Famous Saxophone Songs

On of the Famous Saxophone Songs is Yakety Sax.

Yakety Sax

Yakety Sax is a piece of music written by James Q. "Spider" Rich, and released as a 45 rpmsingle by Boots Randolph in 1963.

The composition includes pieces of assorted fiddle tunes such as "Chicken Reel", and was written for a performance at a venue called The Armory in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. There are also two bars of "Entrance of the Gladiators" worked into it.

The song is not to be confused with the Leiber and Stoller song "Yakety Yak", recorded in 1958 by The Coasters. The tunes are similar, and both feature the "yakety sax" sound, but have distinctly different melodies. Randolph had recorded an earlier version of "Yakety Sax" that year for RCA Victor, but it was not until his rerecording for Monument Records that it became a standard.

Another famous song is As Time Goes By.

"As Time Goes By" is a song written by Herman Hupfeld in 1931. It became most famous in 1942 when it was sung by Sam (Dooley Wilson) in the movie Casablanca. The song was voted #2 on the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs special, commemorating the best songs in film.

It has been covered numerous times.

Famous Saxophonists

Charlie "Bird" Parker

Born:

August 29,1920, his real name is Charles Christopher Parker, Jr. and was the only child of Charles and Addle Parker.

Birthplace:

Kansas City, Kansas

Died:

March 12, 1955 in New York Cit

y while watching Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra on tv. He was then staying at his friend's house, the Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter.

Contribution to Jazz Music:

Influenced the development of "

bop" in the 1940's and one of the greatest improvising soloists in jazz.

Early Years:

He took music lessons in a public school and started playing the alto saxophone at the age of 13. In 1935 he left school to become a professional musician and joined different jazz groups in Kansas City.

Becoming Famous:

In the early 1940's Parker's name started to appear in the music press. He joined Jay McShann's band touring the states of Chicago and New

York. In 1941 he had his first recording session in Dallas. He then joined Earl Hines band and in 1944 they formed the Billy Eckstine's band.

Notable Performances:

In 1945, Parker had his own group

and worked with Dizzy Gillespie to much extent. They later took their style of playing to Hollywood where they had a six-week playing engagement. Parker continued to work in Los Angeles performing in nightclubs and concerts.

Personal Struggles:

In 1946 he was confined to a hospital because of his addiction to alcohol and heroin causing him to have a nervous breakdown. In 1947 he formed a quintet and they did recordings of his favorite pieces. He continued to perform in different venues and earned well. In 1951 his license was revoked preventing him from performing in New York.

Final Years:

His last years were beset with personal and financ

ial struggles. He twice attempted suicid

e in 1954 but voluntarily checked himself in a hospital to seek help. March 5, 1955 marked his last performance at Birdland, a New York club named after him.

Music Samples:

Hot House (1945)
Ko-Ko (Savoy, 1945)
Parker's Mood (Savoy, 1948)

John Coltrane

Born:

September 23, 1926

Birthplace:

Hamlet, North Carolina

Died:

July 17, 1967 after suffering from a severe abdominal pain.

Contribution to Jazz Music:

He revolutionized jazz through his unique musical style and many musicians continue to imitate him to this day. He is known as the leading tenorsaxophonist in jazz,

Early Years:

He grew up in High Point, North Carolina where at an early age he learned how to play the E-flat alto horn and clarinet. When he was 15, he took up playing the alto saxophone. His family moved to Philadelphia where he enrolled at the Ornstein School of Music and the Granoff Studios. Coltrane then served in a navy band in Hawaii. He switched from the alto to the tenor saxophone in 1947 to work with Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson.

Becoming Famous:

Coltrane made his first recording with Dizzy Gillespie in 1949. In 1953, he became a member of Johnny Hodges' septet. Two years after, in 1955, Coltrane leapt to fame while being a part of Miles Davis' quintet.

Notable Performances:

His album "A Love Supreme" was a celebration of his triumph over his personal struggles. He performed in Thelonious Monk's quartet on December 1957 then rejoined Davis and worked with other musicians. He formed his own group in 1960 and they made their debut at New York's Jazz Gallery.

Personal Struggles:

He became addicted to drugs and alcohol during the 1950's and it greatly affected his profession. Coltrane serves as an inspiration as he successfully overcame his addictions and found personal and spiritual growth. His album, "A Love Supreme", is a testament of his triumph.

Final Years:

Coltrane continued to inspire his audience and fellow artists for all his efforts at supporting new musicians, his strong religious beliefs and his energetic and peaceful presence. He continued to forward jazz music until his death at the age of 40 due to liver problems.

Music Samples:

My Favorite Things (Atlantic, 1960)
Chasin The Trane (Impulse, 1961)
Alabama (Impulse, 1963)

Stan Getz

Born:

February 2, 1927, his family was originally from Ukraine.

Birthplace:

Philadelphia

Died:

June 6, 1991 in Malibu, California due to cancer.

Contribution to Jazz Music:

He was nicknamed "The Sound" due to his own unique, polished style. He is considered one of America's top tenor saxophone players.

Early Years:

At the age of 6, Getz was already interested in music instruments. At 12 he played the harmonica until his school's band director chose him to play the bass. It was then that he realized he had a rare gift. At 13, his father gave him an alto-sax, he became particularly interested in the tenor sax. In his teen years he received training by playing in Jack Teagarden's bands. In 1944 he joined Stan Kenton's band and played with Jimmy Dorsey in 1945. He then played with Benny Goodman until 1946.

Becoming Famous:

His popularity rose when he became part of Woody Herman's Second Herd. He was one of the original members of "The Four Brothers" sax section. With the recording of "Early Autumn" while playing with the Woody Herman Band, his popularity continued to rise. He worked with different talented musicians and in 1961 helped make bossa nova more popular. Bossa nova is a mix of jazz and samba.

Notable Performances:

With his quartet, he recorded "The Girl From Ipanema" which topped the charts in 1964. During the 70's he continued to play in Europe and after that at the Rainbow Grill in the U.S.

Personal Struggles:

He was incarcerated for drugs in 1954. He tried to fight his addiction by moving to Denmark in 1958. He once again had problems with the law due to drug use in 1969. He moved to Spain and stopped performing until 1971 when he began playing with an organ band in Europe.

Final Years:

Getz did a lot of recording during the 80's and it is said that he recorded more than 300 pieces until the time of his death.

Parts of the Saxophone

History of Saxophone

The history of the saxophone can be traced back over 150 years. Although this seems like a long time, the saxophone is one of the newer instruments in the musical spectrum. It was invented by and named for Antoine-Joseph (Adolphe) Sax. He was an expert instrument maker and talented musician. The saxophone was patented on March 20, 1846. It has since become a necessity in every band due to its tonal beauty and versatility.

Sax grew up in the trade of instrument making. Sax's father was an expert in instrument making. By the age of six, Sax had already become an expert in it as well. Sax, being the musician he was, became aware of the tonal disparity between strings and winds: moreover, that between brasses and woodwinds. The strings were being overpowered by the winds and the woodwinds were being overblown by the brasses. Sax needed an instrument that would balance the three sections. His answer to the problem was a horn with the body of a brass instrument and the mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument. When he combined these two elements, the saxophone was born.

The first saxophone, a C bass, was displayed for the first time, in 1841, to the famous composer, Hector Berlioz. He was amazed at its versatility, unique tone, and control of dynamics. In 1842, Sax moved to Paris to introduce his new instrument to the rest of the world. Soon to follow was the creation of an entire saxophone family: fourteen different saxophones in all. Each differed by size and pitch. They were the: E flat sopranino, F sopranino, B flat soprano, C soprano, E flat alto, F alto, B flat tenor, C tenor, E flat baritone, B flat bass, C bass, E flat contrabass, and F contrabass. Many of these variations, however, are seldom used or have become obsolete.

The saxophone finally became known as an integral part of all bands in 1845. This is the year of the famous "battle of the bands". The French Army band was still using "traditional" instrumentation. Sax saw this as an opportunity to show the world how the saxophone could improve the tonal quality in all bands. He suggested a contest between an army band composed of the original orchestral instrumentation against a band with an instrumentation that included saxophones. Sax’s band of twenty-eight men, compared to the French Army band of thirty-five, overwhelmed the crowd. That day, the saxophone was officially introduced into the French Army Band and soon to all other bands.

Many composers began to write music for the saxophone, but it was not until about seventy-five years later that the saxophone began to be used to play dance music. However, to do this the saxophone needed to be altered. Originally, the sax was designed to have a smooth, mellow, and balanced tone. This had to be changed so it could compete with the blaring trumpets, noisy drums, shuffling feet, and loud talking that accompanied the surroundings of early twentieth century dance bands. The mouthpiece of the sax was made smaller and more parallel. This gave the sax the loud, obnoxious sound needed for jazz and dance music. Since this metamorphosis, the saxophone has been thought of as primarily a jazz instrument.

Today, many people enjoy the wonderful music produced by the saxophone. The beautiful sound of a sax quintet or a blaring jazz soloist can be heard all around the world. The saxophone has become a part of almost every style of music. It is being played everywhere from night clubs to football fields. The saxophone is truly one of the great musical instruments in our existence.