The Devil's Horn: The Story of the Saxophone, from Noisy Novelty to King of Cool

From Publishers Weekly The saxophone has come to be synonymous with 20th-century music, not to mention all things cool: jazz, cocktail lounges, hip cats and the like. Music would never be the same again. An amateur musician himself, Segell has a personal relationship with the horn, which adds a stirring sense of immediacy to the narrative. Just 10 years after Sax completed the first prototype of the saxophone in 1843, the shining horn had traveled all over the U.S. Segell (Standup Guy: Manhood After Feminism) traces the instrument back to its eccentric Belgian creator, Adolphe Sax, an acoustical craftsman who survived disease, accidents and eve

Beginning with "a sound never heard before," Segell's portrait follows the iconographic instrument as it is lauded for its sensuality, then outlawed for its influence, and finally credited with changing the face of popular culture. A deeply personal story of one man's love for music-making, a universal story of artistic and political revolution, and a trenchant critique of the global forces that stand in art's way, The Devil's Horn is music writing at its very finest.. The 160-year history of the saxophone comes to brilliant life in Michael Segell's wonderfully researched, beautifully told The Devil's Horn

Cato said Sax created one "mean machine". One devil of a fine book. Adolph Sax created a "mean machine" when he created the saxophone. I've played clarinet for about six decades; and in high school and college I played tenor sax in dance bands. Last summer I decided to buy a soprano sax and found it to be a mean monster, despi. Good read and nice history of the Saxophone Susan Myers I've read and re-read this book at least three times. Partially because my memory sucks but mostly because it is filled with so much information It is worth re-reading. Michael does a really nice job of gathering a ton of information and anecdotal information from credible sources. Bec. I bought this book after reading a library copy. C. S. Huddle I bought this book after reading a library copy. The library copy awoke me to the fact I should have been playing a saxophone. So I started playing - at age 58. How many books are that inspiring?

He lives with his wife and children in New York City and Long Eddy, New York.. Michael Segell is an amateur percussionist and saxophone player and a professional music lover. He is the author of Standup Guy, and his writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, and Esquire, where