GEORGE Sax grew up in Johannesburg South. Part of a big Greek family, he lived with his grandmother in Robertsham. He attended primary school in Robertsham and completed high school at Mondeor High.
From an early age, George attended piano lessons.
At school, he also tried his hand in violin, but after finding he had no passion for the instrument he picked up the saxophone.
“They gave me a box and the sun was shining through the window at the school’s music centre, and, as I opened the box, a golden light reflected off the saxophone and I just reached out and grabbed it,” George said.
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A music teacher at the school showed George how to assemble the instrument and from there on he taught himself.
After finishing high school, George enrolled and completed a Fine Arts degree at the University of the Witwatersrand, majoring in art history and sculpture.
To pay for his studies, he worked as a barman at a jazz club.
This exposed George to the world of jazz, where he met some of the greatest and famous jazz musicians.
After about a year of working at the bar, he managed to save enough money to buy his first saxophone.
Saxing it up globally
George fell in love with a French girl and followed her to Europe, ending up in Amsterdam.
He played his saxophone to survive and experienced sessions with musicians from all over the world and from across different genres.
During this time, he decided he wanted to be a full-time musician. After seven months, George returned to South Africa.
He sees himself as a Springbok artist who represents his country wherever he goes.
He has been performing abroad, with Tanzania being his 24th country in the last eight years.
Making a living doing what you love is a great privilege, one that George certainly enjoys.
“You feel successful when you do what you love,” George added.
“I’m always reaching for new heights.”
His current goal is to write a series of international hits to fund the George Sax Foundation. The foundation will train children to work in aspects of the industry including technicians, coordinators, artists, performers and writers.
“The trick is not to forget your fundamental roots. I like coming home and play shows for orphans, without all the glamour and the flashing lights.”
When watching him play, he makes it looks fluent and relaxed, but it’s not as easy as it seems.
“It’s never easy, but that’s the thrilling part, saxophone is a difficult instrument, the challenge is what makes it exciting. It’s constant growth,” he said.
All thing sax
Image by Tamarac Park Searlle.
George runs two record labels Trip Hop Tuesday (THT) Music, for chill-out and acid jazz and George Sax Records, for commercial dance music.
He also runs an entertainment company called George Sax Entertainment.
Recently, George broke his first world record when he played saxophone during a free fall at 290km an hour.
He is working on breaking a second world record, but keeping it a secret for now.
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At the moment, George is working on a bunch of new releases, with high-profile artists, such as DJ Mark Stent and African celebrity artist Puli Rampoana (Pulani), and he is collaborating with vocalist Si Anne, who is a pop singer.
Next year, he plans to play at festivals all over Africa.
George is home for the summer to play for his local fans. “I’m very happy right now. I love South Africa and I love Johannesburg South, this is my home,” he added.
To catch him live, follow him on:
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/george.sax/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf63gby3UGWgQEC-2DvIVDw
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/george-sax-saxmachine
Listen to George’s radio show Sax in the City live on Muthafm.com every Thursday from 12pm to 3pm.
Image: David Lazarus.
