By Ande Jacobson
On Saturday, 16 December 2023, the 29th Annual San Jose Saxophone Christmas (or SaXmas for short) happened. Sax players of all levels got together as they do each year (except in 2020 for obvious reasons) and made holiday music together on saxes of all shapes and sizes. For some players, this is the only time they bring out their saxophones, while for others, it’s one of dozens (or possibly even hundreds) of gigs they play each year.
First, the ensemble rehearsed for a couple of hours down in South San Jose playing through this year’s concert selections. Then they broke for lunch and reconvened in downtown San Jose to play their first concert at Christmas in the Park. They then moseyed over to Eastridge Shopping Mall for their final concert of the day.
This year included the following types of saxophones:
- Sopraninos;
- Sopranos in various keys and configurations;
- Altos (the most common saxophones in schools);
- C melody saxes;
- Tenors (the second most common saxophones in schools);
- Baritones (they dance);
- Basses
From the videos, it appears that they didn’t have any soprillos, saxellos, sarrusophones, or contrabass saxophones this year, but sometimes they do extending the smallest of the small (soprillos) and the biggest of the big (contrabass).
Ray Bernd is the man behind, in front of, and living Saxophone Christmas all year around to make this event happen. He’s the guy madly waving his arms in front of the ensemble. Ray has an encyclopedic knowledge of everything saxophone and writes most of the group’s musical arrangements. Those arrangements have grown over the years both in number of parts and in the total number of songs that are available. Ray also likes to write a new arrangement or two each year as a special treat for the musicians and audiences alike.
Ray draws 15-17 tunes each year for the group to perform. Some songs like A Christmas Festival for Saxes (the opening piece), Jingle Bells Forever, We Wish You a Merry Christmas (the sign-off piece), and The Chipmunk Song (the choreographed/audience participation piece) are played every year. Others rotate through and are heard every few years. Other songs like Carol of the Bells show up in different forms over the years. Ray had an arrangement of that traditional favorite that the group played for many years and has more recently been updated with a SaXmas transcription of Christmas Eve – Sarajevo 12/24. No doubt that a massive saxophone ensemble was what the Trans-Siberian Orchestra really had in mind when they recorded that one back in the mid-1990s.
Pre-pandemic, there were usually over 200 players in any given year and they got close to that this year with an unofficial count of 190 players (it takes a while to run down all the details after the music has stopped).
Here are videos of the Eastridge performance taken by Kevin Stopper:
A Christmas Festival for Saxes:
The First Noel:
Songs for Santa:
German Carols for Christmas:
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas:
Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella:
Rockin’ Round the Christmas Tree:
Gloucestershire Wassail:
Christmas – Baby Please Come Home:
Introducing the Saxes:
Fum Fum Fum:
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas:
Christmas Eve – Sarajevo 12/24:
Chipmunk Song:
Jingle Bells Forever:
We Wish You A Merry Christmas:
Here are a few bonus Tracks from Christmas in the Park also by Kevin Stopper. The Eastridge sound quality was better, but these give viewers a feel for the outdoor atmosphere at the holiday festival that consumes downtown San Jose every year for the month of December:
As I mentioned in last year’s recap, pre-pandemic, I played in this event from 2002 – 2019 usually playing either one of the cutest little horns imaginable (a curved soprano sax that looks like an alto sax that shrunk in the dryer) or a straight soprano which was a little easier to play. While I doubt I’ll be able to return for various reasons, I’m glad that I can enjoy the videos of this annual holiday musical event. It’s unique and festive and welcomes the holiday season like nothing else.
If you’re interested in participating in the future, the event takes place in San Jose on the third Saturday of December each year. The next one will be held on 21 December 2024. See sjsaxmas.com for more information about Saxophone Christmas. Registration normally opens at the beginning of November. There’s also a similar, albeit newer and slightly smaller, event in the Sacramento area on the first Saturday of December. That one held its 11th annual event on the 2 December 2023 and is slated to return to their Sacramento venues on 7 December 2024.
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