The songs that made us fall in love with saxophone-and why!

What Song Made You Fall In Love With The Saxophone?

For most sax players, there’s one song that did it. A moment when something shifted and you just knew you had to play. For Sax School tutor Fred, it was hearing Tom Scott’s “Tomcat” on a school radio show in 1975. For tutor Joel, it was catching David Sanborn’s “Straight to the Heart” on a late-night TV recording.

Every player has their own version of that moment. Knowing yours can tell you a lot about the player you’re becoming.

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Why One Song Can Change Everything

Nigel opens this idea by describing a feeling most sax players share. A track comes on, something shifts, and you know from that moment you have to play saxophone.

Maybe it was Baker Street on the radio. Maybe it was Careless Whisper at a school disco. The song doesn’t have to be famous. It just has to hit you at the right moment.

That moment doesn’t just start you playing. It often shapes the whole style you end up drawn to.

Tom Scott’s “Tomcat” and Fred’s “holy mackerel” moment

Fred grew up around New York, listening to pop radio rather than saxophone-heavy music. He liked Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. He liked anything with horns, including Blood, Sweat & Tears and Motown.

Then, on a local high school radio show in 1975, a friend played a record called “Tomcat” by Tom Scott and the L.A. Express.

“Holy mackerel, this is how I wanna play,” Fred remembers thinking.

He says he “literally wore that record out,” listening to it alone in his bedroom. 1975 turned out to be a huge year for the instrument. It’s also the year Dave Sanborn’s first record came out, along with “Mr. Magic.” Fred later got to hang out with Tom Scott in person and even worked with him on a Sax School lesson.

David Sanborn’s “attitude” and Joel’s Bolton record shop find

Joel started on clarinet at school because there were no saxophones available. He liked it well enough, especially the improvised solos.

Then his dad, who wasn’t a musician but liked recording things off the telly, caught a BBC2 late-night music program and recorded David Sanborn playing “Straight to the Heart.”

“Oh my, what is going on here?” Joel says he thought, watching it. He played that one clip again and again, since there was no other way to hear it. Bolton’s record shops had house music and nothing on Sanborn.

Then, in his local music shop, Joel found a David Sanborn transcription book, including “Straight to the Heart.” He bought it and started practicing it straight away, even though, as he puts it, he could “barely hold a saxophone.”

It wasn’t the notes that hooked him. It was what he calls the “semi-aggressive intention” running through the playing. That same pull toward attitude later drew him to Michael Brecker, whose sound he says he didn’t even recognize as a saxophone the first time he heard it.

Big bands, “In the Mood,” and learning from a trombone player

Nigel’s path started differently. He began on saxophone at 10, in 1979, through his school program, taught by a trombone player named Bob Andres who brought in classic big band charts.

The first tunes Nigel learned were pieces like “In the Mood,” “String of Pearls,” and “Tuxedo Junction,” from the Glenn Miller songbook. The first record he ever bought was a Glenn Miller record.

Growing up in a small town in North Australia, Nigel didn’t have access to record shops or a wide range of players to discover. Big band was simply what was available, and it became his foundation. He later played big band professionally in the UK, including a stint with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra.

Why school music programs shaped all three tutors

All three tutors trace part of their playing back to school ensembles. Fred’s high school had a strong enough program that a couple of students went on to Juilliard, and it’s where he first met saxophonist Lou Marini, who came in as a guest soloist. Fred’s dad heard him play and told Fred, “You need to study with that guy.”

Joel remembers starting as fourth alto in the “B” big band at his local music center, watching the “A” band play and thinking he’d never be good enough. The next year, he was first alto in the “A” band.

“It’s just practice, you can do it. Simple as that, you know?” Joel says, looking back on what that jump taught him.

Nigel points out how many working musicians, including guests who’ve appeared on the Sax School Online Podcast, came up through exactly this kind of school program.

What your own “first song” can tell you

None of these three tutors set out to play a particular style. They followed the sound that grabbed them first, whether that was commercial funk, jazz attitude, or big band swing.

If you’re an adult coming back to saxophone now, it’s worth asking what your song was. It might point you toward the style you’ll enjoy learning most, and that’s often the fastest route back to playing saxophone with confidence.

If you’re just starting out, it’s also worth exploring the basics from saxophone embouchure for beginners to breath control on saxophone.

FAQ

What song made these Sax School tutors fall in love with the saxophone?

Fred was hooked by Tom Scott’s “Tomcat” in 1975, heard on a school radio show. Joel fell for David Sanborn’s “Straight to the Heart,” seen on a recorded BBC2 broadcast. Nigel’s love grew gradually, through big band charts like “In the Mood” and “String of Pearls.”

Is it too late to start learning saxophone as an adult?

No. Nigel, Fred, and Joel all started as children, but their stories show that a love of the instrument can develop at any age, sparked by a single song or record. What matters is finding music that genuinely excites you and starting from there.

Do you need a jazz background to fall in love with saxophone?

No. Fred started with pop and R&B radio, and Nigel started with Glenn Miller big band charts rather than jazz. Both later moved into jazz and commercial playing, but their first spark came from completely different styles.

Why did big bands and school music programs matter so much for these players?

All three tutors point to school ensembles as a key part of their development, from Nigel’s early big band charts to Joel’s progression from fourth alto to first alto in a year. These programs gave them repertoire, structure, and a sense of what steady practice could achieve.

What’s a good first step if a song reignites my interest in saxophone?

Start by revisiting the track or artist that first grabbed you, the way Joel did with his Sanborn transcription book. Then get some structured support so you can build the technique to actually play the style you love.

Whatever song did it for you, that spark is worth following. Dig out the record, pick up the saxophone, and see where it takes you next.

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Nigel is the founder of Sax School Online, host of the Sax School Online Podcast, and a saxophone tutor with decades of experience playing and teaching saxophone, including years in the UK big band scene with acts like the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. He’s helped thousands of adult saxophone players build confidence and get back into playing through Sax School Online.