My folks wouldn't let me have drums and my lip wasn't right for brass, so the Jr High band director put me on alto. Sax was second though, after a 1/2 size violin in the elementary school program. My first horn was a Zephyr Special with sterling neck AND bell from Robert's Music in Tampa, with a white Brillhart #3. Still can't believe my parents, who were not well off, bought that for me. I had no idea, and was jealous of the kids who had Selmers. Around '72 or so, sold it to pay the rent for $75. By that time I was playing mostly bass anyways. Never had much desire to play guitar although the moment that hooked me on music, when i knew i would play something, was a glimpse of Segovia on Public TV when dad was out turning the antennae.

Now I play more doublebass, but not very well. My fingers are always wanting to play saxophone.

 

In 1959 I entered Jr. HS and since my father played clarinet/sax, I was sent to band (wanted to take art). Within a year, I needed a change and was given a school Buescher TT alto for the summer, in the fall a new Zephyr school tenor, the rest is history.

 

Started flute last year of HS, but took private kessons and didn't play in the band.
My mother took voice lessons and her husband taught flute
A couple of years later I was at a JC and got in the Wind Ensemble.
The band director needed a bari player for the Jazz band.
I tried it, he gave me lessons and put me in the band.
Needless to say I practised my *** off.
Later I played alto and much later tenor.

 

I chose guitar. Couldn't get any gigs. Then a guy I used to play in a band with said, "Come play the sax..." I guess someone else chose the sax for me then. At least now I can get gigs.

 

I chose the sax. Alto at first then switched to tenor in 7th grade. It was sax or trumpet and I thought the sax would be easier to learn.

 

Played clarinet cause my uncle did. In high school took up sax cause I wanted to be in the jazz band. Stated with clarinet in college, but played jazz sax. Mostly sax now cause there's more work for it.

 

4th grade(mid 70s). I wanted to play trumpet, my dad insisted sax. Probably referencing something about Tex Beneke. Took to it right away and never looked back. Played alto my whole life till I got my 1st ever tenor 2 weeks ago.


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4th grade(mid 70s). I wanted to play trumpet, my dad insisted sax. Probably referencing something about Tex Beneke. Took to it right away and never looked back. Played alto my whole life till I got my 1st ever tenor 2 weeks ago.

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I was also in 4th grade (mid 70s). The school did that rental program and I wanted to play trumpet. Except I was confused on instrument names. I checked the saxophone box on the form. I opened the case and told my dad this isn't what I thought it was. I was locked in for the school year contract rental. The following year my dad got me a beat up tenor from a pawn shop. I never looked back.

 

Early 70s, there were already too many trumpet players in beginning band, so I had to pick something else. Played tenor; I was very lucky!

 

I chose it, but not in the sense that others, as kids, did. I was already a professional musician, playing French Horn and trumpet. But my real focus was on writing.

After too many episodes of leaving my trumpet in its case for several days while cramming on writing projects and then trying to pick up where I left off, I figured, hey, I'm a writer. Why bust my @ss on trumpet when I can leave the flute or sax in its case for several days and then just pull it out and play Bach flute sonatas or some Charlie Parker, without losing my chops after the first 45 minutes? So I switched to woodwinds. I also did it to better learn them from an orchestrational standpoint.

Accordingly, when I returned to school (Univ of N Texas) for my master's, I chose woodwind performance as my minor.

 

The year was 1957..I was 13 and entering high school as a 9th grade freshman..I took band because I had played clarinet in the 7th-8th grade..

First day the HS band director says to me..."kid, I got plenty of Clarinet players, how about a Tenor Sax"..So I says, what's that ??

..Then he whips out a (brand new) brown leather zippered case, opens it up and shows me a sparkling unplayed MKVI tenor..

My eyes bugged and the deal was sealed..I played it for 3 yrs before they gave to the next kid..:twisted:

 

Was in a boys choir in 2005 and 2007. Viola in 2006. Tenor since 2008, and that's all I've stuck with since then.

 

The sax chose me. When I was picking instruments in beginner band(middle school) I had the choice to pick and try three instruments. I picked trumpet, trombone and sax. Sax was actually my last choice. I couldn't quite buzz the mouthpiece good enough on the trumpet, the trombone was okay but the sax felt natural!

 

John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins chose me, since they are the reason I started playing!

Sonny for me. I loved his playing but it didn't occur to me that I could play the sax until I became buddies with Dick Drake, a tenor, bari and flute player in Madison, who brought his tenor with him the first time he came to my apartment. He started to play it and then asked if I wanted to try it. I did, and that was where the love affair really began.

 

As a child in the 60's I went along with my dad to visit music shops in and around shaftsbury avenue, tin pan alley, a few other places I cant remember. He was looking for a new piano, for the pub my grandad had, so not his money, that was scarce. I remember standing in one shop amidst dozens of saxophones, some bigger than me. I was amazed and wanted one so bad. I asked, but we did not have enough money. My dad bought a piano there and the owner gave me a small classical guitar, which I cherished for years. I played in bands until I left school and joined the army. I didn't have anything musical from then until I medically retired after 22 years. I ran a business and kept busy, then one day, when I was 44, I walked past a local shop with a Trevor James in the window and bought it on a whim. I have played virtually every day since, have a beautiful solid silver Yani and just about to finish my last module studying music with the OU. Hopefully I get my honors degree at a ceremony next September. Fingers crossed, I still have 2 more assignments for this course and it is tough. I also have a small music studio at home where I play and make some noise. I am in a wheelchair and it really took some planning, but I got some excellent advice from some very nice people. I waited many years to get my sax, but when I did I decided to really make the most of it. I am considering becoming a music teacher now, but my disabilities may rule this out, I am in touch with teacher training and trying to see if a compromise is possible. Watch this space.

 

I did chose the tenor after hearing Arnett Cobb live in 1979 at age 17, but I only bought one and started playing about five years later.

I posted some youtube clips of the performance that inspired me in this thread: http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?145624-Great-Arnett-Cobb-solo-on-Deep-Purple

 

I love the sound of piano. You can't have one with you at all times though.

I love the sound of drums. But you can't play beautiful, expressive songs alone with drums, and you can't have them with you at all times.

I love the sound of sax. Expressive. You can play beautiful, expressive songs solo until the cows come home. You can bring it with you. One blow, hearing that sound I made, I was hooked for life. End of story.

 

Circa 1972...entering 5th grade band. older brother played the slushpump [was tired of hearing it at home practice]...I cant remember the inspiration but Sax was the one and only choice. My Dad went to a firend that was a distributor and came home with a shiny new Amati Alto [no one else had ever even seen one in the area back then]. Played altos into the 80s. Sadly, quit for 20 years. The Sax then chose me 4-5 years ago..I rarely miss a day where I at least play some kind of sax for at least 30mins now.

 

The sax chose me in a way.

Ever since I can remember, my favorite toys were the ones that made music. I'd pick out childhood songs on those toy pianos, xylophones, etc.

I wanted to be in the school band in the 6th grade, but I started a bit late due to moving to Florida and no instruments were available. Pompano was a very small town then. So I joined the "Tonette" and "Flutaphone" band. (plastic recorder-like instruments)

7th grade came around, still no instruments available so I joined the band playing drums. All the new guys got a pair of sticks and a practice pad. I wanted to play Baritone Horn because I thought it sounded beautiful.

A couple or few months later the tenor saxophone player's family moved, and the band director said, "Who wants to play the saxophone?" and I guess I raised my hand more enthusiastically than the rest. At that point, anything that made a melody was better than paradiddles and triple ratamacues.

I took to the sax and every year in high school I was first sax in the all-state band and section leader (that usually went to the alto player by default). I never got anything less than "Superior" in solo competition and started playing in rock bands.

My first rock band was when I was still in Junior High School. I was playing with my friends. We were terrible, but so was everybody else back then. We got hired to play at a Junior High School Sock Hop dance. So there I was on the stage with my friends, we were playing the tunes we loved and had practiced so hard to work up, and that cute girl who wouldn't acknowledge my existence in English class was suddenly 'making eyes' at me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And at the end of the night they actually paid me money for it.

I've been doing it ever since. Along the way I picked up vocals, bass, guitar, flute, wind synthesizer, keyboard synth (I wouldn't consider myself a pianist) and I still do drums - although I'm very out of practice.

I'm in a duo, sequence my own backing tracks, and that led to a part-time 'moonlighting' business of writing aftermarket styles and fake disks for Band-in-a-Box.

I'm old enough to retire but I have no intention of doing so. When I get on stage and start making music, it's as much fun as it was in that first junior high school dance. All of a sudden I have no age, no cares, no concept of time, and the music seems to flow through me and not from me. The sax is my main instrument and will always be, but I wouldn't want to give up any of the others either.

I've made a living doing music and nothing but music, and I have no regrets. Music is my bliss.

Insights and incites by Notes

 

Stan Getz & Georgie Auld are the reason I chose the sax. That was in 1953 and except for a 5 year hiatus I've played Tenor, soprano & flute most of my life. Still do. It gave me joy, and a means of making a living leading to becoming a music teacher, leading to that coveted pension & almost worry free retirement. The sax has been good to me. Except reeds.

 

For me, it's the english saxophonists who gave me the go. Elton Dean, Mel Collins, Ian McDonald, John Surman, Alan Skidmore. All of them were playing around Soft Machine, King Crimson ( not Surman, of course).
McLaughlin with Surman and Dave Holand in the 70's. Then after, I listened to more "classic" jazz players like Coltrane, Parker, Sanders, Henderson, etc.
In high school in 1970, we were 2 tenor saxos. The teacher asked us to bring each a sax solo representing what was our goal, the way we wanted to play sax. The other sax guy brought us the sax solo from Jesus-Christ Superstar, don't remember wich song it was. Kind of RR. I brought Peoria from King Crimson, on the 5th record "Earthbound". Collins plays bari, a long solo getting weirdo.
Peoria

 

I was playing trombone in the local brass band when I was 14 years old. Then in a space of about 6 months I heard King Curtis on Yakety Yak, Boots on Yakety Sax, Billy Vaughan's Orchestra and I was hooked. I choose the sax.

 

I think we chose each other. I surrendered my love for saxophone in 8th grade for a guitar because all of the girls were crazy over this new artist named "Prince". 10 years later, I heard Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" while in art school. It inspired several paintings and my return to saxophone. 15 years later, I stumbled on Ben Webster's "Chelsea Bridge" and "the Brute" and at the tender age of 47, I became a late bloomer. It was inevitable.

 

I didn't necessarily choose sax. My uncle had a YAS-21 that he played in his youth and he offered to let me have it. I still have it.
I ended up playing tenor because in 6th grade, the test to get into "advanced band" was reciting a concert Bb scale. The tenor was easier, so I chose that. In retrospect it seems silly, but I have never regretted the decision for a minute. I haven't played the YAS 21 because it needs a little work, but I'm starting to think I should get back on it.

 

I chose the sax. It seemed a fairly natural progression: recorder - clarinet - saxophone. I have dabbled in other instruments - trumpet, trombone, tuba, piano, ukulele - but tenor saxophone is my choice.

 

As a kid, I started on piano then switched to flute. In the mid-1950's Bill Haley and The Comets came to town. Skipped school and went to see them. You couldn't play rock and roll on a flute so I migrated to saxophone. Been there ever since. Currently playing tenor sax in two Big Bands.

 

In the mid-1950's Bill Haley and The Comets came to town. Skipped school and went to see them.

+1

Rudy Pompilli was the first tenor player I heard as such and I just wanted to sound like him. Now I do (a bit).