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Whatever happened to sax?
- Thread starter avvie
- Start date
I'm with ya there. Back in Ye Olde Daye I was all about guitar and guitar solos; nowadays I hate them and only like guitar used texturally (and I have a guitarist bandmate who is wonderful at doing both). For my own stuff I'm looking through various software instruments to create sounds and textures, and my top sounds are sax, koto, phased piano and Mellotron (which was a surprise because by themselves Mellotrons sound like dog squeeze)
Hi @avvie, since no one seems to actually answer your question about sax use in modern Pop/Rock music, the answer is yes it is still around! The most obvious example is Dave Matthews Band, but he has become a bit outdated. Here are a few examples of sax used in major pop songs from the past decade:
Midnight City - M83 (2011 - 323 million views)
See solo at the end of the song. Actually very well done and they are incredible live.
Last Friday Night - Katy Perry (2011 - 1.3 billion views)
Again, solo at the end (3:57). I'm not a huge fan, and it sounds way over produced. The ending altissimo sounds digital, either autotuned or midi. But it's sax...
Run Away With Me - Carly Rae Jepsen (2015 - 41.5 million views)
The main line at the beginning and during the chorus is a sax (with a lot of production on it).
Lesser known, but an example of a sax sample used in modern hip hop:
There are more out there if you search, but these came to mind when I saw this post. However, I agree it isn't as common, but I would argue that it isn't a reduction in sax but a broader reduction in instrument features overall. Older Rock and Pop all had solos by some instrument. Modern pop production doesn't seem to include solos or riffs by any instrument (guitar, sax, piano). Modern Rock doesn't include as many solos compared to classic rock. The focus is more on the groove, feel, and production these days.
Example of what I mean. The Revivalists have a sax player in their band, and he usually has tons of solos when they play live. However, in their most popular song there is no solo and the sax is only used for some background riffs.
Wish I knew you - The Revivalists (2016 - 82 Million views)
NOTE: I'm talking about mostly mega pop and rock, not everyone's personal band or obscure artist with 4k views on youtube. If I was to pick my favorite example of sax in modern times, it would be Joshua Redman playing with Umphrey's Mcgee () or bands like Lettuce, Snarky Puppy, etc.
I agree, and I think that's a good thing. Makes writing and arranging easier for me, anyway..
I was going to suggest Morphine, and New Wet Kojak, but of course neither of them have been active in almost 20 years.
Even Radiohead's track "The National Anthem" was 20 years ago :
Funnily enough, the most recent mainstream example I can think of, features him :
There was of course that 2018 mini-album from Nine Inch Nails, where Trent Reznor went back to his roots, and wrote / performed most of the songs on his saxophone :
...Except that you didn't mention rock music at all. So naturally, everybody started showing all the different styles of popular music and artists in the new millennium that showcase saxophone, thereby proving that saxophone is alive and well and that some of us really just need to be a little less myopic.
Having now read through this whole thread, I'm kind of surprised nobody mentioned quite big hit singles from the likes of Rocket From The Crypt :
And, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones :
In conclusion ; Sax in rock music had it's last gasp as a 90's thing.
And, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones :
In conclusion ; Sax in rock music had it's last gasp as a 90's thing.
I saw M83 at a festival a few years ago and they were incredible! Just an awesome experience. I've been to a decent amount of festivals and shows, but seeing "Intro" live is still one of the best.
The Katy Perry song is garbage pop, but it was a hit when it was released and maybe the last 'big' hit of a saxophone solo in modern pop. It's played by Lenny Picket (SNL, Tower of Power) but Kenny G is the actor in the video.
Two other popular uses of saxophone are by Big Gigantic and Griz who incorporate it into their EDM tracks. Big G uses less and less sax in his production these days, but they still do in their live shows (see the recap videos from their red rocks shows each year). Example of an older tune:
Yeah, and I don't understand why I can't edit the fracking OP. When did this happen? Did some extremist trolls ruin it for everyone over the past year??
Not at all. You have like 5 mins to edit a post. Been like that for a long time now.
Best to be sure that you're saying what you think you're saying before posting... Many a thread has gone south because the OP wasn't clear enough.
Not hugely popular, and not rock, but I'll throw it in anyway. 2M+ views. And the guy playing the sax tours with them now that they can afford it, splitting his time between sax and keys (and singing).
Kamasi Washington opened for Vulfpeck at Red Rocks a while back. I wasn't there, but he came out and took a solo on the song above. Not the best recording, but fun nonetheless.
Kamasi Washington opened for Vulfpeck at Red Rocks a while back. I wasn't there, but he came out and took a solo on the song above. Not the best recording, but fun nonetheless.
