Saxophone ténor HENRI SELMER 1933 Paris/France

New Large Bore Tenor Henri Selmer Paris 1929 Paris/France

MODEL 22 SERIE 1922 AND MODELE 22  Paul, Henri (1905) and Maurice Lefevre (at the end of 1907), were hired by Selmer and placed in charge of instrument production. After the war, Henri Lefevre adapted new manufacturing techniques for the saxophone. He systematized the drawing of tone holes which were previously welded into the body of the instrument. This new technique simplified manufacture, eliminated the leakage problems and introduced an improved standardization of manufacture. “Serie 1922” ?an alto and the first great saxophone series manufactured by Selmer? was launched officially on December 31, 1921 at a time when the saxophone was very much in vogue in the United States. Replacing the “Serie 1922”, the “Modele 22” was a technically innovative, more streamlined and stronger construction compared to traditional workmanship. The automatic octave key was already offered on this model. Modele 22 Encouraged by the warm reception which greeted the arrival of this saxophone, the Selmer company decided to go ahead with the production of the straight Bb soprano, the curved soprano, the soprano in C and the tenor saxophones in Bb and C, the latter being better known under the name “C Melody”. Shortly afterwards the rest of the family was made available. The “C Melody” was particularly popular amongst jazz musicians during the twenties. The key of C eliminated the need for transposition making it a perfect partner to play with the piano. But even though it was easy to play and pleasant to listen to, it struggled to find its place. Coleman Hawkins began his career with the “C Melody”, but without question the greatest virtuoso on this saxophone remains Frankie Trumbauer (1901-1956), whose facility and skill even Benny Carter himself once admitted to never having had. Even today, his solo on Singing The Blues with Bix Beiderbecke is still often covered note for note in its entirety.

Model26 Tenor 1926-1935 The decade 1926-1936 proved decisive in the development of the Selmer saxophones. Indeed, their fame had spread internationally, while at the same time the instruments continued to benefit from constant improvements. In 1929, Selmer acquired the company Adolphe Sax & Co whose workshops were located on 84 rue Myrha, in the eighteenth arrondissement of Paris. Paradoxically, this acquisition (which made Selmer the sole legatee to the brilliant inventor) enabled Selmer to start producing a brass range, one of the great specialities of Sax at the time. Between 1926 and 1928, “Modele 26” was embossed with the new Selmer logo (trademark). On this model appeared a new neck escutcheon and a new neck key, designed in theform of a “wishbone”. Some of the “Modele 28’s” were produced side by side with unnamed prototypes that came out the same year, as was the case until 1931. In 1929, an alto was made with a larger bore, and which the Americans called New large bore. For this period, it is difficult to precisely date the models because of the variety of bodies and bells used. Even two instruments of the same model might comprise appreciably different keys and even mechanisms, depending upon the requests of the musicians. From 1931, certain saxophones were marked with a triple “S” : Super Sax Selmer. They were not limited to just one series but were distributed over several models: The Cigar Cutter model (1931 to 1934), so-called by the Americans because of its octave key design, was also characterized by its V-shaped guard and a narrow but thicker neck slide that was machined from massive nickel silver. The Radio Improved model (1934-35) was created for radio sound-takes and studio recordings; there are, however, very few existing units. The ergonomic refinement and greater instrumental accuracy generated by successive developments in the model range, enabled Selmer to delineate itself from its competitors. This process of differentiation led to a revolutionary model: the “Balanced Action"

Balance Action Tenor Saxophone 1936-1947 The“Balanced Action” is the basic prototype of the modern saxophone and the majority of the changes built into it have been kept to this day The keywork was entirely redesigned The low B and Bb keys were moved to the right side of the bell, allowing for easier operation of the keywork The origin of the name “Balanced Action” lies in its balanced keywork and distribution of weight Coleman Hawkins chose to play on this model at the end of the Thirties In fact, with this saxophone, there is a return to the initial spirit of the esthetics of the Selmer sound : the bore is bigger and the bell is a largerdiameter This improvement thus made it possible for Selmer to become a real challenger next to the American saxophones of the time In its design, the “Balanced Action” Tenor was characterized by distinct low B and Bb guards, and spatula groups with a newer, more ergonomic form (the left-hand little finger and right-hand little finger). The “Balanced Action” came in two versions, either with a long or short bell. The long bell was more accurate, but more demanding in terms of blowing. The short bell was preferred for its greater blowing ease, but on the other hand, played the low registers slightly too high. An important development in extending the range of the instrument was the addition of a high F# option, offered here for the first time. Also of note was the asymmetry of the register key support which was fitted for side-on play, the preferred position at the time. During the Second World War, the company ran into problems due to a lack of raw materials, particularly in brass and mother-of-pearl. This shortage explains why many “Balanced Action” saxophones were equipped with black bakelite instead of traditional mother-ofpearl buttons. In the same way, during the period from 1942 to 1945, some “Balanced Action” models appeared with differing classification numbers on their body and bell as a result of discrepancies within the inventory during the war (in this case, the real number is that of the bell.)