While trolling YouTube this morning I came across some videos by The National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain. The first video I happened to see was Crazy Rag, which reminded me of the Saturday morning cartoons of my youth.
See what I mean about the music having a cartoonesque quality too it?
What’s definitely not cartoon-like are the saxophones. There’s some pretty serious heavy metal on that stage. As a matter of fact, Eppelsheim seems to be a favourite brand of saxophone for the players in The National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain.
The low A contra, the bass, and the Soprillo all come from Benedikt’s workshop in Munich. All in all, not bad representation for the niche saxophone manufacturer.
Further trolling through more of the sax choir’s videos, turned up their version of Toccata and Reel. In this tune you see how big The National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain really is.
The National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain was founded in 2002 by Nigel Woods. Does that name sound familiar to you?
If you’re a Soprillo fan, it likely will, since Nigel Woods recorded Soprillogy, the world’s first CD dedicated to the tiny saxophone. In addition to having the distinction of having recorded the world’s first Soprillo CD, Woods also created the world’s first website dedicated to the instrument.
Besides being the group’s founder, Woods is also the group’s musical director.
This is how the group is described on their website:
Established in 2002, the National Saxophone Choir is a pioneering ensemble of talented saxophonists from all over the UK. Their aim is to create and promote new music, introducing audiences to a sound that is rich, resonant and awesome.
Central to this strategy is the NSC’s family of eight saxophones, ranging from the majestic contrabass to the tiny soprillo…
Source: The National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain
Although it appears that The National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain was active until the fall of 2011, their home page now states that:
After a very successful year, the choir has decided to take a sabbatical and review its repertoire and objectives. Thank you to everyone who has attended one of our concerts and/or bought one of the CDs. It has been appreciated. There are no more performances or CDs planned, if or when that changes it will be announced here on the Website.
If you are interested in finding out more about this group, or would like to buy one of their CDs, then be sure to check out their website.
