Tenor saxophone

called to attention everyone yells “Pride!” really REALLY loud!! And in that moment when everyone is standing still under the stadium lights it really makes you think about how far you all have come together as a band and a group Saxophones Dennis is our lead saxophone player. He has taught me so much and has helped me out more than words can say. He is graduating this year and I’m not sure what band is going to be like without him. Uniforms It takes everyone about 30 minutes just to get into…

band; it included about four of each horn (saxophone, trumpet, and trombone), an upright bass, a piano, and a drumset. The group played several big band standards like Take the A-Train, the famous song originally played by Duke Ellington’s big band and sung by Ella Fitzgerald. Since there were no vocalists in the band, every song was arranged as an instrumental. The set was kicked off by a tune written by shorty rogers,…

first listen. It is written in a chromatic key, with no clear major or minor tonality. After the homophonic beginning of unison rhythms, Xerxes transitions into a monophonic woodwind feature that weaves its way through the flutes, clarinets, and saxophones. After this another monophonic flute solo takes precedence with a…

On Friday, July 10th, the local instrumental jazz group Yuma Jazz Company played at Lutes Casino for a couple of hours. The instrumentation was fairly standard for a jazz group, with trumpet, saxophone, guitar, double bass, and drums (I believe those were electric). The guitar and bass, along with the drums, served as a sort of basso continuo, generally backing the horns, but occasionally taking up the melody for themselves, resulting in a texture that was thinly polyphonic. Also noticeable was…

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…

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…

There are certain circles within the music world that hold firm to the belief that this art form is of the purest and most abstract, and should remain so, while others think music should remain open to as many people as possible. Within the context of the 21st century, the later positon has become increasingly important to adopt, not only for the continued success of this art form, but to inspire and motivate positive change in the world. The current project under consideration, titled Divided…

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…

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.…