Saxophones If you want to play sax.

[gimmesomehatsman]

I saw on another sax site the term "if you want to play the sax you're gonna need an axe" Any one know what this term means. I know an axe is slang for a guitar but why do you need one to play sax?

 

[Jeanette]

Take a look here

It would seem axe as a term for sax pre dates using it for guitar 🙂

Jx

 

[jbtsax]

You need an axe if you want to play a gig with some cats and make some bread.

 

[gimmesomehatsman]

Thanks Jeanette

 

[Greg Strange]

I'm pretty sure if you read Ross Russell's biography of Charlie Parker (it's been awhile) the term "axe" was used by both sax players and trumpet players of the 1930s and 1940s...I presume the term "axe" referred to their 'tools of the trade', their musical instruments - "axe" sounds more cooler than "hammer" or "chisel" anyway...

Greg S.

 

[milandro]

Gimmesomehatsman, are you sure they weren’t suggesting that you need some AXE as in deodorant? You know, they might have tried sending a message there?




Gone are the days when you were calling a spade a spade and an axe and axe, so any implement to do anything is an axe these days (even a spade?) therefore I propose changing the name in S-axe!

Well, since there are so many calling it already saxophone or Saxephone, we might

As long as we don’t have to use the deodorant that goes by the Axe name!

 

[Targa]

You need an axe if you want to play a gig with some cats and make some bread.

You need an axe for the chops and a cat for the licks.

 

[altissimo]

various other bits of jazz slang - http://www.jazzquotations.com/2010/05/list-of-jazz-slang-words.html

 

[jonf]

I've played a few gigs (Sycamore Club in Portrack, Stockton springs to mind) where an axe in a very literal sense would be handy....

 

[Nick Wyver]

I played one last night in Gravesend.

I was standing at the bar in the interval when I felt a small nudge behind me. I looked round to see 3 blokes wrestling on the floor. The barmaid peered over the bar, raised an eyebrow and carried on serving. Normal behaviour for the locals, I suppose.

Interestingly, in all my years of playing places like this I've never felt in any danger - either for me or my thousands of pounds worth of instruments. I'm in the band, innit - we don't get that sort of hassle.

 

[trimmy]

The barmaid peered over the bar

Just had a 2nd take moment

 

[Nick Wyver]

Just had a 2nd take moment

Naughty boy!

 

[Targa]

Just had a 2nd take moment

I was confused when the judge referred to the jury as 'you're peers'.

 

[jbtsax]

I played a wedding that was held at a very fancy and expensive restaurant at which the waitresses were dressed as Renaissance Tavern Maidens with the low cut blouses. The place was packed and the only place the band could sit on our break was some steps in the kitchen area right behind the cases of small bottles of champagne on the floor. The shapely waitresses had to bend over right in front of the band members to get the champagne bottles to put on their trays to take to the guests. Needless to say the members of the band were enjoying the show except for one young man just back from his Mormon (LDS) who played bass. He went to his car and got his Book of Mormon to hold up in front of his face to block his view. I guess the feeling of guilt from being aroused was too much for him. All I could think was "hey man, get a life".

 

[Jane M L]