I came across this article at the NPR. It is about Taiwan saxophones.
“Just how Houli became the world’s unsung center of saxophone making is largely an accident of history. The story dates back to just after World War II. It stars a larger-than-life character named Chang Lien-cheng. He was a farmer’s son who abandoned the family land to become a painter and jazz musician, says a spokeswoman for his company: “No one during that time was actually playing any kinds of Western instruments. But he was fascinated by this instrument called saxophone.””
There is also a “Listen Now” for this article that is worth checking out, as it goes into more details than the written article.
I just received the latest Woodwind/Brasswind catalog. Have you seen the number of companies that make saxophones. Here is the list (in no particular order):
- BandNow
- Barrington (advertised heavily in the catalog)
- Yamaha
- Amati
- C.F. Conn
- Keilwerth
- Blessing
- Allora
- Selmer
- LA Sax
- Jupiter
- Chicago Jazz Series (LA Sax?)
- Woodwind Brand
- Yanagisawa
- Unison (not in the catalog though)
- Buescher (not in the catalog)
- Selmer USA (not in the catalog)
Whew. And then there are different models from these guys. Selmer has at least 9 different alto saxophone models. Wow. Is there really a market for all these brands? Are any of them to be avoided? Did I forget any?
Jazz-Sax, all things Jazz and Sax