Learn to Work the Saxophone

• fionmul +2 — Reminds me of The Dance at the Gym from West Side Story
• Edward James +2 — The Japanese are true craftsman. They take everything that we have created (jazz, baseball, automobile manufacturing, financial markets, imperialism) and become the true masters of them. Only they could have crafted one of the most perfect jazz songs of all time as the intro to a space mystery anime that was originally created to sell toys.
• Brad Stalcup +2 — Yessss.
• SamRobertsND +1 — The Japanese love trumpets and other brass instruments
• Regina Scime +1
• Corey +1
• judd.baker +1 — This right here is it, solid gold. My winner for the round.
• Peter Seeley 0 — Now I want to be a cowboy 🤠
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Obviously very impressive. Could I hum back any part of this solo? Absolutely not. I’m just not a shred fan, I want a good memorable melody which this is not.
• Claire 0 — The cut of this song they use in the title sequence doesn’t include the sax solo—I already loved this song but the first time I heard the full version I was blown away. One of the best tv show theme songs of all time
• Spicey Riche 0 — I’m out of rips, but this stunk

• SamRobertsND +2 — Ooh, yes, yes, this is quite nice, yes!
• Joseph Harvey +2 — This is so good. The sax melody is both interesting and the centerpiece of the song, which is what I’m looking for this round. The rest of the song is also great.
• fionmul +1 — Ooh
• Edward James +1 — This is so smooth and delectable and tasty. 10/10
• Claire +1 — The sax really complements and heightens the storytelling here
• judd.baker +1 — Wow this is spectacular
• Spicey Riche 0 — I’m in dire straits trying to make it through this song

Peter Seeley: Imagine you're on the 101 S, and the air is full of smog. The traffic is at a standstill. No matter. You embrace the moment.

• Joseph Harvey +2 — Stunning. I could fall in love to this, easily. Gorgeous, expressive, longing sax part that is actually memorable. This is especially great because the rest of the arrangement is as beautiful as the sax melody.
• Corey +2
• SamRobertsND +1 — Vangelis is Sammy bait
• Edward James +1 — There’s something so perfect about sci-fi futurism and saxophone. You get it here and in the Cowboy Bebop song. They create such an incredible atmosphere.
• judd.baker +1 — Beautiful stuff all around
• fionmul 0 — Yeah
• Regina Scime 0 — This made me chuckle
• Claire 0 — Didn’t make my top 4 but I really love this track
• Spicey Riche 0 — Most overrated sci-fi film ever!

• ared56 +2
• Regina Scime +1 — yes
• Brad Stalcup +1
• Sam Ary +1
• judd.baker +1
• SamRobertsND 0 — Good but unmemorable
• fionmul 0 — fun fact I played alto sax in band, just wanted to share that
• Peter Seeley 0 — Very good. I wish I had more upvotes to give.
• Joseph Harvey 0 — I wish I had an ability to appreciate this, which I have to assume is an all-time great. To me, this sounds like random jazzy noodling. None of these melodies stick except for the vocals. Why do these jazz classics almost always have boring generic lyrics?
• Edward James 0 — I have to be honest, I think this is a very weak John Coltrane pick.
• Spicey Riche 0 — Boring much?!

• Spicey Riche +2
• ared56 +1
• Brad Stalcup +1 — I LOVE this song. However, there's nothing really standout about the saxophone part. All the instruments are playing in unison. Nonetheless, it has a cool enough unison sound to win a vote.
• shea nowicki +1
• Sam Ary +1
• SamRobertsND 0 — Typical
• fionmul 0 — Sure
• Peter Seeley 0 — Great.
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Absolute masterpiece. Packed with memorable parts, awesome singing, and with a phenomenal mix. However, the sax is very much just one part of the arrangement here and doesn’t stand out as a lead instrument. I’m going to reward songs where the sax part carries the song.
• Edward James 0 — I feel like to win a vote from me, the saxophone needs to stand out more, whereas this is mostly a combination of horns. Still one of my all time fave songs.
• Claire 0 — Didn’t make my top 4 but I love this song dearly. Hearing it always takes me back to freshman year of college dances. Respect to whoever submitted
• judd.baker 0 — This was definitely the best of the more obvious submissions

• Peter Seeley +2 — Fantastic intro. Everything works together fantastically.
• Corey +1 — I have fond memories of the song, it reminds me of looking at sports stats over a lazy summer.
• Sam Ary +1
• SamRobertsND 0 — Really tried hard one with this one, didn't ya? Really dug deep, huh?
• fionmul 0 — I mean yeah
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Close but no 🚬
• Edward James 0 — I have just never liked this song all that much, despite the great sax part
• Brad Stalcup 0 — Almost submitted this one, but chose not to because there's only one sax riff. It's cool and memorable. But it's just one riff over and over. Wouldn't call that the "best" saxophone part. "Iconic" but not "best"
• Spicey Riche 0 — This one wasn’t bad

• fionmul +1 — Yes
• Claire +1 — Again, here, the sax is a part of the storytelling
• shea nowicki +1
• SamRobertsND 0 — Good, not great
• Joseph Harvey 0 — The sax is not important enough to this.
• Edward James 0 — I felt like the saxophone lick here is supplemental but not load bearing. It’s amazing, but is actually pretty marginal in the song.
• Brad Stalcup 0 — Pretty great song, but sax part didn't wow me.
• Spicey Riche 0 — Another song without saxophone. Good work genius
• Regina Scime -1 — As a Michigander, I hate to downvote Bob Seager, but the saxophone in this song just didn’t stand out to me

• shea nowicki +1
• Sam Ary +1
• SamRobertsND 0 — Who names their kid mullato
• fionmul 0 — Sophisticated
• Peter Seeley 0 — Chill as frick. Wish I had more upvotes to give.
• Joseph Harvey 0 — 😴 underwhelming musicianship, recording quality, writing.
• Edward James 0 — I really love this, but it just missed a vote. In a packed field, it wins the cool factor, but not the musical factor.
• Brad Stalcup 0 — Had high hopes for this one, but it just didn't blow me away (sorry Eddie if you're reading this). I think I liked the piano part more, tbh.
• Spicey Riche 0 — Pianist is trying to hard

• Peter Seeley +1 — Delicious.
• Regina Scime +1 — I may or may not have shouted when the saxophone started growling
• SamRobertsND 0 — Good but unmemorable
• fionmul 0 — Eh more unique than some tho
• Edward James 0 — This is my favorite of the jazzy songs. Really good stuff and varied. I just feel like my votes were drawn more towards things that were not just saxophone alone.
• Brad Stalcup 0 — Accidentally seduced my wife when I played this in the car.
• Spicey Riche 0 — Ruby isn’t even a real name
• shea nowicki -1 — I think I need to go to jail for this downvote. Just the one I remembered the least in the end. Beautiful lounge music, though.

• Spicey Riche +2
• ared56 +1
• Claire +1 — It’s a fun innovative use of sax in a different genre than you’d expect. Sorry chat, it’s a yes from me
• shea nowicki +1
• Joseph Harvey 0 — This song features a saxophone part
• Edward James 0 — Absolute banger in every way, and I’m tempted to vote for it simply because Sammy hated on it in the chat. Probably my next vote if I had one more to give.
• Brad Stalcup 0 — Licensed to make me ill.
• judd.baker 0 — Do not let the haters sway you, brave soldier, this sax part is terrific
• SamRobertsND -1 — Shitty and annoying
• fionmul -1 — Noo
• Peter Seeley -1 — Obnoxious. This makes me want to cull the local simian population.
• Corey -1 — I really, really didn't want to do this, but I had to put it somewhere. If it's any consolation, this was one of my favorite songs in middle school.

• SamRobertsND 0 — Slop but Honest Slop. Reminds me of the Squirtle meme. Sam?
• fionmul 0 — No
• Peter Seeley 0 — Wonderful saxophone. Not a fan of that vocal style.
• Joseph Harvey 0 — Sounds messy and amateur. Still some nasty sax sounds though.
• Regina Scime 0 — I may or may not have shouted when the saxophone started growling
• Spicey Riche 0 — More like Klingrunt

• SamRobertsND 0 — Good but unmemorable
• fionmul 0 — Ooh hm
• Joseph Harvey 0 — This is cool in the same way the Bladerunner track is cool but that one is way cooler, sorry. This is really pretty though.
• Edward James 0 — This is my favorite of the instrumental picks.
• Spicey Riche 0 — More like UprisingGrunt

Spicey Riche: If you downvote this because it’s too obvious, I will attack you.

• Peter Seeley +1 — It's a classic for a reason.
• SamRobertsND 0 — My best friend's uncle was hitchhiking, and after this one guy picked him up, he popped in a tape where this started playing. His uncle jumped out of the moving car.
• fionmul 0 — Sure
• Edward James 0 — Listening to this again, of course I was struck by how good the saxophone is. But I think the real stand out of the song is George Michael’s incredible voice. Also hard to not hear it as a meme.
• Brad Stalcup 0 — The most obvious pick for this category IMO. But I don't think it's actually the best saxophone part.
• judd.baker 0 — I was going to invoke the “submitting Sting for Joseph Harvey round” rule, but submitting the Wham! version instead of the George Michael solo version just barely saves it from that. The sax part is indeed genuinely excellent, but this fruit is too low hanging imo.
• Joseph Harvey -1 — I’m going to punish the obvious choice here. Every one of us thought about submitting this, so this just feels lazy. The sax equivalent of the stairway to heaven intro. Great, but ubiquitous and thus uninteresting. Honestly, aside from the iconic sax part, this song is utterly forgettable which would tank it anyways
• Claire -1 — It’s an iconic sax part. I don’t know how it manages to capture such intense, campy angst. I love it for that reason. But it’s a iconic sax part, not a *great* sax part.
• Sam Ary -1 — Had to downvote this bc it’s too cliché for this category I’m so sorry

• Regina Scime +1 — Normally, I don’t like breakup songs (or breakup-adjacent songs). I can’t really relate to them, and I just don’t quite understand why people like listening to them. BUT THIS SONG CHANGED MY ******* BRAIN CHEMISTRY I will never be the same
• Claire +1 — Great song, and the sax really enhances the poignant angsty vibes
• SamRobertsND 0 — December 27, 2013, for instance. Driving home at night in Louisville, KY. Delilah on the radio. This song is playing. Such good memories.
• fionmul 0 — Ehhh
• Peter Seeley 0 — Good.
• Joseph Harvey 0 — This was a lovely song. I wish the saxophone were more prominent, but that part at the end is lovely
• ared56 -1
• Edward James -1 — This song is a banger, and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. But I don’t think the saxophone is a major component of it . Probably the song where the saxophone does the least for the overall vibe. Hence my downvote.
• Brad Stalcup -1 — I could barely hear the sax and I don't really
• Spicey Riche -1 — This isn’t even a saxophone
• judd.baker -1 — Sax part is decent but making me sit through 4+ minutes of this song to get to it is criminal