6 November is National Saxophone Day. It is celebrated annually in honour of the inventor of the saxophone – Adolphe Sax.

The saxophone is one of the main instruments in jazz music.

Sax was a Belgian instrument maker, born on 6 November 1814. He died in 1894, in Paris, and is buried in the cemetery at Montmarte.

He invented many musical instruments, including the saxophone. He constructed saxophones in several sizes in the early 1840s and obtained a 15-year patent on his instruments on 28 June 1846. 14 different versions of the fundamental design – split into two categories of seven instruments each – were covered by the patent. The patent also included designs ranging from sopranino (a very high-pitched range of sounds) to contrabass (a very low-pitched range of sound).

After Sax’s patent expired, many instrument manufacturers and saxophonists started implementing their own improvements to the original key work and design.

To celebrate today, listen to the great saxophone music of some of the greats, such as Kenny G, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker “Bird”, Dick Parry and many more.

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