A Closer Look at (and a Closer Listen to) Saxophones

For many, the word woodwind is just what it sounds like: wood wind. It conjures up visions of clarinets and oboes, those slender and hollow wooden tubes with holes drilled along their length. Musicians supply the power by blowing into those tubes, changing the sounds by closing and opening holes with their fingers. Wood-winds.

A Closer Look at (and a Closer Listen to) Saxophones

Bassoons have the longest and widest tubes of the woodwinds

And so the notes they play are deeper, lower on the scale. Clarinets have the shortest and narrowest tubes, so they’re able to play the whistling, peeping sounds up at the very squeaky top. In between are the oboes, in both size and sound. Oboes are the woodwinds capable of playing mournful tones, making them a prominent orchestral instrument.

An oboe always leads the orchestra’s tuning

Some say it’s because the instrument is very hard to tune. Others say its tone is easily heard throughout the orchestra, but so are many other instruments. Historians say the oboe was chosen long ago because it was one of the earliest woodwinds in what were predominately string orchestras. Tradition took care of the rest. And yes, orchestras always tune to ‘A’.

It was the first classical-jazz mongrel

One of the first jazz clarinet pieces opens George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, described by him as an experiment in modern music. Originally debuted at Carnegie Hall in 1924. It went viral, because it thrilled, shocked, and created a scandal in the music world. Today it’s a standard of many symphonic performances. Listen to the opening of the 1939 Warner Brothers film, Rhapsody in Blue here. The film starred Robert Alda as Gershwin, yes, that’s Hawkeye Pierce’s father, back in Crabapple Cove, Maine.

For a different experience, listen to Rhapsody in Blue(grass), played on Béla Fleck’s banjo.

Hipsters once called clarinets “licorice sticks”

Freed from playing only the notes on orchestral sheet music, clarinets got lively and made the jump to dixieland bands, jazz groups, and big band jazz orchestras. The King of Swing, big band leader Benny Goodman played the clarinet. His Moonglow is one of the sweetest clarinets we’ll ever hear. Young Moderns know it from The Aviator soundtrack. Here’s the original 1936 recording.

The smallest and lightest woodwind is a piccolo

Composers used piccolos in the 1700s to add higher notes than existing instruments were able to play. Shrill, shrieking, piercing, say detractors. Graceful and delicate, adding sparkle and color, say the fans, bird sounds. Listen to this 10-second clip and you tell me what a piccolo sounds like.

Flutes are tweety sorts of instruments, too

Just below the piccolo in pitch is the flute. It’s longer and has a wider tube, thus producing lower notes. Musicians say the flute is easier to play because it requires less air pressure.

A fife is a keyless flute with finger holes

Like the flute, it’s played sideways, or is it sidewards? Either way, you hold it to one side and blow across it. I only know two. One is in the famous painting from the Revolutionary War, marching alongside a sharp sounds of two snare drum and the heavy thumping of the bass drums. The other is Barney, Mayberry’s Deputy Sheriff.

Now you’d think that’s the end of woodwinds, wouldn’t you? As it turns out, there are a bunch of bigger woodwinds that aren’t made of wood. Metalwinds? The golf industry makes the cognitively dissonant metalwoods, so why not?

Let’s go back to the first musical instruments

Most agree tapping with sticks or stones that made different sounds was probably the earliest music. If you’ve seen any of the old Ramar of the Jungle or Tarzan black and white tv, you know the natives beat on logs in ways that gave safarigoers the chills. When we heard the words “jungle drums,” we knew trouble was on the way.

Why wouldn’t the cavemen (period-correct) try to imitate some of the sounds birds make and the tunes they play? Sure, plenty would. They had lots of time on their hands.

The horn was next

Like most things that’ve been around for forty or fifty thousand years, no one knows who invented the horn. What’s most likely is that it was discovered before it was invented. Horns surely came from nature, what with the prehistorics not figuring out metal yet. In hunter and gatherer days, there were hollow sticks and bones lying around everywhere. Many people would have idly picked one up and accidentally made a sound with it.

People living along ocean shores around the world blew into shells and found the conch made a sound that carried across the waters

For a while, there were enough of these snails lying about that you had your pick. Connoisseures insisted on the very best, and from there it was only a short step to master craftsmen (period-correct) making them for others. And finally, manufacturers cranked out mass-production models.

Horns

Horns are one-piece, single-bore instruments, cylinders made from a single piece of material. They have a mouthpiece at one end and a flared bell at the other. The hole down the middle of the shaft is called the bore, the same word they use to describe the hole where the bullet comes out.

Horns may be straight, bent, or curly ones that wrap around you

The first Alpine horns (later, alphorns) were made from the hollowed-out trunks of pine and spruce trees. Put that in your carry-on or marching band. Herdsmen (etc) used them to send signals from one mountain to the next.

Why aren’t saxophones on the list?

Because saxes use a reed the same way clarinets do.

The saxophone was invented nearly 200 years ago by Adolphe Sax, maker of clarinets and flutes. It is said that he started out to invent a bass clarinet. As the sax grows longer, the airway grows wider, ending in what is called a bell because that’s what it looks like. It started by playing classical music, but was deemed “too brassy” by many.

This bent metal tube is the only instrument said to wail

Saxophones are mechanical flutes. Saxes were a major component of the big band sounds of the late 1930s and the early 1940s. Glenn Miller’s American swing dance band had five silky sax players and their In The Mood was a favorite of swing dancers everywhere. How many people today have any of those moves kids had more than 80 (!) years ago?

The most famous jazz saxophone is likely Paul Desmond’s solo heard on Dave Brubeck’s Take Five. Dig those cats wearing straight world suits, white shirts, and ties (think Blues Brothers) and playing jazz anything but square. They were the original hipsters, keeping low profiles.

Saxes played a big part in the early development of rock and roll music, too.

Get those moves on American Bandstand in 1958 when The Champs played Tequila live. Fireworks and huge stage shows weren’t important then. It was the music.
Junior Walker played saxophone on the hit song Shotgun. When the vocalist didn’t show up at the 1965 recording session, Junior played his sax and sang the lead, too.
Yakkety Sax was actually a country song that Benny Hill later used as his tv theme song. Here’s a rare video clip of Boots Randolph playing with country music legends guitarist Chet Atkins and pianist Floyd Cramer on the Jimmy Dean Show in 1965. Yep, the guy with the sausages.
Sam the Sham (Domingo Samudio) and the Pharaohs had a Number One Hit with the Number One Easiest-to-Play Garage Band Song, Wooly Bully. How about those costumes, so awful that they’re wonderful? When asked what the heck an L7 is, Sam said make it with your hands and you’ll see L7 is a square (hipster slang for someone boring and uncool). Next time some knuckleheads give you any of that 6,7 crap, give them an L7.

Saxophones moved from Sixties rock to Seventies funk

Watch and listen to the twin saxes on the Average White Band’s Pick Up the Pieces, from 1974.
Now watch and listen to the Commodores’ Brick House. Ya mon, that’s Lionel Richie in the second row. If you want to hear just the bass line, listen to 9-year-old Ellen Alaverdyan get funky.
You’ve heard Kool & The Gang’s Hollywood Swinging on the New Balance tv ad over at ispot.tv.
The three saxes, one trumpet horn section of KC and The Sunshine Band was the fellas from the Miami Junkanoo Band, and don’t they have some fine steps? If you’ve never seen Barbara Eden shimmy like your sister Kate to KC’s Boogie Shoes in a floor-length satin dress, I found this for you over at RetroTVCentral. Is that Heather Thomas, added to the clip for lovers of snug jeans?
Tower of Power was an early funk and soul band drenched in horns, as they say. Tiny Desk Concert got all 10 band members in the studio, with their famous five-piece horn section front and center.

And who doesn’t know the Pink Panther saxophone? Here it is, played by Tubby Hayes in 1964.

No, I did not forget Kenny G

It’s because I side with the gang over at HiFiAppreciations.wordpress.com. Here’s what their Automated Search Agent (I call them ASAs) delivered.

“Kenny G’s music has been a subject of controversy and criticism among jazz enthusiasts and musicians. Here are some reasons why:

Lack of authenticity: Many jazz purists believe that Kenny G’s music is not genuine jazz, but rather a commercialized and watered-down version of the genre. They argue that his music lacks the complexity, nuance, and emotional depth that defines traditional jazz.

Overemphasis on commercial appeal: Kenny G’s music is often criticized for being overly focused on commercial appeal, with a focus on creating a smooth, easy-listening sound that appeals to a broad audience. This has led some to accuse him of sacrificing artistic integrity for financial gain.

Perceived lack of technical skill: Some critics argue that Kenny G’s playing style is not technically impressive, with a focus on smooth, soulful phrasing rather than complex improvisation or technical virtuosity.

Association with “smooth jazz”: Kenny G is often associated with the “smooth jazz” genre, which is seen as a watered-down, commercialized version of jazz. This has led to a perception that his music is not “real” jazz.

Perceived lack of emotional depth: Some critics argue that Kenny G’s music lacks emotional depth and sincerity, with a focus on creating a pleasant, background sound rather than conveying a deeper message or emotional resonance.

Criticisms from other jazz musicians: Many notable jazz musicians, including Miles Davis and Pat Metheny, have publicly criticized Kenny G’s music, with some accusing him of being a “sellout” or a “poseur”.

Perceived lack of respect for tradition**: Some critics argue that Kenny G’s music does not pay sufficient respect to the traditions and roots of jazz, with a focus on creating a modern, commercial sound rather than honoring the genre’s history and heritage.

It’s worth noting that these criticisms are not universally held, and many people enjoy Kenny G’s music and appreciate his contributions to the genre. However, these are some of the reasons why his music has been criticized and disliked by some jazz enthusiasts and musicians.”