Saxophone

"The saxophone has rooted itself in the soil of pop culture. It's the "devil's horn," the voice of jazz, a character trait of U.S. Presidents, YouTube sensations, and cartoon characters. It has both enhanced and ruined songs, it is sensuous yet abrasive, and it is the only instrument widely excluded from symphonies and orchestras, never quite being taken seriously. But this object is also symbolic of living on the margins of society; the saxophone has never been kind to its players. Delving into more than just the history of this quirky instrument, Saxophone blends memoir, research, and cultural criticism, and asks, what does it mean to love something so contradictory - even if it kills you?"--

Prologue
Part I: Before It Was Cool
1. Dark Origins
2. The Sound
Sheet Music #1: Raised by a Sax Man
3. Everyone Is Laughing
Part II: On the Margins
4. Improvisation
Sheet Music #2: No More Weddings, No More Funerals
5. Obsession
Sheet Music #3: Call and Response
6. Seduction
Sheet Music #4: Nuisance
Part III: A Cult of Personality
7. Sacred and Profane
Sheet Music #5: Pointless Devotion
8. Nonconformist
9. Influencer
Epilogue: Two Horns

Acknowledgements
Index