Almost no other instrument seems so synonymous with jazz as the sax. Listen to some classic alto playing from Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Stitt and more greats.
Category: Saxophones
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Saxophones Are Taking Over Weddings (and Dividing Guests)
In search of a “wow factor,” an increasing number of couples are adding live sax to their receptions — even if the instrument has a “cilantro” effect on listeners, as one player put it.
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Nino Tempo, Who Topped the Charts With ‘Deep Purple,’ Dies at 90
He was a busy session saxophonist, but he is probably best known for the Grammy-winning pop hit that he sang in 1963 as half of a duo act with his sister, April Stevens.
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Yasuaki Shimizu, a Japanese Sax Master, Takes North America
The composer and saxophonist Yasuaki Shimizu is at home in free jazz, classical and art pop. Finally touring North America, he’s going big by staying small.
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Claire Daly, Master of the Baritone Saxophone, Dies at 66
She was celebrated for both her playing and her love of the jazz community. “My life in music,” she said recently, “is the smartest thing I’ve done.”
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James Chance, No Wave and Punk-Funk Pioneer, Dies at 71
With the Contortions and James White and the Blacks, the songwriter and saxophonist set out to challenge musicians and stir up audiences.
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David Sanborn, Saxophonist Who Defied Pigeonholing, Dies at 78
He was best known as a jazz musician, but his shimmering sound was also heard on classic albums by David Bowie, Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen.
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Tyshawn Sorey Wins Pulitzer for Composing an ‘Anti-Concerto’
The composer and instrumentalist was honored for “Adagio (For Wadada Leo Smith),” an unconventional concerto written for saxophone and orchestra.
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Mars Williams, 68, Saxophonist Who Straddled New Wave and Jazz, Dies
He made his name in the 1980s with the Waitresses and the Psychedelic Furs, but his roots were in the exploratory jazz of Eric Dolphy and Ornette Coleman.
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Charles Gayle, Saxophonist of Fire and Brimstone, Dies at 84
An intense and uncompromising player, he made music that one critic said was more about “motion and spirit” than tonal centers, rhythms and melodies.
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Peter Brötzmann, 82, Dies; His Thunderous Saxophone Shook Jazz Traditions
One of Europe’s most influential free-jazz musicians, he played with “a kind of scream” to exorcise his demons, and those of German history.
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At 80, the Saxophonist Billy Harper Is Still a Towering Force
The New York Times – Music:He spent years playing with Art Blakey, Lee Morgan and Max Roach, earning praise for his sax’s piercing cry. He’s still composing and turning heads live.