I believe it is very important to make the distinction between a classical style and concept of vibrato and a jazz style. There is some overlap of course, but each style has distinct characteristics of its own.
That said, in very general terms the classical vibrato has a tendency to be more continuous and in jazz a straight tone is embellished with a vibrato increasing in intensity toward the end. The French school of classical playing has tended toward a wider and faster vibrato, perhaps due to the influence of Marcel Mule.
It has been my observation that to get the "new age" sound some modern players have gone full circle back to the very fast more constant vibrato to give that "sparkle" to their sound. The important thing about vibrato is that it is a means to an end, and not an end in itself.
Another "over generalization" is that classical players try to achieve a sound characteristic of "classical saxophone playing". Jazz players on the other hand use every means at their disposal to sound different from everyone else---to find their own distinct voice and sound. This is why I believe it is important to make the distinction between classical and jazz/pop/rock styles when discussion all aspects of playing---especially vibrato.
That said, in very general terms the classical vibrato has a tendency to be more continuous and in jazz a straight tone is embellished with a vibrato increasing in intensity toward the end. The French school of classical playing has tended toward a wider and faster vibrato, perhaps due to the influence of Marcel Mule.
It has been my observation that to get the "new age" sound some modern players have gone full circle back to the very fast more constant vibrato to give that "sparkle" to their sound. The important thing about vibrato is that it is a means to an end, and not an end in itself.
Another "over generalization" is that classical players try to achieve a sound characteristic of "classical saxophone playing". Jazz players on the other hand use every means at their disposal to sound different from everyone else---to find their own distinct voice and sound. This is why I believe it is important to make the distinction between classical and jazz/pop/rock styles when discussion all aspects of playing---especially vibrato.
