I have been so busy doing some work for my tech, and working on much needed updates for my site, that The Bassic Sax Blog has really taken a backseat. So a few weeks ago I decided to take a quick trip down the news sections of some search engines and find what has been happening over the past couple of years. (Yes, it had really been that long since I looked at current saxophone happenings. Wow! I had really let things slide.)
True, most of these stories are now in fact history, and no longer news. Nonetheless, I felt they were important/strange/curious enough that they should be included here, if for no other reason than The Bassic Sax Blog has for years been the place that pulled together some of the most important bits and pieces in the world of saxophone trivia, and included them in an easy-to-find location. That is why I have chosen to include this stories here.
Since there were so many stories that I felt were in some way relevant, I opted to split this News Update into two sections. Part 1 has been done for a bit now, but Part 2 is still a work in progress.
Part 2 is the more emotional one, and covers among other things, obits of some of the most influential people in the saxophone world we have lost over the last couple of years. I hope to have it finished in the coming month. In the meantime, here is a re-cap of the what I’ve found interesting in the world of saxophone news over the last 24 or so months.
Tech
If you love your gadgets, you are sure to have seen either one or both of these bits of electronica.
Travel Sax 2
Travel Sax 2 is really a tiny plastic practice saxophone, which allows players to practice silently. Presumably aimed at city dwellers, this instrument by Odisei Music allows for a wide variety applications.
Here are a couple of videos that explain everything about this practice instrument that started off as a crowd funded project.
This second explains what the Travel Sax is and isn’t.
Haxophone
If the Travel Sax 2 is simply too polished for you, and/or you are a DIYer, then perhaps the Haxophone is more your thing.
The Haxophone is a hackable electronic saxophone with mechanical keys. Say what? 
I must admit this one had me stumped when I saw it for the first time, and as I read the write-ups about it in various techy sites, I wasn’t much smarter—mostly because I am really not a techy. 😉 Eventually my persistence paid off however, and I found something that made sense to my non-techiness.
The Haxophone doesn’t look much like a traditional saxophone, but was designed by Javier Cardona of Cardona Bits to play like one. Its key arrangement is meant to mimic that of a real saxophone, while utilizing mostly off-the-shelf components and keeping costs down. It has all the keys you would expect, with the exception of the high F# key (which many saxophones omit anyway). Haxophone includes a built-in audio amplifier, so players can plug in a pair of headphones during practice or feed the audio out to speakers for live performances. And because Haxophone is a digital instrument, players can record the MIDI output for electronic music production….
If you want a Haxophone, you should subscribe for updates on Crowd Supply. It hasn’t been released yet, so subscribing will ensure that you get a notification when it becomes available. This is an open source project and all of the current files are on GitHub, if you want to build your own Haxophone.
Source: The Haxophone Is the Electronic Saxophone You’ve Been Waiting For on hackster.io
Science
The following stories on science were not only amazing, they both pulled on my heartstrings.
35 year old man plays saxophone during open brain surgery
In October 2022, a saxophonist played his alto sax on and off during a 9 hour long surgery, during which time a specialized team of neurosurgeons, anesthesiologists, neuropsychologists, neurophysiologists, and engineers removed a tumor from the man’s brain. What made the surgery at Rome’s Paideia International Hospital more complex, was the location of the tumor, as well as the player being left-handed.
The hospital shared the story, images, and video below with the media with the express permission of the patient. Why? Because the sax player wanted to people to know that having to have a brain tumor removed was “not necessarily a negative experience.” Really?
I don’t know about you, but I would be so scared during brain surgery, I don’t think I could play sax as well as G.Z. here did. Just saying… 
I somehow think the playing of the theme from Love Story is incredibly appropriate for this O.R., with this surgery being performed. What an amazing surgery, team of surgeons, and of course patient himself. I wish G.Z. the best as he continues his post-surgical, musical life.
10 year old girl gets the adaptive saxophone of her dreams
I have written about adaptive saxophones in the past, but perhaps no article I have come across has pulled on my heartstrings as much, as this one involving a young girl who had suffered a brachial plexus injury during birth. This left her with nerve damage in her left arm, that despite multiple surgeries and hundreds of hours of physiotherapy, resulted in her having only minimal function in her left hand.
Like so many of us that started on recorder in elementary school, it was the saxophone that little Clarie Bahensky wanted to play next. However, the limitations of her left hand made this dream unlikely, until her parents found out about the University of Nebraska’s One-Handed Woodwinds Program.
UNK’s David Nabb, together with Jeff Stelling—owner of Stelling Brass & Winds, who makes the adaptive instruments—worked together to ensure that the alto saxophone Claire got was fit well for a someone in Grade 5.
According to Claire’s mom:
We’ve seen a lot of doors that have been closed to her over the last 10 years because of her injury, a lot of things that she just can’t do, so it’s nice to see a door that’s open to her… I’ve watched her work very hard for things that come very easy to other people. Now she gets a chance to be the same as everybody else.
Source: klkntv.com
That’s the kind of kind of warm, touching, pulling-on-your-heartstrings story we need in today’s world. 
Thank you to the local ABC station for bringing it to us, and thank you to the UNK One-Handed Woodwinds Program for making one little girl’s dream of learning to play saxophone, come true!
The simply weird
From the incredibly fantastic, to the incredibly weird, here are some winners for you from the past that left me scratching my head.
Saxsquatch
Growing up and living on the West Coast, we are used to hearing Sasquatch stories from the time we were old enough to tie our shoes. But a sax-playing sasquatch? I guess even he needed something to do during COVID. 😆
Saxsquatch has his own website, merch, YouTube Channel, etc, etc. In short, Saxsquatch has social media and marketing down to an art form.
There are so many videos to choose from that illustrate Saxsquatch’s saxophone talents, it’s hard to pick just one. I do urge you to check out his YouTube Channel. It is full of shorts that feature his alto and tenor work in both studio and natural environments .
That said, his rendition of Yakity Sax is one of my personal favorites.
Play on Saxsquatch play on.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NkfI3LrPkt8
The Gripper by Yamaha
Yamaha’s Design Laboratory’s Two Yamahas, One Passion program has developed an exercise tool with a unique shape that is meant to resemble a saxophone.
The palm-grip support is made of warm softly sculpted wood, while the keys that touch the fingertips are made of cold metallic material to help users focus on their finger movements.
This design allows you to exercise grip strength while controlling each finger independently and delicately, providing a brand-new user experience. In addition, each key can be adjusted to match the user’s unique finger length.
Source: Core77.com
OK, so if you’ve got a bunch of money laying around and like nice things, then the Gripper could be a good way to work on your grip strength and work on your finger dexterity. Otherwise, you can find other ways to do the same thing with things you already have in your house. Personally, I would rather spend the money on getting musical gear, but hey, that’s just me. 😉
The Saxophone House
Now speaking of having a bunch of money laying around… Earlier this year a house popped up for sale in Berkeley, CA that was dubbed The Saxophone House. Why? Because it has “two, massive golden soprano saxophone towers that protrude from the structure.”
The price of this Art Deco creation? It was listed for $1.9 million. In May 2023, it sold for $1.75 million.
The description posted on Redfin reads like this:
Welcome to 1985 Tunnel Road – THE Saxophone House! Secluded in Berkeley Claremont Hill, this Tunnel Road Castle designed by Ace Architects is a stunning piece of art featuring some of the most whimsical looks. Built in 1996 for an amateur jazz player, you will appreciate the details throughout this home by its magnificent and magical presence, the swirling golden staircases, captivating curved balconies with treble-clef railings, and the massive striking saxophone towers. With over 4,000 sq ft of living space, currently being used as a 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths mansion, with a separate au pair room, sitting on nearly 10,000 sq ft lot, this three stories atrium-like building has plenty of space to entertain with sweeping canyon views from the picturesque windows, gourmet kitchen with sub-zero refrigerator, gleaming hardwood floor, cozy fireplace, game room from a converted garage, a luxurious primary suite on the entire third level with symmetrical aesthetics, custom-built circular bed, 2 walk-in closets, an elegant primary bath with double sinks, sunken jetted tub, and incredible views of the Claremont Hill off multiple balconies. Can you see yourself hosting a grand party in this castle or enjoying the incredible sunset view from the deck? A must see to appreciate.
Source: redfin.com
Let me go on record and say, this entire thing looks more like smokestacks we would see on a paddlewheeler travelling along rivers of the southern US, than two soprano sax bells, but hey, WTF do I know? I’m no architect. 😉 😆
And just as an aside, there is no garage because it’s a game room? Really? I don’t 100K and up cars, yet I don’t leave them outside in the damaging sun here in the Pacific Northwest. I can only imagine what the CA sun can do to a vehicle’s outside and interior. Wonder if the new owner reclaimed the garage for their cars?
If you’d like to know more about the house and its history, and see its interior, here are a couple of videos for you.
Let the AI-narrated tour begin…
https://youtu.be/6-pl2eZdW68?si=U3W1y4fEX8cTnVbg
I really do think they should have used saxophone music for this one. Just saying…
Squirrel enjoys some dinner music
I love squirrels. We feed them on our deck and they nest in our trees. For the most part however, squirrels are cautious little creatures, since they are prey animals. So it somewhat unusual when we see them too comfortable around people. Add a saxophone into the mix, and I have to ask: How did this little guy get used to saxophone playing in the first place?
However it happened, this little park squirrel seems to really be enjoying the sounds of a live tenor sax, playing the famous Sonny Rollins tune, St. Thomas.
https://youtu.be/8QGboT9tQK8?si=R-14vRO_5MFbEQK9
No word on where this is; who the sax player is; or if this little squirrel likes any other tunes. 😉 One thing is for certain, little squirrel is certainly into the music it hears. Can’t ask for more from an audience. Well done!
