|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| The Devil's Horn: The Story of the Saxophone An evening of words and music in The Half King, New York City, will be held on October 10, 2005, when Michael Segell reads from his new book, The Devil's Horn: The Story of the Saxophone, From Noisy Novelty to King of Cool. In The Devil's Horn, Segell traces the 160-year history of the saxophone a horn that created a sound never before heard in nature, and that from the moment it debuted has aroused both positive and negative passions among all who hear it. The saxophone has insinuated itself into virtually every musical idiom that has come along since its birth as well as into music with traditions thousands of years old. But it has also been controversial, viewed as a symbol of decadence, immorality and lasciviousness: it was banned in Japan, saxophonists have been sent to Siberian lockdown by Communist officials, and a pope even indicted it. Segell outlines the saxophone's fascinating history while he highlights many of its legendary players, including Benny Carter, Illinois Jacquet, Sonny Rollins, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Branford Marsalis, and Michael Brecker. The Devil's Horn explores the saxophone's intersections with social movement and change, the innovative acoustical science behind the instrument, its struggles in the world of “legit” music, and the mystical properties that seduce all who fall under its influence. Colorful, evocative, and richly informed, The Devil's Horn is an ingenious portrait of one of the most popular instruments in the world. MICHAEL SEGELL is an editor at the Daily News, an amateur percussionist and saxophone player, and a professional music lover. He lives with his wife and children in New York City and Long Eddy, New York. Michael Segell's writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, and Esquire, where he wrote the popular column “The Male Mind” for three years. He has received two National Magazine Award nominations for his work. “The diabolical charm of the saxophone is caught in all its contentious glory by Segell . . . Segell is under the saxophone's spell, though he is also a clear-eyed student, both a player and a historian . . . [He] has great fun describing the malleability of the horn, the way each player finds a voice, the rebellious, subversive, Dionysian expression of Parker . . . Coltrane and Rollins, Mingus and Young, Jacquet and Mulligan, Getz and Sims and Coleman-characters so renowned you don't even need to bother with first names. Segell revels in the various styles . . . A story as much fun to read as listening to a sax master.” ~ Kirkus Reviews write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Jazz News :: home page |