Saxophone
Books
The Devil's Horn: The Story of the Saxophone, from Noisy Novelty to King of Cool by Call Number: ML975 .S44 2005ISBN: 0374159386Publication Date: 2006
Gender and identity in Jazz by Publication Date: 2016Request via Interlibrary Loan
History of jazz tenor saxophone: Black artists by Publication Date: 1996Request via Interlibrary Loan
Kendra Wheeler
African American Women Saxophonists
- Ariana StanberryJamaican-American
- Elizabeth KingSource: Black Women in American Bands and Orchestras by D. A. Handy.
- Ellarize ThompsonAlso played flute, clarinet, and violin
- Freddie Mae BaxterSource: The Seventh Child: A Lucky Life by Freddie Mae Baxter, Gloria Bley Miller
- Gladys Farrell Seals (1902 -2002)Source: Black Women in American Bands and Orchestras by D. A. Handy.
- Madge FontainePlayed the saxophone with the Harlem Play Girls. Source: Albert White, "Harlem Play Girls thrilling southwest," The Pittsburgh Courier, 03/21/1936, p.16.
- Margaret Backstreet "Padjo"Source: American Women in Jazz
1900 to the Present: Their Words, Lives, and Music by Sally Placksin - Ruby MasonSource: Black Women in American Bands and Orchestras by D. A. Handy.
- Viola "Vi" May Burnside (1915-1964)Source: Black Women in American Bands and Orchestras by D. A. Handy.
- Yvonne Thornton and Donnalee ThorntonJanitor and his six daughters prove "WE CAN." Ebony, September 1977, pp. 33-42.
The Saxophone
"The body of the saxophone is made from brass tubing which tapers conically. Holes in the tube are covered by movable keys which can be operated singly or in groups by the player. The mouthpiece, made of wood in Sax’s day, is fitted with a detachable reed over which the player breathes air into the body of the instrument. Vibration of the reed produces variations in sound that can incorporate further individual characteristics desired by the player. Some saxophones have been made of plastic instead of metal but have not proved popular with musicians."
"It was not until the appearance of Charlie Parker that the alto saxophone challenged the tenor as a major instrument in jazz Although the alto and tenor saxophones are the most popular of the many instruments in the saxophone family, the baritone has found its jazz champions. Over the past 30 years the saxophone has been by far the most popular instrument in jazz but has not found comparable favor in the wider world of popular music, where the guitar has been predominant."
Quotes Sources: "Saxophone" in Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 4th ed., edited by Colin Larkin [online]. Oxford University Press. Accessed 04/27/2017.
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