All That Jazz
Earlier this year, when I visited the Jacqueline De Ribes exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I ventured over to the special display Celebrating Sax Instruments and Innovation, where I learned about the Adolphe Sax. The rare saxophone collection reminded me of the jazz I enjoy.

All That Jazz

I really appreciate that when you go to see an exhibit at the New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art, you get a lot for your donation. There is always an amazing amount of displays to see in just one day; you just have to be brave enough to maneuver the crowds.

All That Jazz

Wearing: Kate Spade fit and flare leopard print dress, J. Crew Factory fatigue jacket, Marc COin woven open toe heels from Yoox

Sirius XM reminded me that April is Jazz Appreciation Month. During this month, snippets are shared about what motivated many smooth jazz musicians to start playing a particular instrument.

 

1955 Stereo Me
Perhaps the tiny orchestra in my parent’s living room that I sat on as a young child propelled me into my love of jazz. Well, it was not really an orchestra but a high-fidelity stereo cabinet that my Dad played while listening to all that jazz.

Original Sax
Who knew the saxophone had such early beginnings?  Antoine-Joseph “Adolphe” Sax, Belgian-born Paris-based inventor, was born November 6, 1814.  Sax invented the saxophone in 1846.  The Met exhibit celebrated Adolphe Sax’s bicentennial birth and three generations of the Sax family inventions. The tribute exhibit ended on February 21, 2016.

Rare Ivory Clarinet instrument at the Celebrating Sax
Rare Ivory Clarinet instrument at the Celebrating Sax Instruments and Innovations at the Met exhibit earlier this year.

The exhibit’s highlights included rare saxophones, brass instruments, and an exquisite ivory clarinet, to name a few of the twenty-six instruments selected to showcase the innovations of the Sax family.

Trompette à pistons, Adolphe Sax
Trompette à pistons, Adolphe Sax

Sax also patented other instruments.  Have you ever heard of the saxhorn or the saxotromba?  He developed instruments with multiple bells and six independent valves. Adolphe learned his craft from his father, Charles Joseph (1790-1865).  He passed on his business to his youngest son, Adolphe Edouard (1859-1945), the 3rd-and last generation of the Sax Dynasty.

Large saxophones on a bridge in DInant, the city where Adolphe Sax was born.
Large saxophones on a bridge in Dinant, Belgium, where Adolphe Sax was born. Image credit: photo from Pinterest.

I realize that other musicians besides smooth jazz artists play the saxophone, and it just so happens that the saxophone is my musical melody of choice. My list of women’s favorites includes Mindy Abair, Candy Duffer, and Jessy J. As for men, the list is endless, but I must admit to Lou Donaldson, Boney James, Kenny G Richard Elliot, Gerald Albright, and Walter Beasley.

One man, one family, many inventions and many saxophones, and all that jazz over two hundred years later, thank you, Adolphe.

Have a fabulous week!

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