thumb|Grafton alto saxophone
thumb|Frontal view
thumb|Side view
thumb|Serial number above the front F key
The Grafton saxophone was an injection moulded, cream-coloured acrylic plastic alto saxophone with metal keys, manufactured in London, England by the Grafton company, and later by 'John E. Dallas & Sons Ltd'. Grafton made only altos, owing to the manufacturing challenges presented by larger models (e.g., the tenor) with 1950s plastic technologies. Production commenced in 1950 and ended after approximately ten years. However, a few last examples were assembled from residual parts circa 1967. All tools, machinery, and jigs required to manufacture the Grafton were sold for scrap and subsequently destroyed in 1968.
Design
Designed by Ettore Sommaruga, an Italian living in London, the saxophone was named after "Grafton Way", his address during the early 1950s. The basic saxophone design was patented in late 1945. Creation of the first non-working prototype took place in 1946, and commercial production commenced in 1950. The selling price of the Grafton was £55 i.e. approximately half the cost of a conventional brass saxophone at that time. Contemporary marketing literature described the Grafton as a "Tone poem in ivory and gold". The decision to make it mainly from acrylic glass like perspex was motivated simply because of its much lower cost and ease of production, rather than improvement in tonal qualities.
Inadequacies
The Grafton saxophone, in spite of the fame gained from its use by Charlie Parker and Ornette Coleman, failed to gain acceptance among professional saxophone players due to a variety of reasons.
The acrylic plastic used for the body is brittle, resulting in an extremely fragile instrument. Any component parts made of plastic can easily crack, fracture or snap off during normal use. Not only do Graftons use a non-standard spring mechanism to operate the action, but spare parts are unavailable.
The mechanical action of Graftons has an unusual "spongy" feel to it, without the quick, "snappy", positive feel of other more conventional saxophone actions, which was disconcerting to players.
Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman used to play a Grafton (that he purchased in 1954) originally because it was the cheapest saxophone he could replace his first tenor with after it was broken. In the late fifties and early sixties, Coleman was sometimes known as "the man with the plastic horn". However, Coleman subsequently replaced his Grafton with a white-lacquered Selmer alto instead.
John Dankworth
English jazz composer, saxophonist and clarinetist John Dankworth was an early endorser. The Grafton company provided him with two altos, specially customised to his requirements. During the Festival of Britain in 1951, the "John Dankworth Seven" (with Dankworth playing a Grafton) performed at the newly opened Royal Festival Hall in London.
Ade Monsbourgh
Australian Ade Monsbourgh was given an acrylic alto saxophone by the Grafton Saxophone Company UK, during the Bell Second Tour c. 1951–1952. The multi-instrumentalist is perhaps best known for his work with Graeme Bell's band with which he twice toured Europe and England in the 1940s. These tours had a significant impact, as did Monsbourgh's own playing. Indeed, he was offered a job in the band of English jazz musician Humphrey Lyttelton but turned it down. Back in Australia, he played in Len Barnard's band, became a resident guest musician at the Melbourne Jazz Club and later played and recorded with Neville Stribling in Lazy Ade's Late Hour Boys and Adelaide composer Dave Dallwitz. Writing in The Oxford Companion to Australian Jazz, Bruce Johnson said that Monsbourgh, also known as "The Father" or "Lazy Ade", was "one of the most original and influential jazz musicians Australia has produced". "His distinctive approach, both in terms of timing, harmonic line and, especially on alto, his timbre, is central to what is widely, if controversially regarded as the 'Australian' or 'Melbourne' jazz style." Johnson also said that Monsbourgh has been copied "more productively than any other Australian jazz musician, including by overseas musicians". In 2003, Monsbourgh won the Graeme Bell Career Achievement Award at the inaugural Australian Jazz Awards.
David Bowie
David Bowie asked his father to lend him money to buy himself a saxophone. His father bought him the saxophone but made David agree to pay him back with the money he made from his part-time job. He can be heard discussing this in a BBC interview.
Florian Trübsbach
Since 2011 , Professor at the University for Music and Performing Arts Munich, has played a Grafton alto exclusively.
Legacy
The Grafton saxophone remains a historical curiosity and a footnote to the careers of Charlie Parker and Ornette Coleman among jazz buffs. The Vibratosax represents another attempt to produce a low cost saxophone made of plastic. However, it remains to be seen whether that venture has solved the mechanical and durability issues that plagued the Grafton. Whether or not the various issues surrounding plastic saxophones can be solved with more modern plastics or composites to the satisfaction of players and repair technicians remains a matter of speculation.
External links
- Review of the Grafton alto saxophone
- Detailed account of overhauling a Grafton saxophone
- Additional information regarding the Grafton
- Video of Charlie Parker's Grafton saxophone at Christie's auction house - (played by Peter King)
- Video of Loren Pickford playing a Grafton saxophone
- Video of Gerald Dunn playing a Grafton saxophone
- Video #1 of Grafton saxophone repair process
- Video #2 of Grafton saxophone repair process