[clinty]

A few buddies of mine are looking into putting together a sax quartet, and have run into a few obstacles.

We're not too experienced on what titles to choose. We've found a few arrangers, but how do we know if we'd like to play the song? We have no idea what they sound like.

Well, my question comes down to being pretty much how would we be able to find recordings of the songs we're putting into consideration? Also, maybe I could get some recommendations for jazz and a few classical (we're trying to bring a quartet to state too).

I would ask my director, but I'm not going to talk to him for another month or so, and I'm sure he won't be very encouraging about it all.

Thanks!

 

[awholley]

Can you give us some information about the skills and interests of your players?

School grade level or years playing?
What you (each, preferably) played for solo contest most recently?
All-region/all-state band or similar?
Will you be AATB or SATB?
If you played in a quartet before, what music did you play?

Also, have a look here:

http://www.bruceevans.net/freebies.html
http://www.4a4quartet.com/liste-scores.php?combo=quartet

 

[clinty]

Ah, sorry I didn't specify. It was late


It will be 2 sophomores and 2 seniors in high school. AATB. The 2 sophomores will be the altos. They're not too experienced, but they definitely have the potential. They're just as good as what a lot of senior and good junior saxes. They just need the opportunity to do well. The tenor (me), and bari (blindside398) are seniors this coming up school year. We're decent players. I really don't know how to say it without seeming like a prick, but we're okay. We play grade 5's and 6's pretty well in our concert band. On our quartet this year, we got a compliment where the judge said the we actually sounded like a professional quartet at many points during the song that we played, so I guess we can put together a pretty good classical quartet (Blindside and I, that is. The other alto's either moved, or graduated).

The bari and I love jazz and jazz quartet stuff and are interested on getting a good saxophone quartet going to further advance ourselves in jazz and classical playing. The other 2 that alto's aren't really experienced in stuff but I know they definitely have an interest in it. I know they would be dedicated to it as I have talked to them both about all of this.



What we played most recently. I played a solo called Contest Caprice (4). I made a superior on it. We had an alto play Russian Sailor's Dance (4) and Cantilena (4, I think). I know our bari player didn't play a solo, and I don't remember what the alto played. We weren't really able to play very challenging pieces because we had our orchestra teacher play every single person's piano backup for the solos (and there was around 70), so we didn't get more than 10 minutes of practice time with a piano player.


1 of us was in all county jazz and quad county concert band. Me and the bari player will most likely be headed to tri-state band this year. I had a schedule conflict that caused me to be unable to go to quad county, or else I would have been there last year.

The bari and I played a quartet last year. We played Adagio and Allegro (4). We would have gone for a more difficult piece, but we didn't like any of the other pieces in our school's music library and we had no time to order other pieces.

Also, I'm really liking that 4a4quartet website. Thanks!! ^^

 

[blindside398]

The bari player he is talking about is me, and thanks for any help you guys can give =]. Thanks!

 

[Transcriber-arranger]

Sax Quartet Music

Here's an idea. I play in a new saxophone quartet, and while we've acquired only about 45 pieces to date, quite a few of them have been recorded. The library list that I've compiled contains audio links for 16 of these 45 titles. Some of the links are for the complete arrangement; some, only for an audio sample. However, with these, you'd be able to do some previewing.

If you're interested in seeing it, I'd be happy to send you the list and let you know how you can acquire particular pieces. Please respond by e-mail.

 

[bari-gadje]

"Three Shades of Blues". Paul Nagle. Musicians Publications. "Miniature Jazz Suite *1" and "Heads up". Lennie Niehaus. "Quartet de L'Arlesienne". G Bizet. Rubank, Inc. You might also like "QUAR-TECH" by Daniel Eichenbaum. "Bee's Knees" by Lennie Niehaus.

 

[clinty]

"Three Shades of Blues". Paul Nagle. Musicians Publications. "Miniature Jazz Suite *1" and "Heads up". Lennie Niehaus. "Quartet de L'Arlesienne". G Bizet. Rubank, Inc. You might also like "QUAR-TECH" by Daniel Eichenbaum. "Bee's Knees" by Lennie Niehaus.

I listened to as many as I could find. They sound pretty cool.

Thanks

 

[awholley]

Thanks for the info, now we know what you're up to and ready for!

I'll add additional high recommendations for:

Sailor's Hornpipe -Henry Cowell
Two Modern Saxophone Quartets -Jack End
Five Centuries for Saxophone Quartet -arr. Rascher/Patrick
Down By The Riverside -arr. Niehaus
Jazz Album -arr. Gale/Nagle/Thomas