httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug_rXD7hkb0
It’s the 201st anniversary of Adolphe Sax’s birth today, commemorated by a Google Doodle.
Let’s ignore the usual lists of greatest sax breaks ever, or greatest soloists.
Madness might have been the greatest British sax group of all time – Thompson plays a crucial role in pretty much all their biggest hits, and while Chris Foreman’s rhythm guitar and Mark Bedford’s bass might have been the bedrock of their sound, the sax was the seasoning.
In which James Chance demonstrated that the sax had its place in the confrontational music of the early New York post-punk era.
When they drop out, leaving Parker to play the most concise sax solo imaginable, it’s bliss.
Equally, sometimes the sax can be a very blunt instrument indeed.