JoeMc (Curator)

Not too many people would argue with the contention that jazz transformed American music. Before it, there was parlor music, the brass band, and sentimental balladry; afterwards, its brash energy and rawness spawned R&B, swing, rock 'n' roll, and so on. Key to this transformation was the jazz band's stripped-down approach to the blues, led by an instrument that has become so closely identified with the music that its very image can represent it: the saxophone. In a relatively short period of time, the sax became the quintessential jazz instrument, raised to prominence by such skilled practitioners as Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, and Lester Young.

But there was a time, before jazz, when the saxophone was considered little more than a honking novelty horn useful for circuses and comedy acts. It took the work of an unusual little group of saxophone afficionados called the Six Brown Brothers to raise the saxophone up from its comedic origins to a place of respect in the musical community. Listen below to hear one of their records, and read on for their story.

By the 1880s, the saxophone had not exactly caught fire in America. It was available only as an imported instrument from Europe; it wasn't terribly easy to play; no published music existed for it; and most of the performers who were playing it used it only as comedic punctuation, or as an eccentric addition to more traditional brass instruments. A few bands included saxophone sections, including John Philip Sousa's, but for the most part, the saxophone was looked upon as an odd duck of a thing.

However, by the late 1890s, saxophones finally began to be domestically manufactured (often in an easier-to-play version of their European forebears), and more sheet music appeared. A few musicians took up the saxophone and began to play it seriously. It was only a matter of time before one act came along that brought the saxophone to national attention. That act was the Six Brown Brothers.

Tom Brown was born in Ottawa, Canada in 1881, the son of a local bandleader. He was the second son of a large family, most of whom were boys. Tom was a musical kid, playing a clarinet in his father's band before he was even in double digits. Most of his brothers followed suit: William, Alec, Percy, Vern, and Fred all became members of what would come in time to be known as the Six Brown Brothers (they were just two Brown Brothers at first, and later Five). Tom was the group's motor and probably its most gifted musician, and he soon led his brothers south of the border into a performing career.

They started out playing with Ringling Brothers circus, later moved on to minstrel shows, eventually played vaudeville houses as a featured act, and finally made a sensation on Broadway in a number of shows. They picked up something from each step of their career. Most of the group dressed in clown suits picked up during their circus days, while Tom, the leader, often dressed in the blackface make-up common to the minstrel shows. Gradually, the saxophone quartet, which was originally a small feature of their comedic vaudeville show, came to be more and more popular, and by 1914, they put aside other playthings and got serious about the saxophone.

Comedy was definitely a part of what the Six Brown Brothers were about, but by the time they reached the recording studio in 1911, they had also learned to play for real. Two brothers would create a rhythmic bed, and the other brothers would play their parts on top of it in partial ensemble fashion with Tom leading the way on alto sax. After making a few initial recordings with Columbia, the group made a big success in the Broadway show Chin Chin and Victor Records came a-calling. The group made dozens of records for the company between 1914 and 1920. "That Moaning Saxophone Rag" is from their second session for Victor in November of 1914, and although it's a very tame and simple rag compared to the records that would come later, it sets down their trademark sound.

It was a sound that caught on. The Brothers' records sold very well, and they continued to be a big draw in various Broadway shows like Jack O' Lantern, Tip Top, and The Bunch and Judy. Their influence was felt in New Orleans and Chicago, where jazz bands who favored cornets began to bring saxophones into their ensembles. The Brothers also brought their act to England and Australia, where they played to packed houses.

As jazz became more and more popular during the 20s, the somewhat dated style of the Browns brought an end to their recording activities. It didn't kill their performing career, though; various permutations of the group trod the boards until the Great Depression brought an end to everyone's career. But by that time, the Brothers had so popularized the saxophone that a jazz band wouldn't be caught dead without one, and soon swing bands would make them a vital part of big band music. Parker, Young, and the rest of the gang were right around the corner.

Alas, not all pioneers live to see their efforts recognized. After various attempts to keep his show business heart pumping, Tom Brown ended up without savings or health insurance as the night clerk of a hotel on the outskirts of Chicago. He died a few strokes later in 1950, preceded in death by Fred, and followed by his other brothers through the next few years. The last surviving brother, Alec, settled in Irvington, New Jersey and worked for a varnish company. He lived to the ripe old age of 96, passing away in 1978, seemingly at peace with his legacy.

As of now, there is just one collection of the Six Brown Brothers music available on CD: Those Moaning Saxophones on Archeophone Records. For folks interested in delving deeper into their story, the saxophone, and the music business of the early part of the 20th Century, check out the book That Moaning Saxophone: The Six Brown Brothers and the Dawning of a Musical Craze by Bruce Vermazen (Oxford University Press).