Sax Alive

Sax Alive!

As teens in the 1940s, the members of Sax Alive unwittingly crossed paths at the renowned Teal School of Music in Detroit. Each musician studied here, developing their love of music, as well as their love of the saxophone. Big Band sound was golden, and names like Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, and Glenn Miller molded the maturity of their distinctive styles and sounds. Before long, all of these young men could proudly boast that they were good sidemen. A good sideman is one who can play and sight read just about anything.

All members of Sax Alive were soon playing gigs ranging from symphony orchestras, Broadway shows, and Las Vegas reviews to nightclub dates in Detroit and Windsor. Three members, Larry Teal, Fred Boldt, and Norm Gladstone, served in the US Army as bandsmen. Later some became teachers in the Detroit school system, and at Oakland College and Wayne State University.

Sax Alive members came together again as the original sax section of the Joe Vitale Orchestra in Detroit. After Joe passed away, they decided to keep the section alive by getting together to play special arrangements. Their band formed in 1999, originally called the World’s Oldest Living Sax Quintet. These widely experienced pros played a wide range of beautiful and swinging sounds for music lovers everywhere. From Glenn Miller to the Beatles, the group made a unique and memorable sound for lovers of the mellow sax. Coupled with this sound, the exhilarating beat of jazz and swing became the band’s forte.

With the dawn of 2002, the group changed its name to Sax Alive. Its players represent over 250 years of experience playing for big bands, orchestras, musicals, and recording artists and entertainers.