Michael's Saxophone Page

 About Michael

Thank you for visiting my website and allowing me to share with you my favorite hobby: saxophones!  I enjoy saxophones - playing them, discovering new things about them, their rich history, new techniques, and collecting them. I also enjoy hearing (and hearing from) other saxophonists - from jazz performers to concert saxophonists ...from beginners to professionals and also those who haven't played in years and are now dusting off their saxophones and playing again in community bands and church orchestras.

My professional career is in computer engineering and design (currently retired after 25 years with my employer). But after work, the hobby I enjoy most is playing the saxophone either as part of my church's music ministry, in a community band, a big band, composing music at home for saxophone orchestras, or recording music at home for my personal enjoyment using a full range of saxophones and sharing with friends and family.

Some of my more memorable performances with my church orchestra (Cathedral of Hope) include those at the Dallas Meyerson Symphony Center where we performed with singer and actress Kristen Chenoweth in 2002, the late actress and singer Nell Carter (best known for the TV show Gimme A Break) in 2001, pro football defensive tackle and singer Esera Tuaolo (his cousin is the late Mark Tuinei who played for the Dallas Cowboys) in 2003, and the Turtle Creek Chorale. In 2006, I performed with Joe Sears and Jaston Williams in Turtles And Tuna in the fictional Tuna, Texas High School Band. And, most recently, I performed with RJ Helton (season one finalist on American Idol).

I've also performed with Gospel singers Marvin Matthews and Christian artists Marsha Stevens, Bruce Greer, Cynthia Clawson and Mark Hayes with the Cathedral of Hope orchestra and choir.

My music background is fairly simple. I started playing the piano by ear when I was just a few years old. If I could hum a song, I could play it. I took piano lessons until I was 12 years old when I joined band in the 6th grade and chose the saxophone as my instrument. I fell in love with the saxophone at that time and discontinued improving my piano skills (although I still play piano and organ occasionally at home).

I was in marching, concert, and stage/lab bands from middle school until my sophomore year in high school when I had to drop band. After high school, I joined a jazz band at Mountain View College during the 1979-1980 school year. From 1980 until 1998, I did not play my saxophone in a band - but I did play it from time to time at home.

In 1998, I rediscovered the joy and passion of playing the saxophone in a large church orchestra (Cathedral of Hope), later in a praise band (Jazzful Noise), in a community band (Oak Lawn Band) and saxophone quartet in 2002, and with the Cedar Valley College Family Music Theater Big Band Christmas! production in 2003 and 2006.

In 2000, I decided to buy a baritone sax and discovered the fun with playing big saxophones. The baritone sax is now my primary instrument. In 2001, I bought a new Yamaha Custom soprano and was surprised at the intonation challenges with soprano saxophones in general. In 2002, I bought a vintage 1921 Conn bass saxophone,  1921 Conn C-melody, and a relatively rare Conn C soprano (in key of C).  In 2002, I took delivery of a new Yamaha Custom silver tenor - one of the most precision saxophones I've ever played. In March and April 2003, I took delivery of a new Orsi contrabass saxophone and Keilwerth SX-90 bass saxophone respectively and sold the 1921 Conn bass. In August 2004, I sold my contrabass to Blaise Garza (see "Contrabass Story") and my bass to a buyer on e-bay.

The truly amazing thing for me as I've discovered the "other" saxophones (contrabass, bass, soprano/sopranino) is the diverse timbres the entire saxophone family produces. The bass sax is not just a half-octave lower than a baritone sax - it has a timbre all its own - and one that you can feel. The same is even more so with the contrabass - imagine a tuba with a reed and you've got a contrabass saxophone. Play all these saxophones together in an ensemble you'll get a richness and diversity of voices from the family of saxophones that one rarely hears from any other woodwind instrument family. Visit Jay Easton's excellent web site (see Links page) for audio clips of all the saxophone family, including the mezzo-soprano (aka "F-alto"), sopranino, and contrabass. Visit Nuclear Whales' site (see Links page) for a video clip of the entire range of saxophones they play (contrabass thru sopranino).

If you'd like to share your saxophone story or if you have a question, you're welcome to contact me by clicking the "contact" button at the top of this page or sending an e-mail to barrysacks2@yahoo.com.

Other tidbits about me: I'm a native of Dallas, Texas and my other hobbies include cars - old ones and new ones. My current rides are a 2006 Mustang GT and a 2007 Lincoln MkZ. I also enjoy MIDI, PC's, photography (B&W, my own darkroom, and digital - still and video), concert saxophonists, saxophone orchestras, symphonies, theater, fine restaurants, and traveling.

Here I am at Ketchikan, Alaska in the Saxman Indian Village, July 11, 2003.

Michael with his 2006 Mustang GT, September 2006 (my first car was a Mustang ...this new
one sure brings back good memories).

Michael with his paternal grandparents, Christmas Day, 2003.

Sitting on the stage at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, looking at the audience
seats 2 hours before a sold-out performance in July 2004 with the Turtle Creek Chorale
and Jazzful Noise.

My new 2007 Lincoln MkZ.

Taken in 1977 at age 16, here I am with my first car - a 1971 Mustang Mach 1. Thanks to this car, I was
forever bitten by the Mustang/Muscle Car bug. It had a 351C 4bbl V8 - truly a remarkable car. This is the
same car that was featured in the James Bond 007 film, Diamonds Are Forever (youtube clip). This is
also the same car known as Eleanor in the original 1974 movie Gone In 60 Seconds (Amazon). Check out
those platform shoes that were in style back then. Was I a stick of celery back then or what?