Our latest addition to the Sax Bandits Christmas set list is a lesser known song called ‘Aint No Chimneys In The Project’ by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, from the Christmas album entitled ‘It’s A Holiday Soul Party!’ (2015). This is one of my favourite Christmas albums (especially as I own it on vinyl in limited edition ‘candy cane’) andRead more
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Music is a universal language that transcends barriers and brings people together – for Sax Bandits this couldn’t be more true! On a more serious note, today we are thrilled to announce that Sax Bandits is teaming up with the UK charity, ‘CALM’ by officially becoming a ‘Calm Club’. CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) is a ‘suicide prevention charity onRead more
The Music At the beginning of 2024, it was looking likely that Sax Bandits were going to get booked to perform at CarFest in the summer. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances the opportunity didn’t materialise, but it did shape our set list for 2024. I selected the songs in our set list around the theme of cars and transport, whichRead more
We owe the distinctive sound and innovative design of the saxophone to its creator, Adolphe Sax… but not everyone was a fan when it was unveiled to the world! Born in Belgium in 1814, Adolphe Sax moved to Paris as a young man in 1842 where he quickly made a name for himself as a prodigy when it came toRead more
Since the pandemic, Sax Bandits has showed no signs of slowing down and this year was no exception. I wanted to reflect on the year as a whole, to celebrate the achievements of the band and offer my own personal perspective. The Music When choosing the set list at the beginning of the year, I decided to push the boundariesRead more
In January 2023 I had the pleasure of exploring the hidden treasures of the Musical Instruments Museum (Musée des Instruments de Musique) in Brussels, Belgium. Exhibited in a striking 5-storey Art Nouveau building, it boasts a collection of ‘the 1200 most interesting instruments’. Strange Musical Instruments It took a few hours to explore the vast collection of guitars, keyboards, mechanicalRead more
What a Year It’s Been! Sax Bandits has continued to endure and grow in the aftermath of the global pandemic and I couldn’t be prouder of our achievements. We’ve all been affected in some way by the challenges of the past year, whether you’ve had covid or felt the pinch of petrol prices. In my opinion, these struggles highlight theRead more
If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your saxophone setup but don’t know where to start there is an extrememly simple and affordable way to enhance your playing experience. If you’ve never upgraded any of your saxophone gear before then it’s likely that you are playing with the metal ligature that came with your saxophone, such as this: These metal ligaturesRead more
Sax Bandits caught up with Snake Davis from his ‘Zen Den’ at his home in Lincolnshire (named Heion-Ji, which is Japanese for ‘The Temple of Peace and Calm’) to find out how he has been keeping busy during the covid pandemic. Snake Davis is one of the music world’s best kept secrets. He is a saxophonist of almost unparalleled gifts whoRead more
So, you’ve been learning saxophone and have just completed Abracadabra Saxophone with your teacher and are ready to play some “real tunes”? Or maybe you are just looking for some fun songs to play at home? Either way, we’ve got your back. Most playalong music books are collections of songs of varying difficulty rather than progressive books arranged in orderRead more
Sax Bandits has come a long way in 4 years! I want to commemorate some of the memories and members who have supported the band during its early years. YEAR 1 – 2016 Can you believe this band started with just 8 nervous saxophone students meeting in a cold Scout Hut in Wallingford, Oxfordshire? Starting in the Spring, by SeptemberRead more
This team-up video was an ambitious project with many moving parts so I’m going to walk you through my process. Ultimately it starts with the musical arrangement; I wanted to choose a song which was loosely lockdown themed, well known, and fun to play! The second consideration was how the melody and song elements (guitars, synths, etc.) would translate intoRead more
