Photo above: Tanglewood Shed with lawn audience, 1960. Below: Album cover photo featuring the New York Saxophone Quartet. Sauter's Saxophone Quartet #1 was one of a seven-composer compilation.
Sauter's last effort for Getz came in the form of the Tanglewood Concerto.
Written over a period of four months before the concert date, Sauter's effort was just one of six pieces scored for Stan Getz for the famous, annual Tanglewood Festival in Lennox, Massachusetts. Along with Sauter, Alec Wilder, David Raksin, and Manny Albam penned works for the tenor saxophonist that were performed with the accompaniment of the Boston Pops under the direction of Arthur Fiedler on August 3, 1966.
The outdoor performance of Tanglewood Concerto was Eddie Sauter's largest full-orchestra composition. Consisting of two movements and lasting fifteen-and-a-half minutes, the piece reflects much more of the composer's classical training than his experiences writing for big bands. The piece seems to stick to straight time without any divergence into a swing time feel. It may be for this reason that Getz, much to Sauter's chagrin, adhered strictly to what the composer had written as a simple guide during the solo.
As Sauter reflected on the performance he felt that, "It's good for what it might have been, but not for jazz." The composer did not get to have a say in the rehearsal unless Fiedler had a question to ask, and there is little chance that Getz was able to take much of a look at the part ahead of time, especially because he had three other original pieces to work on for the same concert. The attendance for the concert was a record-breaking fifteen thousand people.
Tanglewood Concerto was hailed as ambitious but never taken up by the saxophonist again. Sauter devoted little time to discussion of the work in interviews later in life.
Stan Getz & Arthur Fiedler At Tanglewood. (RCA Victor Red Seal – LSC-2925)
In 1963, when Hershy Kay turned down the opportunity to arrange Christmas music for an album featuring Leonard Bernstein, the NY Philharmonic, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, he recommended Sauter who jumped at the idea. He concentrated on the instrumental writing while Robert de Cormier took care of the vocal arrangements. Sauter arranged seven pieces, including an instrumental version of "Carol of the Bells."
Sauter recalled the massive amount of echo that took place in the Salt Lake Tabernacle hall. The only thing the orchestra could do to try to stay together was to follow Bernstein's baton with extreme attention to detail. Sauter was pleased with the finished product despite the nightmares associated with the recording process. (SONY Classical SFK 63303)
Back in 1961, Sauter had been commissioned by the New York Saxophone Quartet, featuring former Sauter-Finegan reed specialist Wally Kane on baritone saxophone, to write a piece the ensemble and tuba. Entitled Piece for Tuba and Saxophone Quartet, the four-movement piece featured tuba player Harvey Phillips, another Sauter-Finegan alumnus. Sauter's work is included on the album Breathing Lessons: Music for Saxophone Quartet with Scott Mendoker on tuba and the New Hudson Saxophone Quartet. (Naxos Catalogue No: 8559627 Aug 2011)
Almost twenty years later, Kane again requested that his old bandleader provide the quartet with a composition. Sauter's produced Saxophone Quartet No. 1, otherwise known as "Q.T." in 1977. "Q.T." was a loosely tonal gift for the New York Saxophone Quartet complete with complex counterpoint. The New York Saxophone Quartet recorded "Q.T." in March of 1980. The work has since been recorded by the Ensemble Accanto (CounterPoise Hatnow/Hat[now]Art HATN136 2000).
Recommended: Listen on headphones or external speakers.
Leonard Bernstein, Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The Joy of Christmas – 1963
"The Twelfth Night Song"
"The Twelve Days of Christmas"
New York Saxophone Quartet March 1980 From left: Wally Kane, baritone sax; Ray Beckenstein, soprano sax; Dennis Anderson, alto sax; Billy Kerr, tenor sax.
New York Saxophone Quartet – 1977
"Saxophone Quartet #1 – Q.T."
"...a fascinating and lyrical quartet..." — "Blue" Gene Tyranny on Saxophone Quartet #1 for allmusic.com.
Tanglewood lawn photo: Heinz Weissenstein, photographer (Whitestone Photo) from BSO Archive.