Dunsborough saxophonist Serge Le Goueff has reignited his passion for performing live and produced a new show which he takes to Margaret River next month.
Le Goueff’s show is 50 per cent music and includes his other joys, stand-up comedy and educating audiences about the mysteries behind the saxophone.
He has spent months refining the act which he first performed at sellout shows during Jazz by the Bay and hopes to take it to the East Coast if it is received well by audiences.
“When people go out now it has to be memorable and my idea of a good night, is a night when I hear good music and have a good laugh,” he said.
“When you are passionate and love what you do, you share it.”
The former WA Performing Arts student started playing the saxophone during his high school years in France, when he decided to become a professional musician as an act of rebellion.
Le Goueff said to be part of the French bourgeoisie children had to play music, and his was basically put in a glass cage every time his family had guests at home.
“I hated it,” he said
“My parents wanted me to play music so it looked like they were part of a certain social status and I realised at 14 years that I was going to use it as my rebellious strike.
“It was only beautiful until the moment you profess to your parents that you were going to be a professional musician, and suddenly it is no longer acceptable, and that is exactly what happened.”
After studying classical music in Paris and later at WAPA, Le Goueff toured Europe playing hundreds of concerts for 15 years until he started a family.
“Being on the road is no longer where you should be when you have five children, when you have a family as big as mine it is very important you are home,” he said.
During his show A Saxophone Journey, the sax takes centre stage and was an instrument which Le Goueff said most people only knew from one or two things about.
“The first being it is a sexy instrument, and the second is people are touched by it but have no idea why.”
He said the saxophone had touched people’s lives since the 1920’s, most notably with the Glenn Miller Orchestra’s song In the mood.
“Everyone on the planet associates this song with the saxophone, then we have the great jazz players and then rock-n-roll which was a massive scene,” he said.
“It is one of those interesting instruments where people can go through their entire lives being nursed with saxophone solos which they can hum, but have no idea where it is coming from.
“The sound again gets people, it is always catching people, the reason the sound catches people is because the saxophone is an instrument which is able to produce a sound, like the cello, so close to the human voice,” he said.
“Without having to sing words the performer has the capability, through only sound, to touch people because it sounds like a voice – you can make it cry – you can make it whisper or play a lullaby.
“That is the secret, which is why people love the saxophone.”