I was thinking about this as I was lost in YouTube land ...... but there are some bands with so many talented members ... like solo act talented .. that it's not fair.

Obviously, the Beatles come to mind right away. Man ... start out with Paul McCartney and John Lennon ...... and add in George Harrison. Ringo Starr was talented, but I don't put him on quite the same level. My favorite Beatle gone solo was George Harrison. I think he was a brilliant guy, taken way, way too early. (as was Lennon) Harrison's album "All things must pass", is just amazing.

How about the Eagles. Man, think who was/are in that band. Glenn Frye, Don Henley, Randy Meissner, Don Felder, Joe Walsh, Timothy B Schmit ... just unfair.

Genesis. Geesh. Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford (Mike and the Mechanics) Steve Hackett .... just an amazing group of talent, together or solo.

There's a starter .... who ya got?

Genesis
Asia
The Police
All of the rhythm sections of Frank Zappa's mid-70's bands
Steely Dan (from "The Royal Scam" onward)
Both of Miles Davis' historic Quintets
Return To Forever (Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Al DiMeola, Lenny White)
V.S.O.P. Quintet (Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Freddie Hubbard)


I could go on and on, but I hate being that nerdy guy who dominates a good dinner party discussion...

Cream
The Firm
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
The Highwaymen
The Travelling Wilburys
Velvet Revolver

The Traveling Wilburys

The Band

The Allman Brothers

Led Zeppelin

Top 5 in all categories…front man, guitar, drums, and bass. John Bonham might be the greatest drummer of all time. When Bonham passed he was so irreplaceable the band decided not to go on…”we could not continue as we were”.

That covers most of the ones I had in mind.

I would add the The Birds and The Yardbirds.

Geez you guys took most of them !

Rolling Stones

Agree with you on George Harrison. Favourite post-Beatles Beatle

Eagles, Genesis, Wilburys are top of the heap. I'd put Steely Dan and Pink Floyd right behind them.

Audioslave comes to mind as one that wasn't mentioned.


The band that has had the most talent over the years? Not even hard and not even close -- Ozzy Osbourne (Clem is choking on his coffee at this point lol)

Ozzy Osbourne
Zakk Wylde
Randy Rhoads
Bob Daisley
Lee Kerslake
Tommy Aldridge
Rudy Sarzo
Brad Gillis
Pete Way
Jake E. Lee
Carmine Appice
Randy Castillo
Geezer Butler
Mike Inez
Robert Trujillo
Jason Newsted
Gus G
Jerry Cantrell
Brian Tichy
Alex Skolnick

And from the ashes of the under-appreciated, progressive metal juggernaut, Savatage...


Trans-Siberian Orchestra

As a huge Ozzy fan I have no idea why he didn't come to mind.

Agree with Miles Davis (especially fusion years).

Same thing for Mahavishnu Orchestra.

I forgot about The Firm - Tony Franklin a very under-appreciated bassist with a great resume since.

Clem will know these guys. I don't know who else will.

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.

Many former members of the Jazz Messengers established careers as solo musicians, such as Lee Morgan, Benny Golson, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Timmons, Hank Mobley, Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton, Billy Harper, Keith Jarrett, Joanne Brackeen, Woody Shaw, Chuck Mangione, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison and Mulgrew Miller.

Art Blakey and Horace Silver began working together in the early 1950s.Some cite the group that included Blakey, Silver, Kenny Dorham, Lou Donaldson and Gene Ramey in 1953 as the original Jazz Messengers.On February 21, 1954, a group billed as the "Art Blakey Quintet" produced the live set of records called A Night at Birdland. The quintet included Horace Silver, Clifford Brown, Lou Donaldson and Curly Russell.These records were quite successful, and some cite this date as the beginning of the Jazz Messengers.

Horace Silver and Freddie Hubbard have been some of favorite musicians for a long time.

The Grateful Dead has always been viewed as a band however, every player in that band had major chops.

More modern...

Snarky Puppy

I'm banging my head on the desk right now. How did I NOT mention Art Blakey's bands in my op?
There is simply no other band of any genre that turned out a longer list of superstars than the Jazz Messengers. It's unique, and stands head & shoulders above any other project in the world of recorded music. You did a great job of dropping the list, but those names only touch the surface. The influence that this band/workshop exerted upon modern Jazz cannot be overstated.

I know I've posted about my personal experience with Art's early 80's band. I drove down to Dayton with My Main Boy Byron to Gilly's Jazz Club (not to be confused with Mickey Gilley's Texas Honkytonk). While the band took a break, By & I actually sat at a bistro-style table, and had a 10-15 minute conversation with both Wynton and Branford Marsalis. All of us were in our 20's, all of us were musicians, all had our careers ahead of us... but By & I had no idea that we were sitting at a table with future Jazz royalty at the time. As I watched their respective careers take off, I took a certain amount of pride in saying that I met them before most even knew of them. Wynton now runs the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and Branford toured the world with Sting on his "Dream of the Blue Turtles" tour.

Branford was recently a guest on our stage, almost 40 years after I first saw him. It was a moment of poignancy for me, as I've been contemplating phasing out/closing down my 40+-year career.

For any Dawgs interested in seeing the list of luminaries who once played in this juggernaut, please navigate the link below. Click on: "Former Members."
The Jazz Messengers

Dawg- you only think you know me.

I love Trujillo.
He saved Jaco Pastorius' bass, and returned it to his family.

The man is a personal hero of mine.
...and, he can play his ass off.
(game recognize game)


p.s. see my above post for Clemmy's Ultimate List. Thank Bone for the bump.

Horace Silver was a truly great composer. Two of my favorite albums Song for My Father and Cape Verdean Blues were pure magic to my ears.

He left the Jazz Messengers because of the heroin use. Horace started as a tenor saxophonist. He was recruited by Stan Getz and replaced the pianist. He played with giants Lestor Young, Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Stitt, Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson.

He created these incredible rhythms as a composer.

Horace was a giant but never seemed to get acclaim that others got. I never got to hear him live which was something I wanted very much to do.

I believe " Tower of Power " should receive an " Honorable Mention "

The John Coltrane Quartet.

John Coltrane - Tenor Saxophone

Jimmy Garrison - Double Base

Elvin Jones - Drums, Gong, Timpani

McCoy Tyner - Piano

Jazz music is so diverse.

The quality of the musicians is unparalleled. Many masters played together at different times in their careers.

Bands were formed and reformed.

When I binge jazz I have a top five but there are many others that I love.

Sidney Bechet
Miles Davis
John Coltrane
Dizzy Gillespie
Horace Silver.
( I cannot leave off Lestor Young) ( I just can not do that)( So it becomes Six)

No matter when and who they played with they were all so incredible.
Sometimes when I listen I find myself getting emotional from the absolute beauty of the sound produced.

Your response is the very reason that sonic Art has been produced since sung voices, hollow logs and hollow reeds were our first instruments.
You don't just hear the organized sound of the music- you also hear and feel its intent... on a deep, personal level that everyday life simply cannot reach.

This thing you describe has been my personal drug of choice since the age of nine.
The day I discovered that a person could have this in his life on the daily, and get paid to do it, my future path was on lock.

This thing that you hear and feel?
It's the thing that makes me go back to work every day, even after after 50 years of doing it.
I did this thing for free in my early days. My folks spent scarce and hard-earned money to help me learn the craft that would inspire/sustain me throughout my adult years.

I'm physically 20 years younger than the kids who graduated HS with me, because of the energy that surrounds me every day at the job site.

Every day is Day One.
Music is as old as Man, and as breathless and youthful as tomorrow's promise.

I'm the luckiest man I've ever known.



.02

Clem that is a beautiful thing you should feel fortunate that the opportunity and your drive made it happen.

Even though I do not play a note. Music has always inspired me from an early age. In 1956 Nat King Cole had a TV show. I was nine years old. I remember thinking how could someone sing and play piano like that? His voice left a mark. That same year "Heartbreak Hotel" came out. My sister was fours older than me. She got this little box that looked like a pink suitcase for her birthday. It played 45 records. She bought some of the first hit singles by Elvis. I was told by her to not touch that box. Of course I paid no attention. When she was out of the house I would plop a stack of 45's on the spindle and rock out. We were not poor but my parents were frugal. Every cent was accounted for. I never asked for a dime because I knew things were tight. My sister got a clarinet. I would look at it in its case thinking that thing must have cost a fortune.

I got a baseball glove, a bat, and a bicycle. That was enough for me and I didn't ask for more.

Music always stuck to me and I have enjoyed being an avid listener. A day does not go by that I do not listen to music. I am pretty old now and some memories fade but I can remember the words and notes to damn near every song I know. I wake up with the songs I have listened to the day before going around in my brain like that old 45.