Alto saxophone

The saxophone is one of, if not, the most played woodwind instruments available. It is just a very popular instrument in general for its unique sound, instrument variations and versatility, and difficulty of play. The instrument is generally made out of brass metal and produces sound through the vibration of a reed, or a piece of wood put in the mouthpiece of the instrument. The sound travels through the inside of the horn and comes out at the end projecting it out with a pitch (or note). The…

experience. Another interesting part that was new to me that there was one or two instruments that I’ve never seen in my life. I’m assuming that one of the instruments that I’ve never seen before belonged to the saxophone family. It looked like it was a mixture of a clarinet and a saxophone. I really liked the sound of the trumpets which was surprising to me because hearing the trumpet perform was not my cup of tea, and after hearing them at this concert it change my view towards trumpets.…

On October 16, 2015, I attended a concert called An American in Paris. The orchestra contained woodwinds, strings, percussion, and brass instruments. The concert began at 10:30 am and ended around 12:30 pm. Furthermore, it was located at Powell Symphony Hall. At this concert, I listened to professional musicians perform music that was composed by Bernstein, Copland, and Gershwin. Three Dance episodes from On the Town, Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront, Piano Concerto, and An American in…

Sound It Out. As explained to the audience, Ms. Sanchez is going to record soon with this group of relentless explorers/improvisers who are strictly connected to the modern-creative jazz scene. Its members are Chris Speed on tenor saxophone, Michael Attias on alto saxophone; Thomas Heberer on trumpet, Kirk Knuffke on cornet, Ben Goldberg on clarinet, Omar Tamez on guitar and percussion, John Hébert on double bass, and Sam Ospovat on drums. The welcoming composition called “Big Weirdo” is a…

And All That Jazz When someone mentions the word jazz most people probably picture something along the lines of a saxophone player standing on a street corner in the French quarter of New Orleans. Or a thought of the roaring 20s' and imagine your self at a party where everyone is dancing to the sound of a live band with trumpets, saxophones, and trombones. However these are actually surprisingly accurate to what jazz really is. But how did such an innovative type of music come about? Who was…

The saxophone is still considered, and in many ways, will always be the youngest wind instrument to have a foothold in western classical music. Having been developed and patented by instrument creator and businessman Adolphe Sax in 1846, the saxophone had already missed out on much of the literature and masterworks written for other wind instruments centuries before its time. Additionally, much of the major classical musical works written for the instrument happened during its constant…

other notable musicians in the way he held his saxophone but through his various ways of phrasing while playing. Instead of driving it forward and playing on the beat, similar to the influential tenor saxophonist, Coleman Hawkins, Young held it back bringing a more relaxed feeling to it. American jazz vocalist and songwriter, Billie Holiday, recognized Young’s great talent and therefore nicknamed him “The Prez”, the president of the tenor saxophone. Lester Young released his first recording “Oh,…

What would you do if you were in a band with your friends, but you wanted to join the town jazz band? Mel wants to do exactly that, but he also wants to stay loyal to his friends. They are all in a garage band, and Mel thinks he is getting pretty good. Because of this he wants to join the all-city jazz band. He feels like he would be even better if he joined them. I think that Mel should join the jazz band. If he joins the band he will learn to play even better than he already does. He can…

Texas State Jazz Ensemble: Special Guess Steve Houghton- Music Critique The Texas State Jazz ensemble, with special guest drummer Steve Houghton, was filled with an uplifting set list. A mixture of trumpets, drums, piano, saxophones, bass, guitar, and trombones played harmoniously with distinct soloist for each song. The Texas State Jazz ensemble did a wonderful job, especially their solo performers. Steve Houghton was also quite fantastic, living up to his name. The overall experience was very…

spoke about in class there was a blues piece called Nasty Blues and the sound nailed all the sounds of jazz. The opening bit of the song started with the bass player walking while the drummer gave the pulse as the piano player was soloing. During the alto solo, the player really showcased what blues was about, the player utilized falls, bends, and glisses. There were 9 soloist’s in all the last two that stood out were the bass player and guitar. The bass player transitioned very smooth and the…