The saxophone has 22 keys top to bottom, a little bit more than two per finger.

Newer horns have a high F sharp key, which gives them a neat 23.

Most saxists go down to a low B flat, but most baritone saxists go down to a low A, which

means Barry players get 24 keys.

Welcome to Strong Songs, a podcast about music.

I'm your host, Kirk Hamilton, and I like playing saxophones with 22 keys.

saxophones with 23 keys, and sometimes if I'm lucky, saxophones with 24 keys.

However many keys my saxophone may have, this podcast has only one key.

My listeners who support Strong Songs in so many wonderful ways.

If you want to play a key role in the creation of Strong Songs, go to patreon.com, slash

Strong Songs, to find out how you can do that.

The saxophone is going to feature heavily on this episode as we are diving back into a classic

jazz recording from the 1960s that features alto, tenor, and baritone sax.

If you want to hear a Barry sax low A, well you're actually about to hear one, so let's

bring in the horns and listen for the low note on your right.

Jazz music is all about improvisation.

Some aspect of most jazz recordings was invented on the spot with a given jazz composition

acting as both a work and its own right as well as a framework, or a container for the

spontaneous compositions of the individual musicians who may be playing it.

That immediacy is what makes jazz an exciting music to listen to, particularly if you catch

a band live, but can also make jazz a bit intimidating.

Through newcomer, jazz recording can feel like overhearing your neighbors having a heated

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