A brief (but not too brief) history
of our San Jose Saxophone Christmas

by Ray Bernd,
Founder of San Jose Saxophone Christmas

An idea is born
In 1990, my good friend and fellow Saxophone player, David Flatt (Db for short), informed me of an event that I should not miss. A group of saxophone players met at San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) for a rehearsal, then performed at a few locations in the greater LA area. I thought it would be a great chance for me to pull out my Bass Sax and blow a few tunes.

Dave drove me and a few of my students from Gilroy High School down to So Cal. I remember that my Bass got a lot of attention, for the other two big horns looked much the worse for wear. Paul Kardos, Prof. of Music at SBVC, was the organizer and director for this event. The tunes were fun, there were a lot of horns. The arrangements were straight ‘SATB’. I believe that the first year we played at the Wax Museum and Knott’s Berry Farm in Anaheim. They recorded at the rehearsal, not at one of the live venues, for it is easier to record a large group indoors rather than taking a chance at recording a group outdoors. Overall, it was a very fun experience.

The following year I drove down and again, there were about 175 players, two outdoor performances, and many of the same tunes. This was their 7th annual event, and if memory serves correct, the shirts had a picture of a Christmas tree on the front with Saxophone ornaments. Soon after, I was told that Paul had other obligations and that there would be no gathering in 1992.

Dave, who also played with me in our Central Coast Sax Quartet, kept on me to begin a Saxophone Christmas event in the greater San Jose area. Even though I had access to many players and former students in the area, I still felt it was going to be more effort than I had time for. Dave continued to organize smaller Sax performances - both in Salinas and in Monterey - using tunes he had arranged for the group in San Bernardino.

1994: San Jose Saxophone Christmas begins
By 1994, I felt the time was right. I mailed many of the local high schools in Santa Clara County and left fliers at most of the local music stores in hopes we would get enough of a response to pull off a respectable performance. Yes, I did receive a lot of turned eyebrows and “giggles” that first year — I still do today!

Some of my former students were the first to come forward to help out. Shelley Ware, a former student and long-time family friend, was one of those students who came with us to San Bernardino. She has played in each of the San Jose events and has been extremely helpful in distributing the music for each and every year (thanks, Shelley, for your help and dedication).

We scheduled three performances that first year – one in The Pruneyard (before it was remodeled), a second in Vallco Fashion Park (now Cupertino Square), and a final evening performance at Christmas In The Park. Originally, I had hoped to get enough players for a follow up performance on the next day at Pier 39 up in San Francisco. But many were either too tired or not available for the following day, so I dropped that idea.

Dave Flatt loaned me several arrangements for that first year and I got the urge to add a few tunes of my own. We had 28 players that first year, and actually fit on the older stage they used at Christmas In The Park.

Changes in performance venues
The nighttime cold at Christmas in the Park played havoc on both the players and their horns. As our numbers grew, we asked the city if we could come earlier in the day. It made sense since we would avoid most of the cold; even more importantly, we could use the fountain area instead of the stage – where after the first year, we no longer fit. The San Jose Saxophone Christmas was the first group to use an afternoon performance time at Christmas In The Park (2 pm). I believe that 1997 was the year that started that tradition.

We continue to strive for two performances each year: one outdoor, and one indoor. Christmas In The Park is such a beautiful location and makes for a wonderful performance. The indoor location is important because if the weather turns bad, and we can’t play outdoors that year, we can at least have one performance to show for all of the effort and funding that goes into organizing this event.

For the record, since we started playing in 1994, we have had only one complete rainout and one shortened performance at the Park. Our indoor venue has changed a bit over the years; we have played at both Vallco (Cupertino Square) and Eastridge, before and after the remodel.

A third Saturday tradition
We settled on the third Saturday in December for a couple of reasons. One, the first two were taken! The annual San Jose Christmas TubaFest was always on the first, and, for a short time, there was also a San Jose Horn Christmas on the second Saturday. Over the years, I also saw that many of our players were college students returning home for the holidays. By that third Saturday, most were home, and that gave us more available players.

In 1997, we topped 100 players (119 to be exact). 2003 was the first year we topped 200 players. In 2005, we had 224 players for our Saxmas - that has been our high point so far. (Quite a difference from our first year of 28!) How much larger we get will depend on how interesting and fun we can make each event.

Furthest traveled?
We have had a gentleman travel from Seattle for the past few years, and Jay Easton (professional Saxophonist/Reed Player) came from both the San Diego and then from the Seattle area, bringing his Contrabass and his Tubax. One of his former students has traveled up from San Diego (also with a Contra and Tubax). For a few years, Shelley would come in from Kansas. The furthest has to be another former student who came from Connecticut.

Dave Flatt, the man who helped me to get this whole thing started, played the first year, then moved his family to Texas to begin a career in writing music for electronic games. I thought it was funny that he pushed for me to get this thing running, then left me to continue the fight. I have since lost contact with him. I hope that some day he reads this and comes back to see what he helped start. If you are a player, you have seen the copyright note at the bottom of the music where I acknowledge Dave and his efforts with the tip to “B & F Publications” - for “Bernd & Flatt”.

The Music of Saxophone Christmas
We now have upwards of 30 arrangements for San Jose Saxophone Christmas, several of which are medleys. Music-wise, it has been interesting scoring for that many players. I abandoned the standard ‘SATB’ voicing years ago, and have added many other parts - with so many voices, we can really fill out a chord. Now, it is more like ‘SSAAATTBB’, with added parts for Sopranino, C Soprano, F Mezzo, C Melody and Bass. We have also had Saxellos, Sarusaphone, Contrabasses and Tubaxes, but they have played parts from the above listing - no special parts provided. I have tried to add at least two new selections each year, and rotate tunes in and out from previous years so that each year we play a different set of songs.

T-shirts
A big part of the San Jose Saxophone Christmas tradition is the t-shirts. Each year we have a different t-shirt for the event. Over the years, our designs have included elves, Christmas trees, snowmen, Santa, angels, stockings, and more. Of course — each has included a saxophone! The shirts give our performances a unified and festive look, especially with the holiday hats many players add. We hope to have a gallery of our t-shirts up on the website soon.

Come join us!
San Jose Saxophone Christmas has become an important holiday tradition for many musicians and their families. Make it part of yours — come join us!