Trivia Archive

July 2004 Sax Trivia Contest

Be sure to check back in each and every month for more sax trivia and more chances to win great saxophone related prizes.

Prizes:

Francois Louis Ligature of you ($ 55.00 value)
Saxquest Gift Certificate ($ 10.00 value)

Winner

Regina Scheller from Apollo, PA US

Contest background

This saxophonist often jammed at Jimbo's Bop City in San Francisco's surprisingly hip jazz scene in the early 1950's.

One night Lester Young was in the audience and this young 22 year old saxophonist tried to impress Pres by blowing all the licks he knew in a single solo. When he later asked what Pres thought of his playing, he found out that Pres was not impressed. His major complait was "you plays too many notes". This young player was known around town as "Soldier Boy".

Ironically, he later went on to be known for his brillant use of space and judicial note selection and lead one of the most swinging bands of all time.

Contest Question

Who was this young player and why was he called "Soldier Boy"?

Correct Answer

Frank Foster - He moved to San Francisco because of military service and first sat in with Dexter Gordon's band in uniform. After keeping up with Dex on an uptempo version of `Cherokee', he was welcomed into the fold and known all around San Francisco as `the Soldier Boy.'

Where You Could Have Found The Answer

Mel Martin's Jazz Interview Page

Thanks to everyone who played the July Saxquest trivia contest.