The Devil's Horn: The Story of the Saxophone, from Noisy Novelty to King of Cool [Hardcover]

Michael Segell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2005

In The Devil's Horn, Michael Segell traces the 160-year history of the saxophone-a horn that created a sound never before heard in nature, and that from the moment it debuted has aroused both positive and negative passions among all who hear it. The saxophone has insinuated itself into virtually every musical idiom that has come along since its birth as well as into music with traditions thousands of years old. But it has also been controversial, viewed as a symbol of decadence, immorality and lasciviousness: it was banned in Japan, saxophonists have been sent to Siberian lockdown by Communist officials, and a pope even indicted it.

Segell outlines the saxophone's fascinating history while he highlights many of its legendary players, including Benny Carter, Illinois Jacquet, Sonny Rollins, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Branford Marsalis, and Michael Brecker. The Devil's Horn explores the saxophone's intersections with social movement and change, the innovative acoustical science behind the instrument, its struggles in the world of "legit" music, and the mystical properties that seduce all who fall under its influence. Colorful, evocative, and richly informed, The Devil's Horn is an ingenious portrait of one of the most popular instruments in the world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The saxophone has come to be synonymous with 20th-century music, not to mention all things cool: jazz, cocktail lounges, hip cats and the like. Segell (Standup Guy: Manhood After Feminism) traces the instrument back to its eccentric Belgian creator, Adolphe Sax, an acoustical craftsman who survived disease, accidents and even assassination attempts from his instrument-making competitors. Just 10 years after Sax completed the first prototype of the saxophone in 1843, the shining horn had traveled all over the U.S. and throughout Europe. Music would never be the same again. Like its creator, the sax was revolutionary, an instrument whose very sound—which has been described as "carnal" and "voluptuous"—caused it to be banned by Nazis and Communists; religious leaders—including the Vatican—deemed the instrument "profane." As Segell recounts the saxophone's history, he simultaneously illuminates many of its renowned players, namely jazz greats Benny Carter, Sonny Rollins, Lee Konitz and Branford Marsalis. An amateur musician himself, Segell has a personal relationship with the horn, which adds a stirring sense of immediacy to the narrative.
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Review

"A minor miracle. . .a book that will appeal to both jazz musicians and jazz lovers alike." -- Rob Fishburn, The Roanoke Times

"A story as much fun to read as listening to a sax master." -- Kirkus Reviews

"It's clear [Segell] grasps the jazzman’s dictum that it’s the journey, not the destination." -- Dave Itzkoff, The New York Times Book Review

"What a splendid tribute Segell has written to that time-bending musical continuum that still holds so many in its thrall." -- Tom Nolan, The San Francisco Chronicle

"[A] historical and deeply personal tribute to the saxophone." -- Jonathan Bor, The Baltimore Sun

"[Michael Segell] guides us on an entertaining journey." -- Matt Schudel, The Washington Post Book World

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; First Edition edition (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374159386
• ISBN-13: 978-0374159382
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #441,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great story on the saxophone, November 16, 2005

By 

Antonio C. Nolan "antonics" (Houston,TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Devil's Horn: The Story of the Saxophone, from Noisy Novelty to King of Cool (Hardcover)

Am about 80% done with this book. Great book shows history of the saxophone from Adolphe Sax's humble beginnings to the latest sax variation called the aulochrome (double-soprano sax welded together?). I liked the Personal Sound section of the book. Very informative and helpful. Buy it!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Love that Sax!, May 27, 2006

By 

Paul A. Dunphy (Bogota, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Devil's Horn: The Story of the Saxophone, from Noisy Novelty to King of Cool (Hardcover)

Michael Segell has written a book which is brimming over not just with the enthusiasm of a convert but also with some very solid scholarship. The reader can't help but be caught up in the world which has evolved around this much maligned but fascinating instrument. What the book needs is a bit of condescension to those not familiar with the saxophone's parts and some jazz terminology left me in the dark. A glossary and diagram of the instrument's parts would help.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Easy and Delightful Read, January 21, 2006

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Devil's Horn: The Story of the Saxophone, from Noisy Novelty to King of Cool (Hardcover)

How can one not be interested in a musical instrument banned by Nazis, Communists and the Catholic church and played by President Clinton. It's also just about the newest of the major musical instruments, dating from 1843 when Adolphe Sax built the first one.

This book is basically a love affair with the Sax. It's part history, part stories, part nostalgia for the greats of the past, part just plain good writing about a thing the author clear loves. The author is a professional journalist, an amateur musician and he has combined these two interests together in this book.

It's an easy and delightful read. It's kind of fun to have a book like this that is something other than how much one political party hates the other, the war, oil prices and all the other things that you see getting published today.