Saxxologie ... A Sextet (1984) for six saxophones: 2 sopranos, 1 alto, 2 tenors, 1 baritone.

Thomas Oboe Lee

About this work:

First performance by Your Neighborhood Sax Quartet, plus Greg Badolato and George Garzone. Saxxologie ... A Sextet (1984) was written for the Neighborhood Sax Quartet plus 2 guest saxxists when I was still a member of the Boston composer consortium, Composers in Red Sneakers.

The piece however is dedicated to Marilyn Monroe. The sax [sic] symbol of all times!!! It was premiered in Kresge Auditorium at MIT on November 16, 1984, by the YNSQ - Ben Schachter on soprano, Allan Chase on alto, Tom Hall on tenor, Steve Adams on bari - and two guests - Greg Badolato on soprano and George Garzone on tenor. The featured Guest Sneaker at this concert by the Composers in Red Sneaker was John Harbison.

In the fall of 1985, the Sneakers gave a New York debut recital at Symphony Space. Bernard Holland wrote in the Times, “Thomas Oboe Lee’s Saxxologie ... a sextet for six saxophones distilled the hard-edged sonorities and luscious extended chords of postwar jazz into a hymn of praise to bop.”

Year composed: 1984
Duration: 00:10:00
Ensemble type: Unspecified Instrument(s):Ensemble
Instrumentation: 2 Soprano Saxophone, 1 Alto Saxophone, 2 Tenor Saxophone, 1 Baritone Saxophone

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