Favorite non-bass, non-guitar solos

[FilterFunk]

My favorites are:

Prince's piano solo in "Sexy Dancer." Piano can't get much funkier than this! (can't find a decent link)

Maceo Parker's sax solo in "Make It Funky." It's like the sax equivalent of Willie Weeks' "Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)" bass solo. It's not about overplaying or showing off - it's just...perfect (solo starts at 4:11).



Stevie Wonder's harmonica solos in "Boogie On Reggae Woman" and "Isn't She Lovely." Just an absolute joy to listen to! (I think these are well-known enough to not need links )

 

[JimK]

That's easy...

John Coltrane's solo on "Transition".
If you dare-


As far as Pop-
Kenny Kirkland's long piano solo with Sting on the live version of "Bring On The Night/When The World Is Running Down..."

 

[tangentmusic]

Rick Wakeman's harpsichord/baroque style keyboard solo in "Siberian Khatru"

 

[cjmodulus]

Rick Wakeman's harpsichord/baroque style keyboard solo in "Siberian Khatru"

This. Actually, I was just listening to it a few minutes ago.
I really like the sax solo on mingus's goodbye pork pie hat. Beautiful.

 

[alexbrownebass]

Sonny Rollins in "Wheatleigh Hall" off of Dizzy Gillespie's "Duets" record. Killin' stuff.

 

[patRICK4003]

Jon Lord's keyboard solo in Deep Purple's "Pictures of Home." His Hammond organ was an absolute beast. Actually every solo on that song is fantastic, including Roger Glover's bass solo:




And +1 to Coltrane and Mingus. Great stuff.

 

[Clark Dark]

Roland Kirk at work
with
Stanley Clarke
Lenny White
McCoy Tyner

 

[subject42]

I've always been partial to Ian Anderson's flute solo in "Locomotive Breath".

 

[mikerophone]

R2D2 solo: Invalid Link Removed (1:42)

 

[yrock]

Jethro Tull Flute Solo

 

[Gunnerhea86]

I've always loved the organ solo in "Green Eyed Lady" by Sugarloaf

 

[Deluge Of Sound]

Kid Koala's "Drunk Trumpet"

 

[zachoff]

Violent Femmes - Gone Daddy Gone xylophone solo.

 

[Passinwind]

That's easy...

John Coltrane's solo on "Transition".
If you dare-
that rocks my world pretty hard too.

 

[Lady Kayri]

I was a flute player long before I took up bass guitar. The record that got me interested in jazz was Frank Wess' "Flute of the Loom" and my favorite piece in it is his version of "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" complete with several flute solos.

 

[Vagabond]

I'd have to say that one of my favorites is definitely John Popper's awesome harmonica solo in "Hook" by Blues Traveler. It starts at around 2:31 in the following video:



I'm not even a big harmonica fan but I remember being completely blown away when I first heard this song...

 

[HaMMerHeD]

Freddy Lim's Er-hu work in 49 Theurgy Chains strikes me as particularly soulful.

 

[Marty Forrer]

Miles Davis on the Kind of Blue album, particularly So What.
Chick Corea on keys and the flute player (I forget) in Spain.
Most anything by Hank Jones (piano).
The Tower of Power horn section.

 

[BananaKing]

Cannonball Adderley's Solo on Milestones
Paul Desmond's solo on Tangerine on Dave Brubeck: Great Concerts: Amsterdam

 

[PhiDeck]

The solo violin intro to "A Lark Ascending" (Ralph Vaughan Williams) gets me every time.

In live performance, a drum solo stands out: Leon Joyce (Ramsey Lewis Trio) on a Chick Corea tune whose title escapes me, at Sarasota's Van Wezel Auditorium 2006-04-07 (Marian McPartland Trio opened).