Saxophone

Woodwind instrument

The saxophone is classed as a woodwind instrument, even though it is made of metal. It has a single reed like the clarinet. Adolphe Sax, from Dunant in Belgium, first made the instrument in 1840. It has 20 sound holes covered by keys, which can be opened in-groups, using a lever mechanism, with the first three fingers of each hand.

The Devil's Horn

In The Devil's Horn, Michael Segell traces the 160-year history of the saxophone-a horn that created a sound never before heard in nature, and that from the moment it debuted has aroused both positive and negative passions among all who hear it. The saxophone has insinuated itself into virtually every musical idiom that has come along since its birth as well as into music with traditions thousands of years old. But it has also been controversial, viewed as a symbol of decadence, immorality and lasciviousness: it was banned in Japan, saxophonists have been sent to Siberian lockdown by Communist officials, and a pope even indicted it.

History of the saxophone

Michael Segell outlines the saxophone's fascinating history while he highlights many of its legendary players, including Benny Carter, Illinois Jacquet, Sonny Rollins, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Branford Marsalis, and Michael Brecker. The Devil's Horn explores the saxophone's intersections with social movement and change, the innovative acoustical science behind the instrument, its struggles in the world of legit music, and the mystical properties that seduce all who fall under its influence. Colorful, evocative, and richly informed, The Devil's Horn is an ingenious portrait of one of the most popular instruments in the world.

The Story of the saxophone

The Devil's Horn: The Story of the Saxophone, from Noisy Novelty to King of Cool by Michael Segell
ISBN: 0374159386
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

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