Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.
The saxophone is a contradictory instrument that has rooted itself in the soil of pop culture. It's the "devil's horn," it's the voice of jazz - an extension of the player's soul - it is a character trait of U.S. Presidents, YouTube sensations, and cartoon characters. It has both enhanced and ruined songs, it is sensuous yet abrasive, and it is the only instrument widely excluded from symphonies and orchestras, never quite being taken seriously. As an object that is symbolic of living on the margins of society, the saxophone has never been kind to its players.
Blending research, cultural criticism, and personal narrative about her saxophonist father, who lived on the margins until his unexpected death, Mollie Hawkins explores more than just the history of this expressive instrument. She illuminates the dark paths that our passions can lead us down.
Saxophone turns the lens around to ask us all: what does it mean to devote your life to such an object - even if it kills you? Can music hold such power over us?
"The saxophone has rooted itself in the soil of pop culture. It's the "devil's horn," the voice of jazz, a character trait of U.S. Presidents, YouTube sensations, and cartoon characters. It has both enhanced and ruined songs, it is sensuous yet abrasive, and it is the only instrument widely excluded from symphonies and orchestras, never quite being taken seriously. But this object is also symbolic of living on the margins of society; the saxophone has never been kind to its players. Delving into more than just the history of this quirky instrument, Saxophone blends memoir, research, and cultural criticism, and asks, what does it mean to love something so contradictory - even if it kills you?"--
