Why the 1920s Sax Boom?

[clipper]

From what I've read, more saxes were produced during the 1920s than at any other time. 1924 is frequently cited as a peak year. What I don't understand is that the true (jazz) virtuosos had yet to appear at this time. Hawkins was there but not widely known, Bud Freeman the same. Of course this is years before the big band craze. So what was the driving force? Paul Whiteman, Rudy Wiedoft or what? Hard to imagine those gluey sax sections of the popular dance bands of the time turning people on that much. And to think that the Bass Saxophone enjoyed a vogue at this time. Maybe we can say that was definitely Mr. Rollini's doing at least. Anyone care to enlighten me?

[king koeller]

The C melody sax was pitched in "C".
Anyone could play along with the piano, guitar
the Church Hymnal or the local sing along...
It was popular (then as now,) because it was fun to play,
easy to learn and very stylish.
In the 1920's, you were truly the cat's pajama's if you played the sax!

[Grumps]

The sax put the roar in the Roaring 20's.
Then came the Depression.

[John Kasaian]

Jazz, baby, Jazz! Plus a lot of disposable income before the depression hit. It might have well been the golden age of trombones as well (you can turn one of those into a still!)

[DukeCity]

Don't forget that even though there weren't a lot of "big bands" in the early 1920's, there were tons of Vaudeville theatres with house orchestras and touring musical acts that included saxophones.

[Dave Dolson]

Sidney Bechet's first recordings were in 1923. He was a jazz-virtuoso on saxophone and clarinet before he recorded. Weidoft, Trumbauer, Hawkins and the Six Brown Brothers were well-known players who were widely recorded in the 1920's. I agree that the C-Melody's popularity did a lot to fuel the saxophone craze. DAVE

[olhonker]

I guess you ae too young to remember or have people who wre there tell you about the "Roaring Twenties" in the US. Proabition, Pe-Body, Charleston, etc these swingers went night an dday in speakeasies dancing thrfough the night with great bands playing to entertain, Big bands too by the way, Then the crash dcame in 1929 and that put brakes on a great period of the Gatsby era. Bruce Brennan, NY Big Bands just didn't do as much swing style as in 30-40s.

[Off-kilter]

You have to put it into historical perspective. No C.D. players , gramophones and 16 R.P.M. discs were rare and expensive. If you wanted to play music at a party you made your own.You may dismiss the Browns and Rudy as novelty music but they popularised a whole bunch of tunes that people would want to hear at there get togethers. You could buy the sheet music and perform/entertain for your friends. The music would invariably be in 'C' ,hence the popularity of the 'C' melody sax.Anyone could play it ( not necessarily well ) and you didn't have to transpose.

[A.Smith]

Don't forget the production of saxophones for military bands!

[JL]

Yeah, the roaring '20s, speakeasies, bathtub gin, dancing girls, and dancing in general; it all needed music and live music was the only way to go (unlike now, unfortunately). I'm sure a lot of music was being played that never got recorded. And the saxophone was really coming into its own at the time.

[martysax]

My grandmother (av'sholom) was born in 1920.

I thought they produced so many saxophones in order to drown her out.

She was a very loud woman.

[OnyxSax]

Without the kind of recording industry that existed even in the 30s, we really don't know how many virtuosos there were out there in the 1920s, and how many were lost to history without a single recording of their playing ever made.

I've always been told that 1927 was the high-water mark for the Golden Age of the Saxophone. I guess it is all moot, by the end of '29 the bubble had burst.