Newswise — Clinton, N.Y. - Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone, was born 200 years ago on Nov. 6, 1814. A little more than three decades later, already a successful musical instrument designer, he introduced his new invention, the sax. He had already made a range of what he called "saxhorns" that would become known as things like the flugelhorn, the euphonium and the bass tuba. His sax was part clarinet and part ophicleide, an older, keyed brass instrument.
Audio and video interviews with some of the world’s outstanding sax players in today’s musical world as well as past eras, are freely accessible online via the Hamilton College Fillius Jazz Archive. Among those musicians whose music and interviews are captured within the archive are:• Plas Johnson, who on his tenor sax played the purring sax solo on Henry Mancini's famous "Pink Panther" movie theme song. He played the saxophone counterpart to Harry "Sweets" Edison's trumpet on Neal Hefti's signature music for "The Odd Couple" TV series and has been the featured soloist on many albums, including those of Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Barbra Streisand, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Linda Ronstadt and Sarah Vaughan. He can be heard here http://contentdm6.hamilton.edu/cdm/ref/collection/jazz/id/977 (start at 34 sec.) plasjohnson.com• The late James Moody was very well known in the world of jazz, having played with Dizzy Gillespie for years as well as many other well known musicians. He can be heard at http://contentdm6.hamilton.edu/cdm/ref/collection/jazz/id/1119 (start at 1 min 19 sec) jamesmoody.com• Jane Ira Bloom, the much-feted soprano sax player and composer described by Nat Hentoff as “beyond category,” was the first musician ever commissioned by the NASA Art Program and was also honored by having an asteroid named in her honor by the International Astronomical Union (asteroid 6083janeirabloom). She can be heard at http://contentdm6.hamilton.edu/cdm/ref/collection/jazz/id/663 (start at 50 sec)janeirabloom.com• Phil Woods, who can be heard on Billy Joel’s Just the Way You Are and who is one of the finest jazz players alive, can be heard at http://contentdm6.hamilton.edu/cdm/ref/collection/jazz/id/1416 (start at 1 min 5 sec for interview) philwoods.com
The Hamilton College Fillius Jazz Archive - http://www.hamilton.edu/jazzarchive holds 300+ interviews with music personalities from a wide cross section of generations including jazz musicians, arrangers, writers and critics, the jazz greats and the supporting cast from the 1930s to the present. Among the topics (audio with transcript and video) discussed are:- race and gender issues in the music world- stories about life during the Depression, World War II and the Cold War in the U.S.S.R.- the creative and learning process- personal narratives about the "jazz life"- road stories with traveling with bands
Listeners can click on a link http://www.hamilton.edu/jazzarchive/interviews and read the transcripts or listen to interviews with some of jazz’s most well-known musicians, including Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton, Oscar Peterson and George Shearing as well as former members of bands led by Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton and the Dorsey Brothers. Interviews are searchable by subject and name. Selected video excerpts may also be viewed at the archive website. The interviews, which range from 30 to 120 minutes. Anecdotes are woven throughout the interviews.
Inquiries concerning the Hamilton College Fillius Jazz Archive should be made to Monk Rowe, archive director, at [email protected] or 315-859-4071.###
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