Performed by Neil R. Coulter, recorded in Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea, on September 13, 2013.

Philip Glass wrote Gradus in 1968, upon returning to New York after studying with Nadia Boulanger and Ravi Shankar. A “gradus” is a kind of method book or exercise book to help learn an instrument; it means “steps.” Glass's composition, dedicated to his frequent saxophonist-collaborator Jon Gibson, is an early example of what would become his trademark minimalist style. Minimalism sets a number of variables as constants in order to highlight changes within a smaller set of variables. In Gradus many elements that usually change throughout a piece of music are kept static through the whole piece. The first movement comprises 65 lines, with each line subdivided into 32 beats (each beat being an eighth note or eighth rest). All of the notes played by the saxophonist are eighth notes, and all rests are eighth rests. The tempo is quarter note = 132, and it remains constant from the beginning to the end. The beginning of the piece is marked with the dynamic mezzo-forte, and that does not change as the piece progresses. All of these elements are kept the same throughout the piece in order to draw attention to the main thing that changes: the set of pitches available for the melody. The piece begins with an ascending melody of five pitches. Those five pitches are manipulated into different patterns, and gradually new pitches are introduced into the mix, one at a time. Because this is the only significant change, each new pitch sticks out much more obviously than in a piece in which all the variables are constantly changing. Though the pitches are put through many different arrangements, there is always a pull toward the ascending melody from the beginning, and by the end of the piece the ascending melody contains nine pitches.

Philip Glass - Gradus (Part 1), for soprano saxophone (1968)

During our family's annual viewing of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" this year on Halloween, I noticed a nice music cue that I hadn't thought much about before. It plays during the sequence in which Snoopy the beagle imagines he's a World War I pilot who gets shot down and has to crawl through enemy lines to return home. A dog, pretending to be a pilot, sneaking through enemy territory, on Halloween, all to the sound of a noir flute melody—I can't say it makes a lot of sense to me. But I do like that flute melody. So I decided to transcribe it for alto saxophone and record it. 

Vince Guaraldi is the name most associated with music for the Peanuts television specials, but the music supervisor for 13 of those shows was John Scott Trotter, and he is the one who composed that melody, called “Breathless.”

My transcription of “Breathless” is available in LilyPond code (https://www.dropbox.com/s/c5qq4j53eezsrxw/Breathless?dl=0) and as a PDF (https://www.dropbox.com/s/pqf42nuquuq5dir/Breathless.pdf?dl=0). Recorded in Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea, on December 10, 2013.

John Scott Trotter - Breathless (1966), arr for alto saxophone

Recorded on May 8, 2014, in Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea, by Neil R. Coulter (alto saxophone)

A few years ago I decided to work on my altissimo range. Honestly, I've rarely heard a good altissimo. Jazz players seem to use it only to screech the climax of an improv solo. And even good classical players, when they reach an altissimo section of a concerto (like the Ibert), the range just rarely sounds pleasant. So I wanted to try to hone an altissimo sound that is closer to the sumptuous, lush, singing tone of a violin--something I could actually use, once I had the facility to move around up there.

At just the point when I was getting bored of the Rascher Top Tones book (having nearly memorized all of the exercises), I found Noah Getz's brilliant book, Stratosphere: Altissimo Etudes for Saxophone. I've been working on those etudes, and this is my first try at recording one of them: Spanish Tinge.  

My altissimo sound still has plenty of room for improvement. I haven't yet achieved the sweet tone of a violin, nor do I know if that is ever possible. As I listen to the recording, though, it seems to me that there is soom good possibility of exploiting the timbral similarities between the saxophone altissimo and some double-reed aerophones of other cultures. That may prove a more fruitful avenue of exploration.

For now, however, I'd really appreciate any feedback, especially suggestions for continued growth in the altissimo range. 

Noah Getz - Spanish Tinge (2011), for alto saxophone

Composer Dana Wilson wrote this about "We Sing to Each Other": 

"One aspect of the saxophone that has always drawn me to it is its similarity to the human voice--yet with an incredible wide expressive range. It is no accident, then, that I heard this solo saxophone piece as a kind of singing, and the intimate dialogue that is suggested in the counterpoint as a kind of singing to each other."

I've really enjoyed working on this piece, and I find it extremely dramatic and beautiful. It is resonant and soaring, which is perfect for a large concert hall; not quite so perfect for the practice room or the studio. But I did as well as I could in the studio to get this recording.

I first performed it at the Ukarumpa Classical Concert, March 14, 2015. I recorded the first movement, "Of beauty and sadness," in the studio at Ukarumpa on March 23, 2015.

Dana Wilson - We Sing To Each Other (1996) 1: Of beauty and sadness... (for alto saxophone)

Selmer Super-Action 80 Serie III soprano saxophone; Selmer S80 C* mouthpiece; Rovner Eddie Daniels ligature; Vandoren 3 1/2 reeds

Selmer Mark VI alto saxophone; vintage Sigurd Rascher mouthpiece; Rovner Dark ligature; Vandoren 3 1/2 reeds

Cebulla neckstrap

ethnosax

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