Jazz Saxophone 101: Where Did It Come From? Where Did It Go?
The Birth of The Sax
“The saxophone is only a few instruments in wide use today known to be invented by a single individual,” (Yamaha).
In 1841 Adolphe Sax threw himself into the invention of the saxophone. At the age of 24 Sax created the saxophone in Belgium. He aimed for “integrating the projection of brass instruments, with the flexibility of woodwinds,” ( Lacey-Corcoran). It's said that Sax began this invention of the brass instrument due to the loss of 8 of his siblings. Sax also wanted an instrument that could blend nicely with a string orchestra and create a unique sound. Unhappy with the sound of the instrument Sax switched the brass mouthpiece with a bass clarinet mouthpiece. The body of the instrument was also switched from a tube to brass due to the fact that it was harder to the shape with a tube and unsuccessful with a wood body. Sax also put a 15 year patent on the instrument and unfortunately had to fight opponents of his design for almost 20 years. Out of Sax’s original design 8 variants of the instrument emerged. With this in mind the saxophone was to spread across sopranino to subcontrabass sounds. In conclusion, Adolphe Sax started the wave of an instrument that could be used in many different musical situations due to its vast variety of sounds.
Why Did The Saxophone Get Involved In Jazz?
Before jazz, musical genres that were commonplace in America were symphony orchestras, military bands such as the John Philip Sousa band, polka bands, and folk songs. The saxophone was already a common instrument in the US by the time jazz was invented. The reasons why the earliest forms of jazz use wind instruments from military bands are simply because they were available to the musicians of the time. Early New Orleans styles of jazz utilized instruments such as trumpet/cornet, trombone, banjo, drums, sometimes tuba, and clarinet. Clarinet was really the first reed instrument to be used in jazz, and was standard in all sorts of jazz bands for many years. Even though big bands lead by Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Woody Allen mainly had a saxophone section as part of the ensemble, it was not uncommon for a clarinet to be used as well. According to Rusty Aceves from sfjazz.org, “The late 40s saw the explosive rise of bebop, and with the exception of a few superlative artists like Buddy DeFranco and Edmond Hall, the clarinet was largely pushed to the side in favor of its younger brass cousin, the saxophone, as the primary wind instrument of the period” (Aceves). The sax proved to be slightly more versatile than the clarinet and was capable of tones that quickly became a staple of jazz music. However, the same as its use in military bands, a large factor that led to its use in bands was the fact that it can play much louder than clarinets. Another huge reason why saxophones became a staple jazz instrument is because many early jazz musicians who set the standards for certain jazz styles were saxophone players.
Here is 2 hours of New Orleans style Jazz, can you hear the clarinet?
And here is an example of modern jazz clarinet playing!
Pioneer Jazz Saxophonists
Swing Jazz: Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Hawkins is most known for his original playing style that helped bring the saxophone to prominence in jazz music. He is the father of the tenor saxophone. He was one of the first jazz players to fully understand the chord progressions and was an influencer of a lot of jazz saxophonists of the swing era. Hawkins had a full, deep sound in jazz, which was expected in jazz on the tenor sax in jazz music. Because Hawkins is one of the strongest improvisers in jazz history, he made melodically complex lines in his solos, and the sense of urgency and attention that just demanded the audience’s attention influenced the style of swing which he is famous for, and putting the instrument front and center in the development of jazz.
Bebop Jazz: Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker is very well known for being one of the best jazz greats in music, along with inventing the early style of jazz called bebop with Dizzy Gillespie. When it was first created in the 40s, it was not popular because it was not danceable, and there were a lot of differences between it and swing. According to the New Yorker, Bebop is defined as “harmonic and rhythmic complexification of jazz, based on the substitution of a new and more elaborate framework of chords for the ones originally anchoring pop songs.” Parker turned his solos into a “jittery and skittering rope dance of chord changes” that made his melodies and imagination more astounding.
Free Jazz: John Coltrane
John Coltrane is best known for becoming an iconic jazz figure in the 20th century because of albums like ‘Giant Steps,’ ‘My Favorite Things,’ and ‘A Love Supreme.’ His name is known in free jazz because of his improvisation. His improv style consisted of dense but patterned lines with high speed arpeggios, and fast scale patterns. Coltrane’s influences stretched over styles and genres, and across cultural boundaries. His sound and style led into the modern style of jazz that is most prominent today.
Where Is It Now?
The saxophone is mainly used in jazz even today, but it’s use has evolved from Big Band and Bebop. Jazz brought the saxophone to the spotlight and influenced other styles of music to incorporate the instrument. The individuality and rasp of the sax contribute to the texture of jazz music. People found its unique qualities interesting and decided to expand where these qualities are expressed. The instrument is used in a variety of classical music, solo pieces, military bands, some rock and roll, and pop as well. The Saxophone was introduced to military bands in the early 20th century. The Sax was used in some symphonies and chamber music in the 1900s. Debussy even used the Saxophone in some of his orchestras. Modernly, the saxophone is used in some rock music like Bruce Springsteen's “Jungleland” or “Us and Them” by Pink Floyd. The saxophone has also shown its character in the pop music genre. Bon Iver likes to use some saxophone in his music like “PDLIF” to add expression. Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars use a saxophone in “Uptown Funk” to really spice up the chorus. My uncle plays the saxophone in a reggae rock band called Ian Ayer’s and the soul purpose. Overall, the use of the saxophone has evolved to many genres of music. It’s unique texture and style add a lot of character to new genres it is introduced to.
Examples
MY UNCLE
Pop
Rock
Division Of Labor
Birth Of The Sax - Ryan Lelli
Why Did The Saxophone Get Involved In Jazz?/Blog Posting - Aidan Hille
Pioneer Jazz Saxophonists - Carl Reese
Where Is It Now? - Jake Kesling
Works Cited
Aceves, Rusty. “Evolution of the Clarinet in Jazz.” Www.sfjazz.org, 16 Nov. 2020, www.sfjazz.org/onthecorner/evolution-clarinet-jazz/.
Biography.com Editors. “Charlie Parker.” Biography, 24 Nov. 2014, www.biography.com/musician/charlie-parker.
Eveno, Pauline, et al. “Saxophone Practice in Rock Music | Sax in Music Genres.” Www.syos.co, www.syos.co/blog/music/saxophone-rock. Accessed 6 Dec. 2021.
“History - Why Saxophone Is so Common in Jazz Music?” Music: Practice & Theory Stack Exchange, 15 Mar. 2016, music.stackexchange.com/questions/42730/why-saxophone-is-so-common-in-jazz-music. Accessed 6 Dec. 2021.
“John Coltrane.” Biography, A&E Television Networks, 2 Apr. 2014, www.biography.com/musician/john-coltrane.
Lacey-Corcoran, Denise. “When Was the Saxophone Invented? The History of Adolphe Sax.” Notestem, 19 Oct. 2020, www.notestem.com/blog/saxophone-invented/. Accessed 6 Dec. 2021.
MasterClass Staff. “What Is Free Jazz?” Masterclass.com, 10 Oct. 2021, www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-free-jazz#what-is-free-jazz.
Morrison, Nick. “Coleman Hawkins: Tenor Saxophone, Front and Center.” NPR.org, 21 Nov. 2012, www.npr.org/sections/ablogsupreme/2012/11/21/165676111/coleman-hawkins-tenor-saxophone-front-and-center.
Nast, Condé. “How Charlie Parker Defined the Sound and Substance of Bebop Jazz.” The New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2020, www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/how-charlie-parker-defined-the-sound-and-substance-of-bebop-jazz#:~:text=The%20roots%20of%20bebop%20were. Accessed 6 Dec. 2021.
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Coleman Hawkins | American Musician.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Coleman-Hawkins.
“The Saxophone in Pop Music: 1950s to Today.” Musika Lessons Blog, 13 Oct. 2016, www.musikalessons.com/blog/2016/10/the-saxophone-in-pop-music/.
Verity, Michael. “How Did Jazz Saxophone Styles Evolve?” LiveAbout, 2019, www.liveabout.com/a-history-of-the-saxophone-in-jazz-2039580.
Yamaha. “The Origins of the Saxophone:The Birth of the Saxophone - Musical Instrument Guide - Yamaha Corporation.” Yamaha.com, 2020, www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/saxophone/structure/.
---. “The Structure of the Saxophone:Jazz Saxophones and Classical Saxophones - Musical Instrument Guide - Yamaha Corporation.” Yamaha.com, 2020, www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/saxophone/mechanism/mechanism004.html.
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