Whatever happened to sax?

[GrahamNN3]

Wesley Magoogan playing sax on - Will You by Hazel O’Conner

A masterclass in how to build a solo - or how to structure a song round a solo.

 

[mongo2]

Back in the mid '70s (or there abouts) I remember seeing a sax player play two saxes at the same time, but I can't remember the name of the band.

 

[GrahamNN3]

Back in the mid '70s (or there abouts) I remember seeing a sax player play two saxes at the same time, but I can't remember the name of the band.

Probably Ian Dury and the Blockheads - sax(s) by Dave Payne

Davey Payne - Wikipedia

at 2:14 here

 

[jamro217]

Back in the mid '70s (or there abouts) I remember seeing a sax player play two saxes at the same time, but I can't remember the name of the band.

Yusef Lateef used to do that but he's a jazz cat and wasn't in a popular group.

I don't think the trends of instrumentation are gone due to shifting tastes as much as they are the lowering standards of education and acceptability in today's society. It never used to be tolerated to be a sluggard and a wastrel but now that's the norm. Can't play? Get a keyboard that'll play for you. Can't sing? Get a board with pitch correct. Ugly? Get plastic surgery. Still stink? Lip sync. The downward spiral never ends. Nobody has the attention span or dedication to bother learning how to do anything for themselves anymore. It's a sickening blot on humanity, I tell ya! Zager And Evans were right but their calendar was off by 500 years.

 

[mazdah]

Actually we have some sick sax solo in one of our songs. Released in 2020, so yeah - time to bring back the sax!

 

[dalkowski]

Back in the mid '70s (or there abouts) I remember seeing a sax player play two saxes at the same time, but I can't remember the name of the band.

"See and raise," saith the great Rahsaan Roland Kirk:

 

[Pirate Captain]

all joking aside...this can be tied to the totally gutting of public funding for music education in schools back in the 80s. Fewer people having a "bench" of music skills including marching band instruments...it's a lot easier to just "pick up" guitar/bass/piano than it is saxophone

 

[mongo2]

Probably Ian Dury and the Blockheads - sax(s) by Dave Payne

Davey Payne - Wikipedia

at 2:14 here

Never seen them, these guys were a local rock group.

 

[mongo2]

"See and raise," saith the great Rahsaan Roland Kirk:
View attachment 4177778

Yoikes!!!

 

[lyonaudio]

Benny Hill killed it.

 

[3bc]

I love me some 80’s. The voicing of chords, the tones, quality of many of the singers and songs. Last great decade of music from an innovative and musicianship perspective. Things have become far too derivative over the last 30 years.

M83 is very 80’s inspired and has some ripping sax solos, particularly on his big hit midnight city.

 

[superheavyfunk]

Or has it happened already and I just don't know about it?

Sax is still around. Based on your OP, I'd say that you simply need to expand your listening beyond post punk and new wave - two genres that themselves basically died like 30 years ago.

 

[dalkowski]

Yoikes!!!

Ain't no gimmick, neither. Dig:

 

[tothemax]

My co-conspirator is a multi-instrumentalist, sax being one of his instruments. We find it adds a nice edge to give the band our own sound, probably the way that Bowie did as his sound was expanding. Personally I was always a fan of those early great sax parts like "Year of the cat", "Angry Eyes", and "Baker Street". I always found the "Steely Dan" / "Pink Floyd" grade sax segments as totally cool and love having a sax in our band.

We tend to use the sax in a more of a Huey Lewis style most of the time, but also make the most of it for Motown standards like "What's going on". He also plays flute, so we can spin off some Jethro Tull, which is kind of cool to add variety. I'm pretty sure we are about the only ones around here that can pull off Locomotive Breath .

Anyway, Sax is alive and well in our band...

 

[Fun With Dirt]

I think the sax player in Lost Boys ruined it for everyone. He just went too far.

"Let's talk about sax, baby. Let's talk about you and me. Let's talk about the good things and the bad things that may be." - Salt 'n' Pepa

 

[Eidolon0274]

Macklemore had that "thrift shop" song 10 years ago that featured a sax sample.

10 years. Wow.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

wow, not sure how to respond reading your OP, and then Michedelic 's post, but: sax didn't go anywhere! there has been great sax-based/oriented (or spiced/flavored) music since the beginning of time.

TBH: my POV is no doubt skewed toward (and in favor of) sax because i've rarely played in a band that didn't have one (or two, or three, or more). and add some brass to get the full-on, real-deal, funk, jump, and jive. so i'm a fan.

my 7pc. instrumental band has two great sax players who play all the common horns (bari, tenor, alto, soprano). we play a lot of jazz, of course, but we also play a lot of rock and pop, and the saxes do a great job of conveying those melodies --- instead of voice. and with a trumpet/flugel added: a 3pc. horn section can deliver a bunch of good stuff.

not sure if life is worth living without some great sax!

JRA, you're having some sax appeal I can see!!!

 

[JRA]

 

[rashrader]

Considering that some of my favorite musicians are saxophonists, I’m not really following you here…. Check out Mark Turner and Chris Potter. They are just a few fine examples of what Tenor Players are up to these days. Chris’s work with bassist Dave Holland is amazing!!!

 

[brianrost]

This happened: