Saxophone

An alto saxophone in E♭
Classification	Wind, woodwind Aerophone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	422.212-71 (Single-reeded aerophone with keys)
Inventor(s)	Adolphe Sax
Developed	28th June 1846[1]
Playing range
Related instruments
Military band family: Sopranino saxophone Soprano saxophone Alto saxophone Tenor saxophone Baritone saxophone Bass saxophone Contrabass saxophone Subcontrabass saxophone Orchestral family: C soprano saxophone Mezzo-soprano saxophone C melody saxophone Other saxophones: Sopranissimo saxophone ('Soprillo') Tubax
Musicians
List of saxophonists

Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone

The saxophone^[2] (also referred to as the sax) is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet.^[3] The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846.^[4] He wanted to create an instrument that would be the most powerful and vocal of the woodwinds, and the most adaptive of the brass—that would fill the vacant middle ground between the two sections. He patented the sax on June 28, 1846 in two groups of seven instruments each. Each series consisted of instruments of various sizes in alternating transposition. The series pitched in B♭ and E♭, designed for military bands, has proved extremely popular and most saxophones encountered today are from this series. Instruments from the so-called "orchestral" series pitched in C and F never gained a foothold.

Bill Clinton plays the saxophone he received as a gift from Boris Yeltsin at a dinner party in 1994

While proving very popular in military band music, the saxophone is most commonly associated with jazz and classical music. There is substantial repertoire of concert music in the classical idiom for the members of the saxophone family. Saxophone players are called saxophonists.^[5]

History[link]

The saxophone was developed in 1846 by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian-born instrument maker, flautist, and clarinetist working in Paris.^[6] While still working at his father's instrument shop in Brussels, Sax began developing an instrument with the projection of a brass instrument and the agility of a woodwind. He wanted the instrument to overblow at the octave, unlike the clarinet, which rises in pitch by a twelfth when overblown. An instrument that overblew at the octave would have identical fingering for both registers.

Prior to his work on the saxophone, Sax made several improvements to the bass clarinet by improving its keywork and acoustics and extending its lower range. Sax was also a maker of the then-popular ophicleide, a large conical brass instrument in the bass register with keys similar to a woodwind instrument. His experience with these two instruments allowed him to develop the skills and technologies needed to make the first saxophones. Adolphe Sax created an instrument with a single reed mouthpiece like a clarinet, conical brass body like an ophicleide, and the acoustic properties of both the French horn and the clarinet.

Having constructed saxophones in several sizes in the early 1840s, Sax applied for, and received, a 15-year patent for the instrument on June 28, 1846.^[7] The patent encompassed 14 versions of the fundamental design, split into two categories of seven instruments each and ranging from sopranino to contrabass. Although the instruments transposed at either F or C have been considered "orchestral," there is no evidence that Sax intended this. As only 3 percent of Sax's surviving production were pitched in F and C, and as contemporary composers used the E♭ alto and B♭ bass saxophone freely in orchestral music, it is almost certain that Sax experimented to find the most suitable keys for these instruments, settling upon instruments alternating between E♭ and B♭ rather than those pitched in F and C, for reasons of tone and economy (the saxophones were the most expensive wind instruments of their day). The C soprano saxophone was the only instrument to sound at concert pitch. All the instruments were given an initial written range from the B below the treble staff to the F, one space above the three ledger lines above staff, giving each saxophone a range of two and a half octaves.

Sax's patent expired in 1866;^[8] thereafter numerous saxophonists and instrument manufacturers implemented their own improvements to the design and keywork. The first substantial modification was by a French manufacturer who extended the bell slightly and added an extra key to extend the range downwards by one semitone to B♭. It is suspected that Sax himself may have attempted this modification. This extension is now commonplace in almost all modern designs, along with other minor changes such as added keys for alternate fingerings.

Sax's original keywork, which was based on the Triebert system 3 oboe for the left hand and the Boehm clarinet for the right, was very simplistic and made playing some legato passages and wide intervals extremely difficult to finger, so numerous developers added extra keys and alternate fingerings to make chromatic playing less difficult. While the early saxophone had two separate octave vents to assist in the playing of the upper registers just as modern instruments do, players of Sax's original design had to operate these via two separate octave keys operated by the left thumb. A substantial advancement in saxophone keywork was the development of a method by which the left thumb operates both tone holes with a single octave key, which is now universal on modern saxophones. One of the most radical, however temporary, revisions of saxophone keywork was made in the 1950s by M. Houvenaghel of Paris, who completely redeveloped the mechanics of the system to allow a number of notes (C♯, B, A, G, F and E♭) to be flattened by a semitone simply by lowering the right middle finger. This enables a chromatic scale to be played over two octaves simply by playing the diatonic scale combined with alternately raising and lowering this one digit.^[9] However, this keywork never gained much popularity, and is no longer in use.

The saxophone family[link]

The primary (military band) saxophone family alternates instruments in B♭ and E♭. The other ("orchestral') family patented by Sax, alternating instruments in C and F, has always been marginal, although some manufacturers tried to popularise the soprano in C (or C soprano saxophone), the alto in F (or mezzo-soprano saxophone), and the tenor in C (or C melody saxophone) early in the twentieth century. The C melody enjoyed some success in the late 1920s and early 1930s as a parlor instrument. One company has recently revived production of the C soprano and C melody.^[10] Instruments in F are rare.

Description[link]

The saxophone consists of an approximately conical tube of thin metal, most commonly brass and sometimes plated with silver, gold, and nickel, flared at the tip to form a bell. At intervals along the tube are between 20 and 23 tone holes of varying size, including two very small 'speaker' holes to assist the playing of the upper register. These holes are covered by keys (also known as pad cups), containing soft leather pads, which are closed to produce an airtight seal; at rest some of the holes stand open and others are closed. The keys are controlled by buttons pressed by the fingers, while the right thumb sits under a thumb rest to help keep the saxophone balanced. The fingering for the saxophone is a combination of that of the oboe with the Boehm system, and is very similar to the flute or the upper register of the clarinet. Instruments that play to low A have a left thumb key for that note.

The simplest design of saxophone is a straight conical tube, and the sopranino and soprano saxophones are usually of this straight design. However, as the lower-pitched instruments would be unacceptably long if straight, for ergonomic reasons, the larger instruments usually incorporate a U-bend at, or slightly above, the third-lowest tone hole. As this would cause the bell of the instrument to point almost directly upward, the end of the instrument is either beveled or tilted slightly forward. This U-shape has become an iconic feature of the saxophone family, to the extent that soprano and even sopranino saxes are sometimes made in the curved style, even though not strictly necessary. By contrast, tenors and even baritones have occasionally been made in the straight style.^[11][12] Most commonly, however, the alto and tenor saxophones incorporate a curved 'crook' above the highest tone hole but below the top speaker hole, tilting the mouthpiece through 90 degrees; the baritone, bass and contrabass extend the length of the bore by triple-folding this section.

Materials[link]

Most saxophones, both past and present, are made from brass. Despite this, they are categorized as woodwind instruments rather than brass, as the sound waves are produced by an oscillating reed, not the player's lips against a mouthpiece as in a brass instrument, and because different pitches are produced by opening and closing keys. The screw pins that connect the rods to the posts, as well as the needle and leaf springs that cause the keys to return to their rest position after being released, are generally made of blued or stainless steel. Since 1920, most saxophones have 'key touches' (smooth decorative pieces placed where the fingers touch the instrument) made from either plastic or mother of pearl.

Other materials have been tried with varying degrees of success, such as the 1950s Grafton plastic alto saxophone. There is also the wooden Sawat saxophone created in Thailand on a small scale. A few companies, such as Yanagisawa^[13] and Bauhaus Walstein, have made some saxophone models from phosphor bronze because of its slightly different tonal qualities.^[14] For example, although their designs are identical apart from the metal used, the bronze Yanagisawa A992^[15] saxophones are said to sound "darker" than the brass versions. Yanagisawa and other manufacturers, starting with the King Super 20 around 1950, have made saxophone necks, bells, or entire instruments from sterling silver.^[16] Keilwerth and P. Mauriat have made saxes with a nickel silver body like that of a flute.^[17][18] The effect of material on sound is controversial among sax players, and little solid research has been published.

After completing the instrument, the manufacturers usually apply a thin coating of clear or colored acrylic lacquer, or silver plate, over the bare brass. The lacquer or plating serves to protect the brass from oxidation, and maintains its shiny appearance. Several different types and colors of surface finish have been used over the years.^[19] It is also possible to plate the instrument with nickel or gold, and a number of gold-plated saxophones have been produced.^[19] Plating saxophones with gold is an expensive process because gold does not adhere directly to brass. As a result, the brass is first plated with silver, then gold.

Some argue that the type of lacquer or plating, or absence thereof, may enhance an instrument's tone quality. The possible effects of different finishes on tone is a hotly debated topic, not least because other variables may affect an instrument's tone colors e.g. mouthpiece design and physical characteristics of the player. In any case, what constitutes a pleasing tone is a matter of personal preference.^[20][21]

Mouthpiece and reed[link]

The saxophone uses a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. Most saxophonists use reeds made from Arundo donax cane, but since the 20th century some have also been made of fiberglass and other composite materials. The saxophone mouthpiece is larger than that of the clarinet, has a wider inner chamber, and lacks the cork-covered tenon of a clarinet mouthpiece because the saxophone neck inserts into the mouthpiece whereas the clarinet mouthpiece piece is inserted into the barrel. The most important difference between a saxophone embouchure and a clarinet embouchure is that the saxophone mouthpiece should enter the mouth at a much lower or flatter angle than the clarinet. The embouchure for clarinet must also be more firm than that for saxophone. The muscles in the lip and jaw develop naturally, the more one plays, and the "long tones" exercise helps a great deal with this aspect of playing.^[22] Mouthpieces come in a wide variety of materials, including vulcanized rubber (sometimes called rod rubber or ebonite), plastic, and metals such as bronze or surgical steel. Less common materials that have been used include wood, glass, crystal, porcelain, and even bone. According to Larry Teal, the mouthpiece material has little, if any, effect on the sound, and the physical dimensions give a mouthpiece its tone colour.^[23] Mouthpieces with a concave ("excavated") chamber are more true to Adolphe Sax's original design; these provide a softer or less piercing tone, and are favored by some saxophonists, including students of Sigurd Raschèr, for classical playing. Conversely, mouthpieces with a smaller chamber or lower clearance above the reed, called high baffle, produce a brighter sound with maximum projection and are favored by many jazz and funk players. Most skilled saxophonists settle on a mouthpiece somewhere between these extremes regardless of their primary idiom and most that play both jazz and classical music have different equipment for each.

Like clarinets, saxophones use a single reed. Saxophone reeds are proportioned slightly differently to clarinet reeds, being wider for the same length, although some soprano saxophonists use clarinet reeds on the soprano saxophone. Each size of saxophone (alto, tenor, etc.) uses a different size of reed. Reeds are commercially available in a vast array of brands, styles, and strengths. Players experiment with reeds of different strength (hardnesses) and material to find which strength and cut suits their mouthpiece, embouchure, tendencies, and playing style.

• 

  From left to right, an E♭ alto saxophone, a curved B♭ soprano saxophone, and a B♭ tenor saxophone

• 

  A straight-necked Conn C melody saxophone (Conn New Wonder Series 1) with a serial number that dates manufacture to 1922

• 

  Vintage silver-plated 'Pennsylvania Special' alto saxophone, manufactured by Kohlert & Sons for Selmer^[24] in Czechoslovakia, circa 1930

• 

  Conn 6M "Lady Face"^[25] brass alto saxophone (dated 1935) in its original case

• 

  1950s Grafton alto made of plastic

• 

  Yamaha YAS-25 alto saxophone. Circa 1990s

• 

  Yanagisawa A9932J alto saxophone: has a solid silver bell and neck with solid phosphor bronze body. The bell, neck and key-cups are extensively engraved. Manufactured in 2008

• 

  Bauhaus Walstein^[26][27][28] tenor saxophone manufactured in 2008 from phosphor bronze

• 

  The lower portion of a P. Mauriat alto saxophone, showing the mother of pearl key touches and engraved brass pad cups

• 

  A Yamaha baritone saxophone

• 

  Two mouthpieces for tenor saxophone: the one on the left is rubber; the one on the right is metal.

Cases[link]

Saxophone instrument cases serve as essential protection and covering for saxophones during transportation and/or storage. Some cases provide protection from weather changes or environments that may be hazardous to the instrument. Usually, purchased saxophones come with factory cases that are manufactured or distributed by the saxophone company. Some saxophone case providers include Pro Tec, Bam, SKB, Reunion Blues, and Gator.

Uses[link]

A saxophonist in a military band, carrying a baritone saxophone

Tenor saxophonist Bobby Rogers, mentor to Kenny G and studio saxophone player for Metallica Inc.

The saxophone first gained popularity in the niche it was designed for: the military band. Although the instrument was studiously ignored in Germany, French and Belgian military bands took full advantage of the instrument that Sax had designed specifically for them. Most French and Belgian military bands incorporate at least a quartet of saxophones comprising at least the E♭ baritone, B♭ tenor, E♭ alto and B♭ soprano. These four instruments have proved the most popular of all of Sax's creations, with the E♭ contrabass and B♭ bass usually considered impractically large and the E♭ sopranino insufficiently powerful. British military bands tend to include at minimum two saxophonists on the alto and tenor.

The saxophone has more recently found a niche in both concert band and big band music, which often calls for the E♭ baritone, B♭ tenor and E♭ alto. The B♭ soprano is also occasionally used, in which case it is normally played by the first alto saxophonist. The bass saxophone in B♭ is called for in band music (especially music by Percy Grainger) and big band orchestrations, especially music performed by the Stan Kenton Mellophonium Orchestra. In the 1920s the bass saxophone was used often in classic jazz recordings, since at that time it was easier to record than a tuba or double bass.

The saxophone has been more recently introduced into the symphony orchestra, where it has found increased popularity. In one or other size, the instrument has been found a useful accompaniment to genres as wide-ranging as opera, choral music and chamber pieces. Many musical scores include parts for the saxophone, usually either doubling another woodwind or brass instrument. In this way the sax serves as a middle point between woodwinds and brass, helping to blend the two sections.

Over the past couple of decades, the saxophone has also seen a large rising in popularity in ska bands.

Major works for saxophone[link]

• Rapsodie pour Orchestre et Saxophone (1901)—Claude Debussy
• Concertino da camera (1935)—Jacques Ibert
• Concerto in E Flat major for Alto Saxophone (1936)—Alexander Glazunov
• Aria pour Saxophone Alto (1936)—Eugène Bozza
• Sonata for Alto Saxophone (1937)—Bernhard Heiden
• Scaramouche for Alto Saxophone (1937)—Darius Milhaud
• Sonata, Op. 19 for Alto Saxophone (1939)—Paul Creston
• Sonata for Alto Saxophone (1943)—Paul Hindemith
• Concerto for Alto Saxophone (1948)—Ingolf Dahl
• Fantasia for Soprano Saxophone (1948)—Heitor Villa Lobos
• Concerto for Alto Saxophone (1949)—Henri Tomasi
• Tableaux de Provence (1955)—Paule Maurice
• Concerto pour Saxophone Alto (1959)—Pierre Max Dubois
• Sonata for Alto Saxophone (1970)—Edison Denisov
• Concerto for Saxophone Quartet (1995)—Philip Glass

Ensembles[link]

A well-known implementation of the saxophone is modern jazz music. This is usually as a solo instrument with a rhythm section, but sometimes in the form of a saxophone quartet or big band.

The saxophone quartet is usually made up of one B♭ soprano, one E♭ alto, one B♭ tenor and one E♭ baritone (SATB). On occasion, the soprano is replaced with a second alto sax (AATB); a few professional saxophone quartets have featured non-standard instrumentation, such as James Fei's Alto Quartet^[29] (four altos) and Hamiet Bluiett's Bluiett Baritone Nation (four baritones).

There is a repertoire of classical compositions and arrangements for the SATB instrumentation dating back to the nineteenth century, particularly by French composers who knew Adolphe Sax. A list of well known current saxophone quartets includes the Amherst,^[30] Amstel, Anubis, Aurelia,^[31] Carlsbad, Prism, H2, Habanara, Hanumi, Mana, Raschèr,^[32] Rova, and Zzyzx Quartets. Historically, the quartets led by Marcel Mule and Daniel Deffayet, saxophone professors at the Conservatoire de Paris, were started in 1928 and 1953, respectively, and were highly regarded. The Mule quartet is often considered the prototype for future quartets, due the level of virtuosity demonstrated by its members and its central role in the development of the quartet repertoire. However organised quartets did exist before Mule's ensemble, the prime example being the quartet headed by Eduard Lefebre (1834–1911), former soloist with the Sousa band, in the United States c. 1904–1911. Other ensembles most likely existed at this time as part of the saxophone sections of the many touring "business" bands that existed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. More recently, the World Saxophone Quartet has become known as the preeminent jazz saxophone quartet. The Rova Saxophone Quartet, based in San Francisco, is noted for its work in the fields of contemporary classical music and improvised music.

There are a few larger all-saxophone ensembles, the most prominent including the nine-member SaxAssault,^[33] and Urban Sax, which includes as many as 52 saxophonists. The six-member Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra owns one of the few E♭ contrabass saxophones, and plays a variety of ensemble pieces including Casbah Shuffle, a duet for sopranino and contrabass.^[34] Very large groups, featuring over 100 saxophones, are sometimes organized as a novelty at saxophone conventions.^[35]

Studio saxophone players and ensembles have also been a major influence on the history of music. Although they are not usually full members of a band, they can be a vital part in the overall sound of a music set. In recent years, there has also been an increasing number of saxophone players in studio bands, in the vein of '70s bands such as Pink Floyd and Yes.^{[citation needed]}

Miscellaneous saxophones and related instruments[link]

Straight saxophones, including some unusual variants. Clockwise from top left: an E♭ baritone, a B♭ tenor, a C soprano, a B♭ soprano, and a B♭ soprillo

A number of saxes and saxophone-related instruments have appeared since Sax's original work, most enjoying no significant success. These include the saxello, essentially a straight B♭ soprano, but with a slightly curved neck and tipped bell; the straight alto; and the straight B♭ tenor.^[36] Since a straight-bore tenor is approximately five feet long, the cumbersome size of such a design makes it almost impossible to either play or transport. "King" Saxellos, made by the H. N. White Company in the 1920s, now command prices up to US$4,000. A number of companies, including Rampone & Cazzani and L.A. Sax, are marketing straight-bore, tipped-bell soprano saxophones as saxellos (or "saxello sopranos").

The "contralto" saxophone, similar in size to the orchestral soprano, was developed in the late 20th century by California instrument maker Jim Schmidt.^[37] This instrument has a larger bore and a new fingering system, and does not resemble the C melody instrument except for its key and register. Another new arrival to the sax scene is the soprillo sax, a piccolo-sized straight instrument with the upper speaker hole built into the mouthpiece. The instrument, which extends Sax's original family, as it is pitched a full octave higher than the B♭ soprano sax, is manufactured by Benedikt Eppelsheim, of Munich, Germany. There is a rare prototype slide tenor saxophone, but few were ever made. One company that produced a slide soprano saxophone was Reiffel & Husted, Chicago, ca. 1922 (catalog NMM 5385).^[38][39][40]

Two of these variants were championed by jazz musician Rahsaan Roland Kirk, who called his straight Buescher alto a stritch and his modified saxello a manzello; the latter featured a larger-than-usual bell and modified key work. Among some saxophonists, Kirk's terms have taken on a life of their own in that it is believed that these were "special" or "new" saxophones that might still be available. Though rare, the Buescher straight alto was a production item instrument while the manzello was indeed a saxello with a custom-made bell.

Another unusual variant of the saxophone was the Conn-O-Sax, a straight-conical bore instrument in F (one step above the E♭ alto) with a slightly curved neck and spherical bell. The instrument, which combined a saxophone bore and keys with a bell shaped similar to that of a heckelphone, was intended to imitate the timbre of the English horn and was produced only in 1929 and 1930. The instrument had a key range from low A to high G. Fewer than 100 Conn-O-Saxes are in existence, and they are eagerly sought by collectors.

The tubax, developed in 1999 by the German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim,^[41] plays the same range, and with the same fingering, as the E♭ contrabass saxophone; its bore, however, is narrower than that of a contrabass saxophone, making for a more compact instrument with a "reedier" tone (akin to the double-reed contrabass sarrusophone). It can be played with the smaller (and more commonly available) baritone saxophone mouthpiece and reeds. Eppelsheim has also produced subcontrabass tubaxes in C and B♭, the latter being the lowest saxophone ever made. Among the most recent developments is the aulochrome, a double soprano saxophone invented by Belgian instrument maker François Louis in 2001.

Bamboo "saxophones"[link]

Although not true saxophones, inexpensive keyless folk versions of the saxophone made of bamboo were developed in the 20th century by instrument makers in Hawaii, Jamaica, Thailand, Indonesia, Ethiopia, and Argentina. The Hawaiian instrument, called a xaphoon, was invented during the 1970s and is also marketed as a "bamboo sax," although its cylindrical bore more closely resembles that of a clarinet, and its lack of any keywork makes it more akin to a recorder. Jamaica's best known exponent of a similar type of homemade bamboo "saxophone" was the mento musician and instrument maker 'Sugar Belly' (William Walker).^[42] In the Minahasa region of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, there exist entire bands made up of bamboo "saxophones"^[43] and "brass" instruments of various sizes. These instruments are clever imitations of European instruments, made using local materials. Very similar instruments are produced in Thailand.^[44][45] In Argentina, Ángel Sampedro del Río and Mariana García have produced bamboo saxophones of various sizes since 1985, the larger of which have bamboo keys to allow for the playing of lower notes.^[46]audio

Composition[link]

The extension in C major of the military soprano, alto, tenor and baritone when playing a B♭ major scale.

Music for most saxophones is usually notated using treble clef. The standard written range extends from a B♭ below the staff to an F or F♯ three ledger lines above the staff. Most, if not all, intermediate and professional saxophones made today are built with F♯ keys, with F♯ included on even student instruments. There are many models of soprano saxophone that have a key for high G, and most modern models of baritone saxophone have an extended bore and key to produce low A; it is also possible to play a low A on any saxophone by blocking the end of the bell, usually with the foot or inside of the left thigh. Low A keys however were not limited to just the baritone saxophone. For a short time Selmer Paris produced mark VI alto saxophones with the low A key. Notes above F are considered part of the altissimo register of any sax, and can be produced using advanced embouchure techniques and fingering combinations. Sax himself had mastered these techniques; he demonstrated the instrument as having a range of just beyond three octaves up to a (written) high B4. Modern saxophone players have extended this range to over 4 octaves on tenor and alto.

Because all saxophones use the same key arrangement and fingering to produce a given notated pitch, it is not difficult for a competent player to switch among the various sizes when the music has been suitably transposed, and many do so. Since the baritone and alto are pitched in E♭, players can read concert pitch music notated in the bass clef by reading it as if it were treble clef and adding three sharps to the key signature. This process, referred to as clef substitution, makes it possible for the baritone to play from parts written for bassoon, tuba, trombone or string bass. This can be useful if a band or orchestra lacks one of those instruments.

See also[link]

• Buescher True Tone Saxophones
• List of saxophonists
• Saxophone technique
• Wind controller

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Find more about Saxophone on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Definitions and translations from Wiktionary
	Images and media from Commons
	Learning resources from Wikiversity
	News stories from Wikinews
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks

• Instruments In Depth: The Saxophone An online feature with video demonstrations from Bloomingdale School of Music (June, 2009)
• Saxophone acoustics from the University of New South Wales.

Kenny G
Kenny G playing in Shanghai
Background information
Birth name	Kenneth Bruce Gorelick
Also known as	Kenny G
Born	(1956-06-05) June 5, 1956 (age 56)
Origin	Seattle, Washington, US
Genres	Smooth jazz Adult contemporary
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, record producer
Instruments	Primary: Soprano saxophone Secondary: Alto saxophone Tenor saxophone Flute
Years active	1973–1982 (group) 1982–present (solo)
Labels	Arista (1982–2006) Concord (2008–present)
Associated acts	Robin Thicke, Foster the People
Website	www.kennyg.com

Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), better known by his stage name Kenny G, is an American adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist. His fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success in 1986.^[1] Kenny G is the biggest-selling instrumental musician of the modern era, with global sales totaling more than 75 million albums.^[2]

Early life[link]

Kenny G was born in Seattle, Washington to a Jewish family and grew up in the city's Seward Park neighborhood, which is a center of the city's Jewish community. He came into contact with a saxophone when he heard someone performing with one on The Ed Sullivan Show.^[1] He started playing the saxophone in 1966 when he was 10 years old. He learned how to play under the direction of local trumpeter Gerald Pfister and by practicing along with records (mostly of Grover Washington, Jr.), trying to emulate the sounds that he was hearing. His first saxophone was a Buffet Crampon alto.^[3]

Kenny G attended Whitworth Elementary School, Sharples Junior High School, Franklin High School, and the University of Washington, all in his home town of Seattle. When he entered high school, he failed on his first try to get into the jazz band, but tried again the following year and earned first chair.^[4][5] In addition to his studies while in high school, he took private lessons on the saxophone and clarinet from Johnny Jessen, once a week for a year.^[6]

He was also on his high school golf team.^[5] He had loved the sport ever since his older brother, Brian Gorelick, introduced it to him when he was ten years old, which is the same age he was when he started playing the saxophone.^[5]

Career[link]

Kenny G's career started with a job as a sideman for Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra in 1973 while 17 and still in high school.^[7][8] He continued to play professionally while studying for a major in accounting at the University of Washington in Seattle and graduated magna cum laude.^[7][9] He played with the funk band Cold, Bold & Together^[9] before becoming a credited member of The Jeff Lorber Fusion.^[8] He began his solo career after his period with Lorber.^[8]

Kenny G signed with Arista Records as a solo artist in 1982, after label president Clive Davis heard his rendition of ABBA's "Dancing Queen".^[8] He has released many solo albums and collaborated with various artists including Andrea Bocelli, Whitney Houston,^[10] Peabo Bryson, Aaron Neville, Toni Braxton, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince,^[11] Natalie Cole,^[12] Steve Miller^[13] (which marked the only time he appeared on a rock and roll album), Dudley Moore, Lee Ritenour, The Rippingtons, Michael Bolton, Celine Dion, Frank Sinatra, Smokey Robinson, Bebel Gilberto, George Benson, Chante Moore and Aretha Franklin.^[10] Influenced by the likes of saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr.,^[6] his own albums are usually classified as smooth jazz.

He received success quite early on, with both G Force and Gravity, his second and third studio albums respectively, achieving platinum status in the United States. These sales were topped by his fourth studio album, Duotones, which sold over 5 million copies in the U.S. alone. His sixth studio album, Breathless, became the number one best selling instrumental album ever, with over 15 million copies sold, of which 12 million were in the U.S. He broke another record when his first holiday album, Miracles, sold over 13 million copies, making it the most successful Christmas album to date.^[9]

In 1997, Kenny G earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for playing the longest note ever recorded on a saxophone. Using circular breathing, Kenny G held an E-flat for 45 minutes and 47 seconds at J&R Music World in New York City.^[14] That same year, Kenny G's song "Havana", from his album The Moment, was remixed by noted DJs Todd Terry and Tony Moran and released promotionally to dance clubs in the U.S. These mixes went to No.1 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs chart in April 1997.^[15]

Kenny G's 1999 single, "What A Wonderful World" was criticized in its overdubbing of Louis Armstrong's classic recording. The primary criticism is that a revered recording by an artist such as Armstrong, known especially for improvisation, should not be altered, especially by a musician whose range and depth of understanding of classical jazz was already in question.^{[16][17][18][19]} Some columnists counter the criticism by suggesting that Kenny G's recording would expose a wider audience to classic jazz, though the overall response to his recording tended to be negative.^[20]

Kenny G has recorded some Chinese songs, such as "Jasmine Flower" (茉莉花) or "The Moon Represents My Heart" (月亮代表我的心). His music is noticeably popular in China. His recording "Going Home" is often played at closing time at public places or at the end of classes at schools. Mass transit systems in Tianjin and Shanghai play these songs when trains approach terminus stations.

As of 2003, Kenny G was named the 25th-highest selling artist in America by the RIAA, with 48 million albums sold in the USA as of July 31, 2006.^[21] In 1994, Kenny G won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for Forever in Love.

In October 2009, Kenny G appeared with the band Weezer in an AOL promotion of their album Raditude by soloing during "I'm Your Daddy". Kenny G said he knew nothing of Weezer before the performance.^[22] Though some music critics thereby rejoined in the common criticism of his work,^[23][24] the unlikely combination was fairly well received by AOL's magazines Spinner.com and Popeater.com.^[22][25]

In February 2011 Kenny G and his music were featured in a Super Bowl XLV ad for Audi called "Release the Hounds."^[26] Kenny G later starred in a short film detailing his time as Head of Riot Suppression for the Luxury Prison.^[27]

Recently, he made an appearance in the music video for pop star Katy Perry's single Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) as Uncle Kenny. On the October 8, 2011 episode of Saturday Night Live, Kenny appeared with his soprano sax along side alternative rock band Foster the People as they performed their song "Houdini."

Equipment[link]

Kenny G plays the Selmer Mark VI Soprano, Alto and Tenor Saxophones. He has created his own line of saxophones called "Kenny G Saxophones".^{[citation needed]}

Personal life[link]

Kenny G is married to Lyndie Benson-Gorelick, with whom he has two sons. After 20 years of marriage, Benson-Gorelick filed papers requesting a legal separation in January 2012.^[28]

Kenny G lives in Malibu, California.^[29] He is an avid golfer and has a handicap of +0.6.^[4] He has participated in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am tournament seven times as of 2007 and teamed with Phil Mickelson to share the AT&T pro-am title in 2001 with the team of Tiger Woods and Jerry Chang.^[5] In the Golf Digest rankings of Top 100 in Music, according to golf handicap indexes of major musicians, he was first in 2006^[4] and second in 2008.^[30] He is a member at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California.

Kenny G is an aircraft pilot and has a De Havilland Beaver seaplane that he flies regularly.^[31] He is also an early investor in the Starbucks coffee house chain.^[32]

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Kenny G's official website
• Kenny G at Myspace
• Kenny G at Legacy Recordings
• Kenny G at VH1.com
• Kenny G Interview – Billboard en Español
• Kenny G at Allmusic
• Kenny G at the Internet Movie Database

Lee Konitz
Background information
Birth name	Lee Konitz
Born	(1927-10-13) October 13, 1927 (age 84)
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Jazz Cool jazz
Occupations	Saxophonist, Composer
Instruments	Alto saxophone
Labels	RCA Red Seal Atlantic Records Verve Records Prestige Records Palmetto Records
Associated acts	Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Jim Hall, Elvin Jones, Lennie Tristano, Warne Marsh, Brad Mehldau, Charlie Haden

Lee Konitz (born October 13, 1927) is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.

Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings. Konitz was one of the few altoists to retain a distinctive sound in the 40s, when Charlie Parker exercised a tremendous influence on other players.

Konitz, like other students of pianist and theoretician Lennie Tristano, was noted for improvising long, melodic lines with the rhythmic interest coming from odd accents, or odd note groupings suggestive of the imposition of one time signature over another. Paul Desmond and, especially, Art Pepper were strongly influenced by Konitz.

Konitz's association with the Cool Jazz movement of the 1940s and 50s, includes participation in Miles Davis' epochal Birth of the Cool sessions, and his work with Lennie Tristano came from the same period. During his long career, Konitz has played with musicians from a wide variety of jazz styles.

Life and career[link]

Konitz was born in 1927 in Chicago, Illinois. At age eight Konitz received his first instrument—a clarinet—but later dropped the instrument in favor of the tenor saxophone.

Konitz eventually moved from tenor to alto. His greatest influences at the time were the swing big bands he and his brother listened to on the radio, in particular Benny Goodman. Hearing Goodman on the radio is actually what prodded him to ask for a clarinet. On the saxophone he recalls improvising before ever learning to play any standards.^[1]

Konitz began his professional career in 1945 with the Teddy Powell band as a replacement for Charlie Ventura. The engagement apparently did not start out smoothly, as Ventura is said^[who?] to have banged his head against a wall when Konitz played.^{[citation needed]} A month later the band parted ways. Between 1945 and 1947 he worked off and on with Jerry Wald. In 1946 he first met pianist Lennie Tristano and worked in a small cocktail bar with him. His next substantial work was done with Claude Thornhill in 1947, with Gil Evans arranging and Gerry Mulligan as a composer in most part.^[2][3]

In 1949 he teamed up with the Miles Davis group for one or two weeks and again in 1950 to record Birth of the Cool. Konitz has stated that he considered the group to belong to Gerry Mulligan, and credits Lennie Tristano as the true forebearer of "the cool". His debut as leader also came in 1949, with the release of Subconscious-Lee on Prestige Records. He also turned down an opportunity to work with Benny Goodman that same year—a decision he is on record as regretting.^[4]

In the early 1950s, Konitz recorded and toured with Stan Kenton's orchestra. In 1961, he recorded Motion with Elvin Jones on drums and Sonny Dallas on bass. This spontaneous session, widely regarded as a classic, consisted entirely of standards. The loose trio format aptly featured Konitz's unorthodox phrasing and chromaticism.

Charlie Parker lent him support on the day Konitz's child was being born in Seattle, Washington with him stuck in New York City. The two were actually good friends, and not the rivals some jazz critics once made them out to be.^[5] He has also had problems with his heart which he has received surgery for in the past.^[6]

In 1967, Konitz recorded The Lee Konitz Duets, a series of duets with various musicians. The duo configurations were often unusual for the period (saxophone and trombone, two saxophones). The recordings drew on very nearly the entire history of jazz, from Louis Armstrong's "Struttin' With Some Barbecue" with valve trombonist Marshall Brown to two completely free duos: one with a Duke Ellington associate, violinist Ray Nance, and one with guitarist Jim Hall.

Konitz contributed to the film score for Desperate Characters (1971).

Konitz has been quite prolific, recording dozens of albums as a band leader. He has also recorded or performed with Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, Gerry Mulligan, Elvin Jones and others. Amongst his latest recordings are a pair of trio dates with Brad Mehldau and Charlie Haden released on Blue Note as well a live album recorded in 2009 at Birdland and released by ECM in 2011 featuring the same lineup with the addition of drummer Paul Motian.

Konitz has become more experimental as he has grown older, and has released a number of free and avant-garde jazz albums, playing alongside many far younger musicians. He has released albums on contemporary free jazz/improv labels such as hatART, Soul Note, Omnitone and the aforementioned ECM.

He was scheduled to appear at Melbourne's Recital Centre as a key attraction of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. However he fell ill causing the last minute cancellation of the performance.

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

• 1949-50: With Tristano, Marsh and Bauer (Prestige)
• 1953: Konitz Meets Mulligan (With Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker) (Pacific)
• 1954: Konitz (Storyville)
• 1954: Jazz At Storyville (Storyville)
• 1954: In Harvard Square (Storyville)
• 1954: Lee Konitz With Warne Marsh (Atlantic)
• 1956: Lee Konitz Featuring Hans Koller, Lars Gullin, Roland Kovac (Swingtime)
• 1956: Inside Hi-Fi (Atlantic)
• 1957: Tranquility (Verve)
• 1957: The Real Lee Konitz (Atlantic)
• 1958: Very Cool (Verve)
• 1958: An Image: Lee Konitz with Strings (Verve)
• 1959: Lee Konitz Meets Jimmy Giuffre (Verve)
• 1959: You and Lee (Verve)
• 1961: Motion (Verve)
• 1965: Trio and Quartet (Magnetic)
• 1966: Modern Jazz Compositions from Haiti (Impulse!)
• 1967: The Lee Konitz Duets (Milestone: OJC)
• 1968: Impressive Rome (CAM)
• 1968: European Episode (CAM)
• 1969: Peacemeal (Milestone)
• 1970: Lee Konitz Sax Duets (Music Minus One)
• 1971: Spirits (Milestone: OJC)
• 1974: Jazz A Juan (SteepleChase)
• 1974: Satori (Milestone: OJC)
• 1974: Lone-Lee (SteepleChase)
• 1974: I Concentrate on You (A Tribute to Cole Porter) (SteepleChase)
• 1975: Warne Marsh Quintet: Jazz Exchange (Storyville)
• 1975: Hal Galper: Windows (SteepleChase)
• 1975: Trio: Oleo (Sonet)
• 1975: Chicago 'n' All That Jazz (Denon: LaserLight)
• 1976: Lee Konitz Meets Warne Marsh Again (PAUSA)
• 1976: Figure and Spirit (Progressive)
• 1977: The Lee Konitz Quintet (Chiaroscuro Records)
• 1977: The Lee Konitz Nonet (Chiaroscuro)
• 1977: Tenorlee (Candid)
• 1977: Pyramid (Improvising Artists)
• 1979: Seasons Change (Circle Records (Germany), with Karl Berger)
• 1979 Nonet: Live at Laren (Soul Note)
• 1979: Yes, Yes Nonet (Steeple Chase)
• 1980: Martial Solal: Live at the Berlin Jazz Days (MPS)
• 1980: Heroes (Verve)
• 1980: Anti-heroes (Verve)
• 1982: Toot Sweet (Owl)
• 1983: Glad, Koonix! (Dragon)
• 1983: Martial Solal: Star Eyes, Hamburg 1983 (HatOLOGY)
• 1983: Dovetail (Sunnyside)
• 1983: Dedicated To Lee: Lee Konitz Plays The Music of Lars Gullin (Dragon)
• 1983: Art of the Duo (Enja)
• 1984: Wild as Springtime (GFM)
• 1986: Quartet: Ideal Scene (Soul Note)
• 1986: Medium Rare (Label Bleu)
• 1987: Quartet: The New York Album (Soul Note)
• 1988: The Space Jazz Trio: Blew (Philology)
• 1988: Solitudes (Philology)
• 1989: In Rio (MA)
• 1989: Konitz in Denmark (Rightone)
• 1989: Round and Round (Music Masters)
• 1990: Frank Wunsch Quartet: S'Nice (Nabel)
• 1990: Zounds (Soul Note)
• 1990: Once Upon a Line (Musidisc)
• 1991: Lars Sjosten Quartet: Friends (Dragon)
• 1991: Lullaby of Birdland (Candid)
• 1992: The Jazzpar All Star Nonet: Leewise (Storyville)
• 1992: Jazz Nocturne (Evidence)
• 1992: Lunasea (Soul Note)
• 1992: From Newport to Nice (Philology)
• 1992: Frank-Lee Speaking (West Wind)
• 1993: Rhapsody (Evidence)
• 1993: Renato Sellani: Speakin' Lowly, Volume 1 (Philology)
• 1993: So Many Stars (Philology)
• 1993: Rhapsody II (Evidence)
• 1993: Italian Ballads, Volume1 (Philology)
• 1993: Brazilian Rhapsody (BMG: Music Masters)
• 1994: Orchestra Il Suono Improvviso: A Venezia (Philology)
• 1994: Swiss Kiss (TCB)
• 1995: Haiku (Nabel)
• 1995: Umberto Petrin: Breaths and Whispers (Homage to Alexandr Skrjabin) (Philology)
• 1995: John Pl Indreberg: Step Towards a Dream (Odin)
• 1995: Don Friedman: Attila Zoller: Thingin' (HatOLOGY)
• 1995: Move (Moon)
• 1995: Free with Lee(Philology)
• 1996: Alone Together (Blue Note)
• 1996: Live at the Manhattan Jazz Club (GAM)
• 1996: Guarana (AxolOtl Jazz)
• 1996: Unaccompanied Live in Yokohama (PSF)
• 1996: Strings for Holiday: A Tribute To Billie Holiday (Enja)
• 1996: Lee Konitz Meets Don Friedman (Camerata)
• 1996: It's You (SteepleChase)
• 1997: Twelve Gershwin in Twelve Keys (Philology)
• 1997: Out of Nowhere (SteepleChase)
• 1997: The Frankfurt Concert (West Wind)
• 1997: Dearly Beloved (SteepleChase)
• 1997: Body and Soul (Camerata)
• 1998: Saxophone Dreams (Koch)
• 1998: Inside Cole Porter (Philology)
• 1998: L'Age Mur (Philology)
• 1998: Tender Lee (for Chet) (Philology)
• 1998: Self Portrait (Philology)
• 1998: Dialogues (Challenge)
• 1999: Dig-It (SteepleChase)
• 1999: Three Guys (Enja)
• 1999: Trio: Another Shade of Blue (Blue Note)
• 2000: The Axis Quartet: Play French Impressionist Music from the Turn of the Twentieth Century (Palmetto)
• 2000: rich Perry: RichLee! (SteepleChase)
• 2000 Quartet: Sound of Surprise (RCA Victor)
• 2000: Pride (SteepleChase)
• 2001: Franco D'Andrea: Inside Rodgers (Philology)
• 2001: Renato Sellani: Minority, Volume 2: All The Way (The Soft Ways) (Philology)
• 2001 Trio: Some New Stuff (DIW)
• 2001 Quintet: Parallels (Chesky)
• 2002: Matt Wilson: Gong with Wind Suite (Steeplechase)
• 2002: Irio De Paula: Duas Contas (Philology)
• 2002: Barbara Casini: Outra Vez (Philology)
• 2002: At the New Mississippi Jazz Club (Philology)
• 2003: Live-Lee (Milestone)
• 2003: Stephano Bollani: Suite for Paolo (Philology)
• 2003: Kenny Werner: Unleemited (Owl)
• 2003: A Day in Florence (Philology)
• 2004: BargaLee (Philology)
• 2004: Sound-Lee (Membran International)
• 2004: One Day With Lee (Capri)
• 2006: Ohad Talmor String Project: Inventions(OmniTone)
• 2006: New Nonet (directed by Ohad Talmor) (OmniTone)
• 2007: Riccardo Arrighini: The Soprano Sax Album: Standards (Philology)
• 2007: Brian Dickenson: The Glen Gould Session (Philology)
• 2007: Ohad Talmor Big Band: Portology(featuring the Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos) (OmniTone)
• 2008: Lee Konitz & Minsarah: Deep Lee (Featuring Jeff Denson, Florian weber, Ziv Ravitz) (ENJA)
• 2009: Lee Konitz / Dan Tepfer: Duos with Lee (Sunnyside)
• 2009: Lee Konitz New quartet: Live at the village Vanguard (Featuring Jeff Denson, Florian weber, Ziv Ravitz) (ENJA)
• 2011: Lee Konitz/Brad Mehldau/Charlie Haden/Paul Motian: Live at Birdland (ECM)

As sideman[link]

With Stan Kenton

• City Of Glass
• This Modern World
• New Concepts Of Artistry In Rhythm
• Sketches On Standards
• Portraits On Standards
• Kenton Showcase

With Gerry Mulligan

• Lee Konitz And The Gerry Mulligan Quartet
• Lee Konitz Plays With The Gerry Mulligan Quartet

With Miles Davis

• Birth of the Cool (1949)
• Miles Ahead (1957)

With Bill Evans

• Crosscurrents (1977)

With Gil Evans

• Gil Evans & Ten (1957)

With Max Roach

• It's Christmas Again (Soul Note, 1984)

With Lennie Tristano

• Lennie Tristano (1956)

With others

• 1947 - Claude Thornhill and His Orchestra: The Uncollected Claude Thornhill and His Orchestra (Hindsight)
• 1949 - Lennie Tristano/Warne Marsh: Intuition (Capitol)
• 1968 - Attila Zoller: Zo-Ko-Ma (MPS Records)
• 1972 - Charles Mingus: Charles Mingus and Friends in Concert (Columbia)
• 2006 - Francois Théberge: Soliloque (Effendi Records)
• 2009 - Jakob Bro: Balladeering (Loveland Records)

With Arkadia Jazz All Stars

• Thank You, Gerry!

With Kenny Wheeler

• Angel Song

Television appearances[link]

• SOLOS: The Jazz Sessions^[7] (2004)
• Weightless - a recording session with Jakob Bro (2009)