Happy Saxophone Day 2013 everyone!
It was 199 years ago today that a man was born in the Belgium city of Dinant—a man who would forever change the path of popular music.
Adolphe Sax was born on November 6, 1814. Although Sax would invent and improve a great many instruments throughout the course of his lifetime, the saxophone would become his greatest invention. That is why his birthday has become known in some circles as Saxophone Day.
The little city of Dinant certainly knows how to promote its connection to saxophones. The Internet is filled with images of this quaint little city’s saxophone imagery. Of everything that I have seen, I am most intrigued by the bridge that crosses the Meuse. The saxophones sponsored by the various countries are the most interesting to me…
Dinant y los saxos
Photography by: Jorge Gobbi Source: Flickr
What is the city of Dinant doing to celebrate Saxophone Day 2013? Well according to every listing that I could find on the various Belgian and Dinant tourist websites: absolutely nothing.
Next year there’s The 6th Adolphe Sax International Competition, which will be held from October 25 to November 8. This competition is held every 4 years, and next year happens to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Adolphe Sax’s birth.
Perhaps this year the city of Dinant is saving its pennies, so it can have a blow-out party for 2014. 
In any event, regardless of what they are or aren’t doing in Dinant in 2013, Saxophone Day is still being celebrated by saxophone players everyday around the world. Every time we pick up our horns we celebrate the triumphant work of Adolphe Sax, and how he persevered in face of the all the adversity.
So Happy Saxophone Day 2013. Pick up your horns and play a tune to the man who made it possible. Then pick up a glass and toast the man as well. He deserves that from all the sax players around the globe. 
Disclaimer: The saxophones on the above map are not intended to be representative of actual players in any geographical area. Nor are they to be representative of say, X number of players per 100,000 population. I just went crazy with a picture tube and stamped the map of the earth while watching the Toronto mayor Rob Ford debacle on TV yesterday. 
I’m so glad I don’t live in T.O. Here we just bitch about the Vancouver mayor’s obsession with bike lanes. 
