Come with us now on a journey, an excursion through the music for tenor saxophone and piano. Your wanderings will take you through the music of two-and-a half centuries, spanning historical periods from the usual musical fare and entering realms from the bizarre to the sublime.
Although the tenor saxophone is often labeled a jazz instrument, numerous classical composers and arraganers have dedicated pieces to it. Like all saxophones, the tenor is capable of both brilliant displays of technique and singing expressiveness. The deep richness of the tenor’s voice, however, makes it particularly well-suited to warm lyricism, as heard in each of these selected works.
Surprisingly, six of the ten works presented here are either composed for or transcribed by one man, James Houlik. Houlik is professor of saxophone at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem*. He is also a renowned tenor saxophone soloist, frequently heard in recital and concerto performances throughout the world. Houlik has almost single-handedly created the body of contemporary repertoire for the tenor saxophone. His life-long struggle to interest composers in this instrument has yielded new works for tenor saxophone ranging from unaccompanied pieces to concerti with bands and orchestras. This album is dedicated to James Houlik, who taught us how the tenor should sound.
– Steven Mauk
*James Houlik is Artist Lecturer in Saxophone at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh