Saxophone Day is unofficially celebrated each year on November 6th. Just how was the day November 6th decided? Well, it is the birthday of the inventor of the saxophone – Adolphe Sax. The “sax” was invented in 1846 in Paris, France. However, Adolphe was born in Belgium.

Enjoy my list of saxophone wedding songs by great saxophonists.

Saxophones are a reed instrument in the woodwind family. Reed instruments produce sound by forcing air into a mouthpiece which then causes a reed, or reeds, to vibrate.

We want to celebrate Saxophone Day with a list of some of the great saxophonists to play at weddings. Songs with a sax incorporated are typically categorized as Jazz or Blues.

Jazz music does not have to be playing only in the background but is also a good choice during cocktail hour and dinner. If you want to have music with a saxophone but want to focus your music on the celebration, then select more uptempo songs.

Greatest Saxophone Songs for Weddings

1. John Coltrane

Lived 1926-1967. Ballads is a great album of slow love songs for setting a classy and formal mood. A Love Supreme is another great album.

Popular songs include:

In A Sentimental Mood
My Little Brown Book
My One And Only Love
Blue Train
My Favorite Things

2. Sonny Rollins

Born in 1930. Saxophone Colossus is considered one of the greatest Jazz albums of all time. Sonny is joined on this album by drummer Max Roach, pianist Tommy Flanagan, and bassist Doug Watkins.

Popular songs include:

God Bless the Child
On The Sunny Side Of The Street
St. Thomas
He’s Younger Than You Are
In A Sentimental Mood

3. Grover Washington Jr.

Lived 1943-1999. The album Winelight is one of the greatest smooth Jazz albums. It also features the song, “Just The Two Of Us”, with the vocals of Bill Withers.

Popular songs include:

Just The Two Of Us
Mister Magic
Winelight
Let It Flow (For “Dr. J”)
Soulful Strut

4. Charlie Parker

Lived 1920-1955. We selected an album of his greatest hits as assembled by Century Masters – The Best Of Charlie Parker 20th Century Masters The Millennium Collection. The album also features the great Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie.

Popular songs include:

All The Things You Are
Summertime
Scrapple From The Apple
Donna Lee
April In Paris

5. Coleman Hawkins

Lived 1904-1969. We selected the album The Genius Of Coleman Hawkins. We love this album for a more uptempo mood. The songs will keep a more lively atmosphere but still be awesome for Jazz lovers.

Popular songs include:

Body And Soul
Rosita
Out Of Nowhere
You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To
It Never Entered My Mind

6. Wayne Shorter

Lived 1933-2023. Speak No Evil is one of the more notable Jazz albums from Blue Note Records in the 1960s. The music combines elements of hard bop and modal jazz.

Popular songs include:

Infant Eyes
Footprints
Virgo
Ponta de Areia
Speak No Evil

7. Kenny G

Born in 1956. Kenny is not considered a Jazz artist by Jazz purists by considering his music more New Age. His music is not for us to judge. However, the mass appeal and recognizable music of Kenny cannot be overlooked. Be sure to check out the song, “The Wedding Song”.

Popular songs include:

How Could An Angel Break My Heart (with Toni Braxton)
Songbird
Forever In Love
Everytime I Close My Eyes (with Babyface)
The Moment

8. Stan Getz

Lived 1927-1991. Stan plays a tenor saxophone with a string orchestra on the album Focus released in 1962. Focus is a great cool Jazz album and one of Getz’s favorites.

Popular songs include:

The Girl From Ipanema
Corcovado (Quiet Night Of Quiet Stars)
So Danco Samba
A Nightingale Sang In Berkley Square
Para Machuchar Meu Coracao

9. David Sanborn

Born in 1945. David is an American alto saxophonist. David has been an influential genre crossover saxophonist since the 1980s including pop, R&B, and Jazz.

Popular songs include:

Maputo
Since I Fell For You (with Al Jarreau)
Isn’t She Lovely
Rikke
Windmills Of Your Mind (with Randy Crawford)

10. Lester Young

Lived 1909-1959. Lester is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Of note, Lester was a member of Count Basie’s orchestra. Young played with a relaxed, cool tone and used sophisticated harmonies.

Popular songs include: