By Ande Jacobson

Sacramento’s 2012 Saxophone Christmas is history, but San Jose is in for a treat on 15 December.  In addition to the many favorites on the program, founder Ray Bernd promises three special new arrivals at this year’s San Jose event.  Alas, he’s keeping them close to the vest until show time.

As for the known program, it includes:  “Jingle Bells Forever”, “The Chipmunk Song”, “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”, “A Christmas Festival for Saxes”, “Carol of the Bells”, “I Saw Mommy Kissin’ Santa Claus”, “The Little Drummer Boy”, “Main St USA (I’ll Be Home For Xmas, Silver Bells & White Christmas)”, “German Carols For Christmas”, and my personal favorite “Dance Of The Sugar Plum Saxes”.  Adding Ray’s three secret songs along with three others from his vast saxophone library, this year promises a special 16 song saxophone spectacular to welcome the holiday.

As mentioned in the previous promo, Ray also takes a moment during each concert to introduce the audience to all the different kinds of saxes there from the pen-sized soprillo to the 1.9 meter tall contrabass saxophone.  You likely won’t see many of these any place else except maybe on Wikipedia.

Whether you’re a player or an audience member, make some time this December to come enjoy the beauty, the harmony, and the spectacle that is Saxophone Christmas.

San Jose – 15 December 2012:  2-3 PM at Christmas in the Park in San Jose / 5-6 PM at Vallco Shopping Mall in Cupertino.

Take a look at http://sjsaxmas.com for more information, and be sure to check the “Listen” tab for some sound samples from previous years.

(Photo from 2010’s event courtesy of Saxophone Christmas)