When I am asked the question how long I’ve been playing the saxophone. I often have to count on my fingers because I lose track of how long I’ve played. When you love to do something so much, you don’t think about how long you’ve done it. I’ve been playing the saxophone for 21 years. My love for the saxophone grows every single day. I love the sound of it. I love the shape of it, and I love listening to great players play the saxophone because you’ll hear a different timbre depending on who plays it. Three people provided me with three reasons why I became a saxophone player.

Kenny G’s Breathless Album

When I was growing up, music was always playing at my house. My mom had Haitian gospel cassettes. She would play them consistently from destination to destination. Home to school, school to home, home to church, church to home, home to church etc. My dad had tapes and a CD collection: he and the Fugees, the Beetles, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, and many more. The one CD that he played all the time throughout the house was Kenny G’s album Breathless. Here’s a little background information about this album. “Breathless” was the most successful and best-selling album ever with over 15 million copies sold worldwide and selling 12 million copies in the United States alone. Breathless was the album my dad played all the time and the album that inspired me to play the saxophone. I used to listen to that album all day. I memorized each song on that album. I had a new favorite song every time I played that CD. The album was a combination of heart-warming melodies, the pure tone of his horn, and his technical ability. Kenny G became my inspiration before even picking up saxophone and the best-selling instrumental album of all time is the first reason I wanted to play the sax.

The Saxophone Player At My Old Church

I wanted to play the saxophone since I was eight years old, but the saxophone wasn’t the first instrument. The trombone was my first instrument. The reason is that your hand had to be a certain size to play the saxophone. I played the trombone for two years. It wasn’t until 5th grade that my desire to play the saxophone increased; which led to the second reason I wanted to be a saxophone player. There was a saxophone player who played every Sunday at my church. I won’t mention his name to respect his and his family’s privacy. I loved the sound he was getting out of his horn. Between 2004 and 2006, I didn’t want to miss a service because I just wanted to hear him play. When he passed away in 2020, I looked back from 2004 to 2006 and said he was a huge reason I became a musician.

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John Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things”

When I picked up the saxophone at 10, my 6th Grade Language Arts teacher gave me two jazz CDs. The first CD was a compilation album and the second was John Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things”. I remember the first time I listened to that album. I was mesmerized and blown away by John Coltrane’s technical ability. I didn’t know that anyone could play the saxophone this fast. I would listen to that album for hours and probably the first album where the songs lasted about 10 minutes long. After listening to that album, I knew I wanted to pursue music.

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Conclusion

2 of the 3 people who have inspired me to play the saxophone are no longer with us. I would tell the saxophone player at my church. Thank you! Thank you for being an inspiration and modeling how to get a quality sound out of your saxophone. If I had the opportunity to meet John Coltrane, I would tell him your has inspired generations. You continue to inspire me every day. Thank you for your contributions to jazz music and for setting a standard for saxophone playing. One day, I will meet Kenny G and tell them how your “Breathless” has inspired me to be a musician. I’m a saxophone player because of you. Hopefully one day, we can share the stage.

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