Baritone saxophone

musician Charlie Parker once said, “Don’t play the saxophone. Let it play you”. Since first picking up a saxophone, this has been my motto to live by. When I let out my first note, my life was completely turned around. Five years ago, I had no idea I would be the best saxophonist in my class. I could not play one instrument, much less four. Also, ten year old me did not know the definition of composition, let alone how to make one. Playing the saxophone has caused my school experience, and my…

Holiday in the song, “Love Me or Leave Me.” She contributes a strong vocal presence while the trumpet, alto saxophone, and piano compliment her voice. The trumpet and the alto saxophone lead off the song and Billie Holiday joins in powerfully at 00:17. Her voice seems to dominate at times, particularly towards the end of each chorus. During most of Holiday’s verse, the trumpet and alto saxophone are not as clearly noticeable as they are during the introduction or at times of improvisation in the…

I attended Crestwood’s 7th and 8th Grade Band Seasonal Winter Concert. The ensemble consisted of Crestwood’s 7th and 8th Grade Kentwood students. The performance was conducted by Crestwood’s music instructor, Jason Townsend. In total, there were 13 pieces performed, but 6 pieces of them were played as an ensemble. Other pieces were simply solo and ensemble music performed by 7th and 8th Grade students. Solo and ensemble pieces were “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” performed by A. Adhikari, Q.…

music is written by putting the expression on the paper, rather than leaving it up for interpretation. Miller also changed the way Jazz music is written by changing the set-up of the orchestra. He changed it so the clarinets would have the melody, saxophones had the harmony, and then the brass was added for countermelodies. He also inspired many musicians by his drive for his desires and will never allow “no” for an answer. Glenn Miller lived an interesting life, was different from the other…

They all had different personalities, but worked together in such a way that all of the baritone players they had authority over respected them. When I became an upperclassman in the band and had other beginning learners start looking to me for support, I found that I could call upon the lessons I learned from their teaching and the way they…

very slow, and the dynamics were mezzo-forte, meaning moderately loud. Performed in D minor, with an alto saxophone solo towards the beginning of the piece, this piece was magnificent, and was definitely a great opener for the concert. The student who performed the alto saxophone solo did an exquisite job. My grandmother and I, and the rest of the audience, was blown away by the alto saxophone solo, as well as by the entire orchestra as a…

In 1974, Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters performed live in Germany. Pianist Herbie Hancock was accompanied by Bennie Maupin on saxophone, Paul Jackson on electric bass, Mike Clark on drums, and Bill Summer on percussion. The group performed a total of 5 songs including “Palm Grease”, “Sly”, “Butterfly”, “Spank A Lee”, and “Chameleon”. The second track performed in the concert is “Sly” and runs for ten minutes. The song begins with saxophonist Bennie Maupin playing while the rest of the group…

Jazz Concert Report The performance I had attended for this report was the Winter Jazz Concert. At the concert they played six musical selections, five of which were original compositions, making them far more difficult. In this report, I will be discussing the pieces I heard that night at the performance. As a side note, though I have gone to the concert, my memories of every detail in the pieces are a bit hazy since I was not able to recored the performance. For this reason I will be using…

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,…

played the alto saxophone. Unlike my bandmates, I did not know how to read music then. I played by ear, and whatever scale, jazz run, or chromatic I heard, I could play it back just like that. I played at numerous of black history programs and different events at school. My favorite saxophonist was Kenneth Williams, and I told myself that I want to play with him. Who knew that my dream would come true. As I pushed through the metal doors of Greenville High School carrying my saxophone in my…