The Summit format is used in jazz to bring together performers on a particular

musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

. Though these recordings often feature other musicians (notably a

rhythm section A rhythm section is a group of musicians within a music ensemble or band that provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse of the accompaniment, providing a rhythmic and harmonic reference and "beat" for the rest of the band. The rhythm sec ...

), the main instrument is focused upon in a celebratory way. The saxophone quartet has since become a somewhat common format, and to a lesser extent the

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...

quartet. Additionally, all-percussion ensembles and a cappella groups are common and focus upon a single instrument in a similar way. German MPS Records produced several albums of this type, including ''New Violin Summit'', ''Alto Summit'', ''Vibes Summit'', ''The Gypsy Jazz Violin Summit'', ''The String Summit'', ''Trombone Summit'' and ''You Better Fly Away'' by Clarinet Summit.

Clarinet

Saxophones

;Saxophone Summit 2008: Joshua Redman, Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, George Garzone ;Soprano Summit(World Jazz WJCD-5/13) 1974: Kenny Davern,

Dick Hyman Richard Hyman (born March 8, 1927) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Over a 70-year career, he has worked as a pianist, organist, arranger, music director, electronic musician, and composer. He was named a National Endowment for the Art ...

, Bucky Pizzarelli, Bob Wilber, Marty Grosz,

George Duvivier George Duvivier (August 17, 1920 – July 11, 1985) was an American jazz double-bassist. Biography Duvivier was born in New York City, the son of Leon V. Duvivier and Ismay Blakely Duvivier. He attended the Conservatory of Music and Art, where ...

Bobby Rosengarden Robert Marshall Rosengarden (April 23, 1924 – February 27, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A native of Elgin, Illinois, United States, he played on many recordings and in television orchestras and talk show bands. Rosenga ...

, Milt Hinton,

Tommy Benford Thomas Benford (April 19, 1905 – March 24, 1994) was an American jazz drummer. Biography Tommy Benford was born in Charleston, West Virginia. He and his older brother, tuba player Bill Benford, were both orphans who studied music at the Jenki ...

;Alto Summit 1968: ''

Alto Summit ''Alto Summit'' is an album by saxophonists Lee Konitz, Pony Poindexter, Phil Woods and Leo Wright recorded in West Germany in 1968 and released on the MPS label. The album was released in the US on Prestige Records.Lee Konitz Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jazz ...

, Pony Poindexter, Phil Woods and Leo Wright (with pianist Steve Kuhn, bassist Palle Danielsson and drummer Jon Christensen) (MPS Records) 1996: Phil Woods, Vincent Herring,

Antonio Hart Antonio Hart (born September 30, 1968) is a jazz alto saxophonist. He attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, studied with Andy McGhee at Berklee College of Music, and has a master's degree from Queens College, City University of New York. H ...

, (with Carl Allen on drums,

Anthony Wonsey Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the ''Antonii'', a ''gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton, ...

on piano, and Reuben Rogers on bass) (

Milestone Records Milestone Records is an American jazz record company and label founded in 1966 by Orrin Keepnews and Dick Katz in New York City. The company was bought by Fantasy Records in 1972. Since then, it has produced LP reissues (including items from Ke ...

) ;Baritone ''Baritone Madness'' is a 1978 album from saxophonist Nick Brignola, featuring Pepper Adams, Ted Curson, Derek Smith, Dave Holland, Roy Haynes (

Bee Hive Records Bee Hive Records was a jazz record company and record label, label established in 1977 by Jim and Susan Neumann in Chicago. Bee Hive was named for the club of the same name. Sometimes it recorded musicians who had started in Chicago, such as Junio ...

Flute

;Flute Summit 1974: Jeremy Steig, James Moody, Sahib Shihab,

Chris Hinze Christiaan Herbert "Chris" Hinze (born June 30, 1938, Hilversum, Netherlands) is a Dutch jazz and New age flautist. Life an work Hinze initially performed publicly as a pianist until the mid-1960s, when he began studying flute at the Royal Con ...

(Atlantic)

Percussion

;Percussion Summit 1984: Urszula Dudziak, Johnny Dyani, Okay Temiz, Gunter Sommer, Ed Thigpen,

Mariusz Maurycy (tambourine) Mariusz is a Slavic-language masculine name, and may refer to: * Mariusz Czerkawski (b. 1972), Polish ice hockey player *Mariusz Duda (b. 1975), Polish musician * Mariusz Fyrstenberg (b. 1980), Polish tennis player *Mariusz Jędra *Mariusz Jop *Mari ...

, John Purcell ( Moers Music)

Vocal

;Vocal Summit

Lauren Newton Lauren Amber Newton (born 16 November 1952) is an avant-garde jazz and Contemporary classical music, contemporary classical singer and founding member of the Vienna Art Orchestra. Biography Newton earned a degree in music at the University of O ...

, Urszula Dudziak, Jeanne Lee, Jay Clayton, Bobby McFerrin, Bob Stoloff

Trombone

;Trombone Summit 1980:

Albert Mangelsdorff Albert Mangelsdorff (September 5, 1928 – July 25, 2005) was a German jazz trombonist. Working mainly in free jazz, he was an innovator in multiphonics. Early life Mangelsdorff was born in Frankfurt on September 5, 1928, as the son of the book ...

Bill Watrous William Russell Watrous III (June 8, 1939 – July 2, 2018) was an American jazz trombonist. He is perhaps best known for his rendition of Sammy Nestico's arrangement of the Johnny Mandel ballad "A Time for Love", which he recorded on a 1993 albu ...

, Jiggs Whigham,

Kai Winding Kai Chresten Winding ( ; May 18, 1922 – May 6, 1983) was a Danish-born American trombonist and jazz composer. He is known for his collaborations with fellow trombonist J. J. Johnson. His version of "More", the theme from the movie ''Mondo Ca ...

(MPS) ;Trombone Workshop 1980:

, Jiggs Whigham,

, with Allan Ganley,

Horace Parlan Horace Parlan (January 19, 1931 – February 23, 2017) was an American pianist and composer known for working in the hard bop and post-bop styles of jazz. In addition to his work as a bandleader Parlan was known for his contributions to the Char ...

, Mads Vinding ( Pausa Records)

Trumpet

;Trumpet Summit

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duke ...

and

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...

recorded in 1980 an album called

The Trumpet Summit Meets the Oscar Peterson Big 4 ''The Trumpet Summit Meets the Oscar Peterson Big 4'' is a 1980 album featuring the trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, and Freddie Hubbard, supported by a quartet led by Oscar Peterson. Outtakes from the 1980 session that produced this albu ...

, also featuring Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, Ray Brown and Bobby Durham. Outtakes from this session were released on

The Alternate Blues ''The Alternate Blues'' is a 1980 album featuring the trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, and Freddie Hubbard, supported by a quartet led by Oscar Peterson. It was recorded at Group IV Studios, Los Angeles on March 10, 1980. With one excepti ...

. Both albums were produced by Norman Granz and published by Pablo Records. Gillespie, Terry, Peterson and Durham previously recorded a live album at the 1977 Montreux Jazz Festival called ''

Oscar Peterson Jam - Montreux '77 Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

'', which featured Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen

Bobby Shew Bobby Shew (born March 4, 1941) is an American jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player. Biography He was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. After leaving college in 1960, Shew was drafted into the U.S. Army and played trumpet and toured ...

, Allen Vizzutti, Vincent DiMartino together also released albums as ''Summit Reunion'' ( Chiaroscuro Records) .

Vibes

;Vibes Summit 1978: Dave Friedman, Karl Berger, Wolfgang Lackerschmid,

Tom Van Der Geld Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

Violin

;Jazz Violin Session (Duke Ellington's) 1963: Svend Asmussen, Stéphane Grappelli, Ray Nance (Atlantic 1688) ;Violin Summit 1966: Svend Asmussen, Stéphane Grappelli, Jean-Luc Ponty, Stuff Smith (MPS/Verve 15099) ;New Violin Summit 1971: Don "Sugarcane" Harris, Jean-Luc Ponty, Nipso Brantner,

Michal Urbaniak Michal (; he, מיכל , gr, Μιχάλ) was, according to the first Book of Samuel, a princess of the United Kingdom of Israel; the younger daughter of King Saul, she was the first wife of David (), who later became king, first of Juda ...

(MPS/Polydor 15335) ;Texas Jam Session Featuring Four World Champion Fiddlers 1977:

Benny Thomasson Benny Thomasson (April 22, 1909 – January 1984) was an American fiddler in the Texas style of fiddling. Thomasson was born in Winters, Texas, and raised in Gatesville, one of 10 children in a family where music was not only encouraged, i ...

, Terry Morris,

James Chancellor James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambigua ...

, Mark O'Connor (OMAC 1) ;Gipsy Jazz Violin Summit 1979: Nipso Brantner, Zipflo Reinhardt, Shmitto Kling, Hannes Beckmann (MPS 15548) ;Fiddle Fever 1984:

Matt Glaser Matt Glaser is an American jazz and bluegrass violinist. He served as the chair of the string department at the Berklee College of Music for more than twenty-five years. He is now the founder and artistic director of Berklee's American Roots ...

Evan Stover Evan is both an English and Welsh male given name derived from "Iefan", a Welsh form for the name John (name), John. In other languages it could be compared to "Ivan (name), Ivan", "Ian", and "Juan"; the name John itself is derived from the ancie ...

, Jay Ungar (Flying Fish FF-247) ;Jazz Violin Celebration 1985:

, Mike Marshall, David Balakrishnan, Darol Anger (Kaleidoscope 22) ;Rhythm and Blues 1986:

, John Blake, Didier Lockwood (Gramavision 18-8608-1) ;Fiddlers 4 2002:

Michael Doucet Michael Louis Doucet (born February 14, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter and musician best known as the founder of the Cajun band BeauSoleil. Early life Doucet was born in Scott, Louisiana, to a Cajun family. Family parties in the 1950s ...

, Bruce Molsky, Darol Anger (Compass 4334) ;Celtic Fiddle Festival

Kevin Burke Kevin Burke may refer to: *Kevin Burke (musician) (born 1950), Irish fiddler *Kevin Burke (CEO), chairman, president, and CEO of Consolidated Edison *Kevin Burke (judge) (born 1950), district judge in Hennepin County, Minnesota *Kevin Burke (quarter ...

, Christian Lemaitre, Johnny Cunningham (Green Linnet 1133, 1189, 1216)

, Christian Lemaitre,

André Brunet André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation ...

, (Green Linnet 1230, Loftus Music 003, Loftus Music 006)

Other instruments

;Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza 1999: Sam Bush,

David Grisman David Grisman (born March 23, 1945) is an American mandolinist. His music combines bluegrass, folk, and jazz in a genre he calls "Dawg music". He founded the record label Acoustic Disc, which issues his recordings and those of other acoustic mu ...

, Ronnie McCoury, Jesse McReynolds, Bobby Osborne, Ricky Skaggs,

Frank Wakefield Franklin Delano Roosevelt Wakefield (born June 26, 1934) is an innovative American mandolin player in the bluegrass music style. Wakefield is known for his collaborations with a number of important and well-known bands, including Red Allen, Jimmy ...

, Buck White (Acoustic Disc 35) ;The Great Dobro Sessions 1994: Mike Auldridge,

Curtis Burch Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin from the Old French ''curteis'' (Modern French ''courtois'') which derived from the Spanish Cortés (of which Cortez is a variation) and the Portuguese and Gal ...

, Jerry Douglas, Josh Graves, Rob Ickes,

Bashful Brother Oswald Beecher Ray "Pete" Kirby (December 26, 1911 – October 17, 2002), better known as Bashful Brother Oswald, was an American country musician who popularized the use of the resonator guitar and Dobro. He played with Roy Acuff's Smoky Mountain ...

Stacy Phillips Stacy Phillips (born Melvin Marshall; September 29, 1944 – June 5, 2018) was an American Grammy Award winning resophonic guitarist and fiddler, noted for his unusual chord-based resophonic guitar A resonator guitar or resophonic guitar ...

, Tut Taylor,

Sally Van Meter Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military *Sortie (siege warfare), Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, ...

, Gene Wooten (Sugar Hill 2206) ;Rounder Banjo Extravaganza Live 1992: Tom Adams, Tony Furtado, Tony Trischka (Rounder 0296)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Summit (Groups) American jazz ensembles MPS Records artists Milestone Records artists Pausa Records artists Chiaroscuro Records artists