This month’s saxophone warmup is one that I have used since I first transcribed it several years ago. It is an alto saxophone solo played by George Young on the tune Passing Pastels in 1962 from his record, “Gold and Satin.” I had included this solo in the latest version of my woodwind doubling book as an example of an improvised solo to be studied for its unique mixture of jazz phrasing and the extreme use of the saxophone altissimo register. Tragically, we lost George on 4/22/26 and I wanted to honor him as best I could by calling attention to his brilliance as a saxophonist, woodwind doubler, improviser, composer, and total musician by offering this solo here. George’s effortless control throughout the entire range of the saxophone is amazing and I have found that by spending some time trying to emulate his technical fluency, tone, and control demonstrated by this solo, it allows me to play my horn better for the rest of the day. Please check out the attached audio track (the transcribed solo starts at 1:29 into the track) as well as my interview with George on this site. RIP George.
Audio Track: