If anybody knows the Chuck Mangione album, Chase the Clouds Away, can anybody tell me what kind of saxophone Gerry Neiwood is using in his solo on Song Of The New Moon, and his solo on Echano. As a real young kid, I always thought is was a tenor, beeing played real high, just a few weeks ago it sounded like a soprano, but now I'm not sure at all. It sounds like a mix of the both saxes, but I'm not sure. I dont know a lot about saxophones, I can tell em apart musically and in pictures, but I don't play, nor know anything about them mechanical wise, but could someone tell me what kind of saxophone Gerry Neiwood is using on Song Of The New Moon, and his solo on Echano. Its puzzled me for so many years, now, if someone knows, I'd appreciate it, and get it off my mind, and be peaceful when I listen to those songs, not closely to the speaker, trying to find out, what in God's name kind of saxophone it is. If it's not some kind of uncommon sax, I'll go with soprano, but it sounds awfully strange. Almost like a cazoo. Someone know?

Granted, it was only a 28-second sample, but I believe I distinctly heard a soprano sax on Song of the New Moon. The sample of Echano only had flutes.
What do your liner notes tell you?

Actually no, Echano opened up with Kathy Moses on alto flute and maybee Gerry is the one playing the piccolo. But the song speeds up after the slow intro and there is a, soprano? solo. I guess I should look up the liner notes, that'd be a good thing. Somebody if you get the chance listen to Song of The New Moon closely, jazzwriter, maybee you'll here what I here. Either Gerry Niewood makes the soprano saxophone sound so different or he's playing an odd sax, like I believe I'v seen ppictures of Andrew Hill playing a very tiny alto saxophone, maybee that might be it. The liner notes say tenor and soprano saxes, alto and c-flute. Just to leave off, Jazzwriter, there is a saxophone solo, when the tempo gets very much allegro. The same saxophone that was used on Song Of The New Moon is used on Echano. I'm now just putting my cards to a soprano sax. But boy, is that a unique sounding soprano. Gerry Neiwood really is a master at reeds!

oh, wait, what do you mean by samples? Do you have the actual cd? record?

No, I don't have it in any form. I listened to samples available at www.cduniverse.com.

Oh, than sorry for parts of my first post.

The tiny alto that you believe you see is actually a curved soprano sax. Not many artists play one. Dave Koz uses a curved soprano instead of a straight one.

And, you say the liner notes say a soprano, too. So, there you go.

Thanx
Im dont know a lot about saxes, I did see one in the photos on the inner cd cover of Dave Koz's Saxophonic.

Kim Waters plays a tiny curved soprano, too......strange lookin' thing.

AG & V,
Cabbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbage
nooby

Yeah, I've seen those. Weird looking, they are.
I'm fascinated that the players can find the valves in that configuration.

Eddie M plays a curved soprano

and gerry neiwood also.

Kim Waters uses one from LA Sax.

Kat...I was waiting for you to post that about Eddie M!

I guess everybody uses one!

The curved soprano looks like a toy.

I've seen Eddie play both a curved and a straight soprano. Actually, I saw Dave play a straight soprano once and it surprised me!

Actually, playing the curved soprano is no different from playing an alto, soprano, tenor, or any other sax. All of them have the same fingerings, but produce the different sound. The only thing that makes the curved soprano harder to play is that you have to blow consistent fast air to keep the tone right.

Ah, the hassles of being a saxophonist.

Marc Russo plays one as well, and he says the tone is no different, it's just that the player can hear it better!

That might be why it confused me so much on the Chuck Mangione recording, that Gerry Neiwood did.

Speaking of saxophones, real little, I always wanted to play one. If I could only just get my hands on one then. That was my dream. Now my desire has died down a little bit, but since I've found out about Spyro Gyra, and Jay Beckenstein, I'm kind of wanting it again.

I started out on Sax in 4th grade because of the old Blues Brothers LP my parents had. The things had so many buttons, I just had to play one (I'm what you would call a button-pusher). Anyway, I got into jazz in 7th grade and by 9th grade I didn't really have much to hang onto as far as a sax "hero" as it were. Nobody had opened my eyes yet. Then, during my freshman year (12 years ago) I was turned on to Spyro Gyra and that just opened the door to the 75 jazz artists I have on my playlist. Sax playing turned into something else for me at that point...

Hi all!
Let's not forget Jeff (Kashiwa). He also employed a curve soprano during his days with the ripps, specifically the Sahara tour.
Denny

Andrew Hill, great pianist, I think I saw a pic of him with one in a book I have. I guess he plays sax also, as well as piano.

Curved sopranos are a pain in the keester to play. I've tried on more than one occasion and my big meathooks barely fit. My rh fingers are almost overlapping.

Speaking of saxophones and Gerry Neiwood, I went to a Chuck Mangione concert, the other night, no curved sopranos there!!!