The saxophone is commonly linked to jazz music with such greats as Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Sony Rollins but there is so much more to the saxophone.
The saxophone in the beginning was created as a classical instrument by Adolphe Sax around 1840 and was first used by Berlioz in a choral work named Chant Sacre. The next major use of the saxophone was in Military Bands where it could create a full, loud sound to compete against the brass instruments. The saxophone then found its way into orchestras in pieces such as Bizet’s L’Arlesienne (1872), Gershwin’s An American in Paris (1928) Ravel’s Bolero (1928). By the 1930’s over 150 classical compositions existed for the saxophone and great saxophonists such as Marcel Mule, Sigurd Rascher and Cecil Leeson were championing these pieces. The Saxophone didn’t enter jazz until the 1930’s when swing music was taking off and it was replacing the clarinet and violins in big bands to create a loader more diverse sound.
The saxophone today can be found in various genres from classical to jazz, popular to World Music, West End to Military bands. This is all to do with the diversity of the saxophone and the flexibility and expressiveness of its sound. And this is why I think the saxophone is such an amazing and popular instrument. I have listed some links below to demonstrate this diversity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcEoV7eezAA
