Saxophobia - Celebrating the Sax Craze of the 1920's

$21.99
Label
Chandos
Release Date
July 17, 2026
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      Rudy Wiedoeft
    • PERFORMER
      Chad Smith, Mikaela Bennett, Sinfonia of London
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      July 17, 2026
    • UPC
      0095115539026
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      CHSA 5390
    • LABEL
      Chandos
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Classical
    Works ⌄

    1. Sax-O-Trix (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra)

      Composer: Rudy Wiedoeft, Domenico Savino

      Ensemble: Sinfonia of London

      Performer: Chad Smith

      Conductor: John Wilson

    2. Valse Mazanetta (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra)

      Composer: Rudy Wiedoeft

      Ensemble: Sinfonia of London

      Performer: Chad Smith

      Conductor: John Wilson

    3. Saxophobia (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra)

      Composer: Rudy Wiedoeft

      Ensemble: Sinfonia of London

      Performer: Chad Smith

      Conductor: John Wilson

    4. Dans l'Orient (arr. L. Wardle for alto saxophone and harp)

      Composer: Rudy Wiedoeft, Domenico Savino

      Performer: Chad Smith, Lynette Wardle

    5. Valse Llewellyn (arr. D. Higgins for saxophone and orchestra)

      Composer: Rudy Wiedoeft

      Ensemble: Sinfonia of London

      Performer: Chad Smith

      Conductor: John Wilson

    6. Mlle. Modiste: Kiss Me Again (If I Were on the Stage) (arr. A. Cottee for voice, saxophone and orchestra)

      Composer: Victor Herbert

      Ensemble: Sinfonia of London

      Performer: Mikaela Bennett, Chad Smith

      Conductor: John Wilson

    7. Sax-O-Phun (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra)

      Composer: Rudy Wiedoeft

      Ensemble: Sinfonia of London

      Performer: Chad Smith

      Conductor: John Wilson

    8. Rubenola (arr. C. Smith for saxophone, violin and piano)

      Composer: Rudy Wiedoeft, Hugo Frey

      Performer: Chad Smith, John Mills, Dalton Ridenhour

    9. Cloudy Days (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra)

      Composer: Rudy Wiedoeft

      Ensemble: Sinfonia of London

      Performer: Chad Smith

      Conductor: John Wilson

    10. Gloria (arr. R. Wiedoeft for saxophone and piano)

      Composer: Justin Ring, Frederick W. Hager

      Performer: Chad Smith, Justin Quinn, Dalton Ridenhour

    11. Canary Cottage-One Step (Medley with I Never Knew and That Syncopated Harp) (arr. D. Levinson for saxophone and ensemble)

      Composer: Earl Carroll

      Performer: Chad Smith, John Mills, Justin Quinn, Andy Wood, Matt Skelton, Dalton Ridenhour

    12. Danse Hongroise (arr. R. Wiedoeft and A. Cottee for saxophone and orchestra)

      Composer: Justin Ring, Frederick W. Hager

      Ensemble: Sinfonia of London

      Performer: Chad Smith

      Conductor: John Wilson

    13. Remember (You Forgot to Remember) (arr. A. Cottee for vocals, saxophone and orchestra)

      Composer: Irving Berlin

      Ensemble: Sinfonia of London

      Performer: Mikaela Bennett, Chad Smith

      Conductor: John Wilson

    14. Saxema

      Composer: Rudy Wiedoeft

      Performer: Chad Smith, Dalton Ridenhour

    15. Valse Sonia (arr. L. Wardle for saxophone and harp)

      Composer: Rudy Wiedoeft, Hugo Frey

      Performer: Chad Smith, Lynette Wardle

    16. Saxarella (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra)

      Composer: Rudy Wiedoeft

      Ensemble: Sinfonia of London

      Performer: Chad Smith

      Conductor: John Wilson

    17. Valse Vanité (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra)

      Composer: Rudy Wiedoeft

      Ensemble: Sinfonia of London

      Performer: Chad Smith

      Conductor: John Wilson

    18. Saxophobia (with spoken introduction)

      Composer: Rudy Wiedoeft

      Performer: Mikaela Bennett, Chad Smith, Dalton Ridenhour


Famously invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s, the saxophone quickly became an established part of French and British military bands, but remained a novelty instrument elsewhere until it gained a foothold in vaudeville and ragtime bands in 1920s America. From there, it became an essential part of dance bands and a prominent solo instrument in jazz. A great deal of this early development can be attributed to one musician-Rudy Wiedoeft. Born into a musical family, Rudy became a virtuoso clarinettist at an early age before becoming obsessed with the saxophone in 1914. Coinciding with the start of the dance craze, he was convinced he could make a better living as a saxophonist than as an orchestral clarinettist and spent the following years forming and running bands for nightclubs and cabaret, and writing and recording his own virtuosic pieces for saxophone. Concentrating on recording over performing, he became a household name, but the emergence of the jazz era and it's new star musicians eventually overshadowed his work, and his achievements and influence slipped into obscurity. Multi-instrumentalist, educator, and virtuoso saxophonist Chad Smith instigated this album both as a tribute to, and in order to shine a light on, this largely forgotten innovator. A veteran of Broadway since 2002, Smith has made an astonishing career which spans live and studio work at the highest level, featuring in a diverse range of soundtracks from Star Wars to The Simpsons. He has appeared as a soloist with most of America's premier symphony orchestras and has collaborated with innumerable artists such as Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and Lady Gaga.