I was in middle school the first time I heard the alto saxophone. An 8th grader was playing a solo for the jazz band. I didn’t know it then but that was the initial trigger. I was actually playing the clarinet in the concert band at the time. I had to get out. I tried to switch to sax but the band director wouldn’t let me.
When I moved to Florida I told the new band director that I played the saxophone and never ever mentioned the clarinet again. When I first picked up an alto saxophone, I didn’t know I was starting a lifelong conversation — one that would speak when I couldn’t find the words, cry when I couldn’t show the tears, and celebrate when words would’ve just fallen flat.
The Sound That Found Me
The alto sax is not too high, not too low, just sits right there in the middle where it can either whisper or wail, soothe or shout. I remember hearing Gerald Albright for the first time, his song So Amazing had me in a chokehold, probably because I’ve always believed that it was Luther Vandross’ greatest song and now here was a saxophone interpretation. I can listen to it forever, Gerald or Luther’s. One time I listened to them continually back to back on a drive home from a gig. Gerald’s sound is the sound that I chase even as I search for my own sound.
Why Alto?
I’ve owned and tried the soprano. Kenny G and Najee were all the rage at the time and I wanted to play their music. I tried the tenor. Lot’s of jazz standards and giants like John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins were inspiring to me. But in the end I came back to the alto. There’s something special about the alto’s balance. Saxophones are often compared to the human voice, tenors for men and altos for women. My favorite ballad were all sung by women (eventually Will Downing came along and changed my whole world view but that’s another story for another day). I love the emotion that I get from the alto with bebop, soulful R&B, and jazz ballads. It sits at the emotional crossroads of all of it.
Still Moving Me Today
Every time I play, I’m reminded why I started. The alto still catches me off guard — a phrase that blooms just right, a note that trembles perfectly in tune with my heart. The sax teaches me patience, breath, and soul. It connects me to the greats before me and the people who feel the music now.
With all that I have tried in life, and many of which I’ve failed that, some kind of saxophone has always been there, even if it’s just sitting in a case. It’s has always been a part of my life in some way. After all these years, the alto sax still moves me.
