In jazz, the saxophone - or in some cases one of its substitutes, most often the clarinet or flute - occupies the top position in the sheet music. The widespread use of the saxophone in jazz began in the 1920s, though the metal, pipe-shaped, single-reed woodwind instrument was actually created in the mid 19th century. Interestingly, Háry János, Zoltán Kodály's famous Hungarian folk opera, featured a saxophone solo, yet the instrument - despite its exciting new sound - gained in popularity relatively slowly, and is today typically associated with jazz and pop music. In addition to the saxophone, the other key instrument that carries the melody in jazz - from small groups to big bands - is the trumpet, one of the oldest instruments in the world. The trumpet has also been integral to the story of jazz since the very start - it was the instrument of Louis Armstrong, one of the first pre-eminent figures of the genre emerging from New Orleans, has been a virtually permanent fixture in all of the greatest larger jazz groups, and has seen such legendary trumpet players as Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Wynton Marsalis make the mark on the story of the genre.

Age: 8-14 year
Presented by: Müpa Budapest