There was a time when the saxophone was a very obscure, regional instrument. The instrument only became one of the most utilized at the beginning of jazz in the mid-1910s. Although this was generally the case, it was played more often than most would think in bands and orchestras before the jazz age. There is one fascinating photo that gives an unusual insight to the saxophone before 1910, and a few musicians who contributed to its rise.
Although invented in 1846, it took several decades for the saxophone to be played outside of French orchestras. There was simply no need for it in most European orchestras at the time, as there were instruments like the Ophecleide and bassoons still in use. It was for a long time considered a uniquely French instrument. This is why the very first person to make recorded solos was Edward Lefebre. He was French-Dutch, born in the Netherlands in 1834. Lefebre actually met Adolphe Sax in the 1850s, afterward deciding to take up the instrument. He soon traveled all over the world introducing the saxophone to the wider public. Without him the instrument would have remained only in central and northern Europe.
By 1872, Lefebre moved to New York, and soon joined Gilmore’s band. Though he played many wind instruments, he became famous for playing the saxophone. In 1891, Gilmore’s band made their first records for Edison, and on those it is likely that we can hear Lefebre somewhere. Thankfully, a few of these have been digitized for all of us to hear. He made a few solos for Edison back in 1889, and for North American in the early 1890s. While the Edisons have yet to surface, at least one of his North American records is known to survive. When Gilmore died in 1892, Lefebre left for the Sousa band. From there he continued to work with him until around 1900.
While Lefebre was the first and for a long time the most famous saxophonist, he wasn’t the only one who was well known for it. There was another saxophonist in the Sousa band around the same time, Jean Moeremans (also part French and Flemish).We do not know when he joined the band, but he was likely also on many Sousa band recordings in the 1890s. His first solo recordings were done for Berliner at 18th and Broadway in New York in 1897 and 1898. The records could sound strange to modern ears, as many of us may not be used to hearing the instrument played in such a way. They are fascinating to listen to. He recorded many solos for Berliner, including some of Arthur Pryor’s trombone pieces.
What’s even more interesting is that in 1899 Berliner recorded a few sides by the “saxophone quartet of Sousa’s band.” Lefebre back in the 1880s established a saxophone quartet as well, but it didn’t last long. As of now none of these recordings have been well documented, and only one is known to survive. There were likely others that have yet to surface. We do not know who made up this group, but we can be assured that Moeremans was part of it. In 1900 Moeremans began recording for Victor, sometimes solo, sometimes with a flute. His recording history after 1901 is odd, as he returned after not making records for three years in 1904. These records he made in 1904 are old titles he had made years before for Berliner.
When listening to acoustic band records in the 1900s we can very rarely hear the saxophone, as it often was used to blend the orchestra. However there is a famous photo that shows the Edison concert band in action, and prominently featured is an unidentified saxophonist. Though the musicians were not labeled, the saxophonist was Justin Ring. Yes, Justin Ring.
Ring was actually a well known and established saxophonist. Though he more often played piano and clarinet, both musicians and his family alike knew him for the saxophone. He wrote many virtuosic pieces for it and the clarinet throughout his career. While it is not known if he made any solos, other performers did record his pieces. Clarinetist William Tuson recorded several of them in the early 1900s.
No piece on the saxophone could neglect to mention the Six Brown Brothers, arguably one of the reasons the instrument is widely used today. Starting in 1913, the Six Brown Brothers began making records, and at the time they were a sensation. It was innovative and very different from many records being issued at the time, and though from the way their records were advertised, they were not in fact novelties. Many listeners considered these records to be masterful, despite their reputation as a group performing in and alongside minstrel shows. They recorded both ragtime and popular music, giving the saxophone its popularity that in the coming decades would seem unbreakable.
By 1916, musicians like Fred Van Eps also understood that the instrument was not just a passing fad. It was in that year that Van Eps changed the instrumentation of his trio to include Nathan Glantz on the saxophone. Glantz can also be credited as popularising the instrument in the mainstream. He also recorded many pieces for the saxophone by Justin Ring (with his accompaniment).
By the electric era, the saxophone reigned supreme in Jazz bands. By that time the way the instrument was actually played was also changing. Before it was played more gently like the clarinet often was, but there developed more of an attack to how it was played by the end of the 1920s. Sweet playing of the instrument also continued of course, but it was becoming more versatile.
R. S. Baker has appeared at several Ragtime festivals as a pianist and lecturer. Her particular interest lies in the brown wax cylinder era of the recording industry, and in the study of the earliest studio pianists, such as Fred Hylands, Frank P. Banta, and Frederick W. Hager.
