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Biography Saxtet began life as a saxophone quartet in Birmingham, UK in 1985. The group's early success came from busking (playing on the street) in their home city. This much maligned activity is a great leveller for musicians. If the group was good, people stopped, if not the worst that happened was your audience melted away. Soon the group started working other towns and cities, in the UK and abroad. By the time it's busking life was over the group had played Leicester Square London, Washington Square New York, Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne and Florence. The group became fully professional and concert tours of Germany, the USA and the Caribbean followed.
This line-up (l-r): Nigel Wood - soprano, Andy Tweed - tenor, Lionel Ferer - baritone, Gerrard McChrystal - Alto Expansion from quartet to quintet came in 1993 for their second CD "Safer Sax", a collection of their own original compositions. It also coincided with the creation of Saxtet Publications, which prints and distributes the player’s pieces to this day.
(l-r) Chris Gumbley - alto, Andy Tweed - baritone, Karen Street - tenor, Nigel Wood - soprano, Adrian Kelly - tenor. This programme was again taken to the Pleasance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the World Saxophone Congress, Pesaro, Italy, Germany, Jamaica and individual concerts all over the UK and Germany. TV and radio appearances have included BBC Radio 4 "Loose Ends", BBC1 "Pebble Mill", and "Children in Need".
© saxtet 2002 |
Their
first CD 'Montage' was recorded in 1990 and in the same year they
performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe attracting the attention
of media and promoters from all over the world leading to a six-week
world tour taking in India, Singapore, Borneo, the International
Arts Festival in Wellington, New Zealand and Hawaii.
In
February 1997 Saxtet gave the first performances of “Autogeddon”
at the Pleasance London, a major new work for five saxophones,
vibraphone, percussion and prepared tape. The music was composed
by Eddie Parker and commissioned by Saxtet with Arts Council funding.
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