Starter Packs

Complete your collection with these curated titles, grouped at a special discount.

Shop Now
Chandos

Saxophobia - Celebrating the Sax Craze of the 1920's

$21.99

Details

Composer
Rudy Wiedoeft
Artist
Chad Smith, Mikaela Bennett, Sinfonia of London
Format
SACD
Label
Chandos
Released
Jul 17, 2026
Catalog #
CHSA 5390
UPC
0095115539026

About

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.

Tracklist 18 tracks

  1. 1 Sax-O-Trix (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra) 02:17
    Track
    1
    Title
    Sax-O-Trix (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra)
    Duration
    02:17
    Composer
    Rudy Wiedoeft, Domenico Savino
    Performer
    Chad Smith
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  2. 2 Valse Mazanetta (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra) 03:41
    Track
    2
    Title
    Valse Mazanetta (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra)
    Duration
    03:41
    Composer
    Rudy Wiedoeft
    Performer
    Chad Smith
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  3. 3 Saxophobia (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra) 01:43
    Track
    3
    Title
    Saxophobia (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra)
    Duration
    01:43
    Composer
    Rudy Wiedoeft
    Performer
    Chad Smith
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  4. 4 Dans l'Orient (arr. L. Wardle for alto saxophone and harp) 03:58
    Track
    4
    Title
    Dans l'Orient (arr. L. Wardle for alto saxophone and harp)
    Duration
    03:58
    Composer
    Rudy Wiedoeft, Domenico Savino
    Performer
    Chad Smith, Lynette Wardle
  5. 5 Valse Llewellyn (arr. D. Higgins for saxophone and orchestra) 03:27
    Track
    5
    Title
    Valse Llewellyn (arr. D. Higgins for saxophone and orchestra)
    Duration
    03:27
    Composer
    Rudy Wiedoeft
    Performer
    Chad Smith
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  6. 6 Mlle. Modiste: Kiss Me Again (If I Were on the Stage) (arr. A. Cottee for voice, saxophone and orchestra) 03:51
    Track
    6
    Title
    Mlle. Modiste: Kiss Me Again (If I Were on the Stage) (arr. A. Cottee for voice, saxophone and orchestra)
    Duration
    03:51
    Composer
    Victor Herbert
    Performer
    Mikaela Bennett, Chad Smith
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  7. 7 Sax-O-Phun (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra) 02:58
    Track
    7
    Title
    Sax-O-Phun (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra)
    Duration
    02:58
    Composer
    Rudy Wiedoeft
    Performer
    Chad Smith
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  8. 8 Rubenola (arr. C. Smith for saxophone, violin and piano) 03:13
    Track
    8
    Title
    Rubenola (arr. C. Smith for saxophone, violin and piano)
    Duration
    03:13
    Composer
    Rudy Wiedoeft, Hugo Frey
    Performer
    Chad Smith, John Mills, Dalton Ridenhour
  9. 9 Cloudy Days (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra) 03:21
    Track
    9
    Title
    Cloudy Days (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra)
    Duration
    03:21
    Composer
    Rudy Wiedoeft
    Performer
    Chad Smith
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  10. 10 Gloria (arr. R. Wiedoeft for saxophone and piano) 02:46
    Track
    10
    Title
    Gloria (arr. R. Wiedoeft for saxophone and piano)
    Duration
    02:46
    Composer
    Justin Ring, Frederick W. Hager
    Performer
    Chad Smith, Justin Quinn, Dalton Ridenhour
  11. 11 Canary Cottage-One Step (Medley with I Never Knew and That Syncopated Harp) (arr. D. Levinson for saxophone and ensemble) 02:38
    Track
    11
    Title
    Canary Cottage-One Step (Medley with I Never Knew and That Syncopated Harp) (arr. D. Levinson for saxophone and ensemble)
    Duration
    02:38
    Composer
    Earl Carroll
    Performer
    Chad Smith, John Mills, Justin Quinn, Andy Wood, Matt Skelton, Dalton Ridenhour
  12. 12 Danse Hongroise (arr. R. Wiedoeft and A. Cottee for saxophone and orchestra) 04:24
    Track
    12
    Title
    Danse Hongroise (arr. R. Wiedoeft and A. Cottee for saxophone and orchestra)
    Duration
    04:24
    Composer
    Justin Ring, Frederick W. Hager
    Performer
    Chad Smith
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  13. 13 Remember (You Forgot to Remember) (arr. A. Cottee for vocals, saxophone and orchestra) 03:42
    Track
    13
    Title
    Remember (You Forgot to Remember) (arr. A. Cottee for vocals, saxophone and orchestra)
    Duration
    03:42
    Composer
    Irving Berlin
    Performer
    Mikaela Bennett, Chad Smith
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  14. 14 Saxema 02:19
    Track
    14
    Title
    Saxema
    Duration
    02:19
    Composer
    Rudy Wiedoeft
    Performer
    Chad Smith, Dalton Ridenhour
  15. 15 Valse Sonia (arr. L. Wardle for saxophone and harp) 03:46
    Track
    15
    Title
    Valse Sonia (arr. L. Wardle for saxophone and harp)
    Duration
    03:46
    Composer
    Rudy Wiedoeft, Hugo Frey
    Performer
    Chad Smith, Lynette Wardle
  16. 16 Saxarella (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra) 02:53
    Track
    16
    Title
    Saxarella (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra)
    Duration
    02:53
    Composer
    Rudy Wiedoeft
    Performer
    Chad Smith
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  17. 17 Valse Vanité (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra) 03:22
    Track
    17
    Title
    Valse Vanité (arr. L. Meyers for saxophone and orchestra)
    Duration
    03:22
    Composer
    Rudy Wiedoeft
    Performer
    Chad Smith
    Ensemble
    Sinfonia of London
    Conductor
    John Wilson
  18. 18 Saxophobia (with spoken introduction) 02:02
    Track
    18
    Title
    Saxophobia (with spoken introduction)
    Duration
    02:02
    Composer
    Rudy Wiedoeft
    Performer
    Mikaela Bennett, Chad Smith, Dalton Ridenhour