Honk.

To the left is a shot of Anthony Braxton playing a contrabass sax. This is one of the better shots of this instrument as it gives you some idea of it's brute size. Braxton is a multi instrumentalist who plays all the saxes, many kinds of flutes and keyboards. His compositions are considered among the elite of avant garde jazz. Highly original in both his playing and writing it is not surprising this intrument finds a home in his music.

Scott Robinson also plays one if these fellows and you can hear this and a few other big instruments on his album Thinking Big. He plays a bass saxophone and a contrabass sarrusophone too. (that other real big horn to the right). A Frenchman by the name of Pierre Louis Gautrot invented this instrument in 1856 (it also came in different sizes, not just the size of a Peugot) and was intended to compete with the Adolphe Sax's instruments of the mid to late 1900's.

One other variation on the goliath sax is an oddity called a tubax, short for tuba-saxophone. Why am I getting that all too familiar feeling? You know the one where people start going for a vision and don't stop? It is a more recent invention as far as these kinds of instruments go, being first made in 1999 by Benedikt Eppelsheim of Germany. Its a little easier to take with you to the beach owing to the fact that its pipe is bent into more coils than either of the other ones so it doesn't scrape the ceiling.

Toot.

I'm going to give automobiles a rest for a bit and pick on musical instruments. It would be too easy to go for the odd ball crazy stuff. Instead I'm going to take a short look at genuine intruments that by the very size of them, almost got out of hand. First up is the contrabass saxophone.

Adolph Sax included the contrabass in the first group of saxophones he invented around 1840. He had designed instruments to fit most musical ranges, and with an eye for the dramatic was justly proud of this monster being part of the all saxophones bands of the era. Saxophone bands were popular through the late 1900's and into the 20th Century and any band worth its lung power had a contrabass.

A baritone sax weighs in about 15 to 20 pounds and is about 31/2 feet high. Marching bands are not fond of this. The contrabass is in the 50 pound range and stands 6+ feet high. Solely for orchestral or ensemble playing, nobody bops around with one of these. They play an entire octave below a baritone sax or bass clarinet. Check in tommorow where I'll get some pics of these beauties and links to current musicians who play them.