surreal. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-playing-jazz-with-oboe-english-horn/643846/8 "2012-12-12T21:54:48Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > For more traditional jazz, Bob Cooper is featured on oboe on the Howard Rumsey’s Lighthouse All-Stars album _Vol. 4: Oboe/Flute_ > > [Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjdrBrAA49k) is an astonishing recording of tenor titan Illinois Jacquet, of all people, playing bassoon. Y’know, I never really cared for Jacquet until this moment, but this is one of the best recordings of 'Round Midnight I’ve ever heard. Thank you, **Biffy**. Man, how I love the Dope. ETA: According to Charles Mingus’ stage patter, Eric Dolphy played his share of oboe, but I’ve never heard a recording of him doing so. Will look around. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-playing-jazz-with-oboe-english-horn/643846/9 "2012-12-13T02:06:29Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > There’s a jazz/rock bassoon player in Toronto by the name of Jeff Burke. Here’s a sample of him playing on the local cable access channel - [Jeff Burke](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfQIjs2kat0). > [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > [Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjdrBrAA49k) is an astonishing recording of tenor titan Illinois Jacquet, of all people, playing bassoon. Back around 1984 or '85 I took a few sax lessons from [Don Lanphere](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Lanphere). One day when I mentioned I also played the bassoon, he ran to his record collection and pulled out an old LP featuring some jazz bassoonist. Sadly, I don’t recall the player’s name. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-playing-jazz-with-oboe-english-horn/643846/10 "2012-12-13T03:23:41Z")
I give you [Paul Hanson](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKlOJL37vbc), here playing with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-playing-jazz-with-oboe-english-horn/643846/11 "2012-12-13T04:12:26Z")
If you want a really bizarre choice of double reeds, how about [Rufus Harley and his bagpipes?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HYMwRtJHV8) ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-playing-jazz-with-oboe-english-horn/643846/12 "2012-12-13T08:10:18Z")
The earliest jazz recording I know of that uses a bassoon is [Running Ragged (Bamboozlin’ the Bassoon)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02s1M-HHbAY) by Joe Venuti’s Blue Four, with Frank Trumbauer on both bassoon and C-melody saxophone. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-playing-jazz-with-oboe-english-horn/643846/13 "2012-12-13T10:46:50Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > I give you [Paul Hanson](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKlOJL37vbc), here playing with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. I was going to post that very link! If you look closely, you’ll notice something odd about bass player Victor Wooten during that tune: He’s wearing a different shirt by the time the song ends. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-playing-jazz-with-oboe-english-horn/643846/14 "2012-12-13T18:44:30Z")
Thanks all, for the replies! Question answered, my ignorance fought! 🙂