He didn't just play this song, he WROTE this song. This man is freaking amazing on the sax. Blows my mind everytime I watch him play. R.I.P. Boots Randolph.
Co-wrote with James Q Rich. His inspiration for Yakety Sax was the saxophone playing by King Curtis on the Coaster's 1958 song, Yakety Yak. Yakety Sax quotes two bars each of Entrance of the Gladiators and The Girl I Left Behind Me
People don't realize how hard this music is to play. Boots Randolph said that every time he had to play it, it almost killed him, due to the effort it took
+Rodrigo Goncalves Especially that glissando... He plays it on the sax like he plays the trombone for goodness sake. I am a tenor sax player myself, so I can say how difficult it is from the first hand.
I've been playing tenor sax for about nine years (senior in high school) and I can play the main lick pretty comfortably, probably with some grace notes omitted here and there, but I think it captures the essence pretty well. Playing the whole thing (the middle verses are the hard part) with the accuracy and dynamics that he does is what's freaking impossible.
I think he's forcing the tempo a little bit here, almost like he's trying to get it over and done with as fast as he can. The version on the Benny Hill show is a little slower and nicer imo.
As a young teenager, I learned to play "Yakety Sax" the way Boots did. It is deceptively difficult and it took me years to perfect There are small idiosyncrasies there that most players miss. I was fortunate to get to meet him, Chet Atkins and Floyd Cramer when they were in concert in the VA area where I lived. I got invited to his nightclub on Printers Alley in Nashville to play with him and it was a dream come true for me. Later in life, I learned that Boots had been a very well respected saxophonist in the jazz style. He was a fantastic jazz player and if you want to hear some of that, go listen to "Take Me Out To The Ballgame", which he performed on his final album. A really fine gentleman and great musician---Boots Randolph was my hero!!!
"it took me years to perfect" But you DID it. And that in my opinion is what makes a true artist someone who burns for the craft. Those who are willing to put however many years it takes to master their craft into it and doesn´t give up half way because its just too difficult and they don´t have the time or patientce to just sit down and keep practicing and practicing and PRACTICING, until they get to where they want to be.
If you're an amateur bass player of a certain age (like myself), your Holy Grail is Stanley Clarkes 'School Days', but Yakety Sax should be a Holy Grail of anyone who loves playing any instrument (as a hobby) - make the effort (I'm trying it on the keyboard now - it hurts!). FUN!
I need this played at my funeral when they are wheeling my casket out of the church. Extra points if one of the pallbearer's pants falls down mid walk.
Your corpse slides out of the coffin, tumbling over the guests. An old woman screams as your head falls between her breasts, slaps you into a stand. The pall-bearers then try to bring you back into the coffin, but the pall-bearer whose pants are still down trips and you flip over the procession into someone ELSE'S open grave. The grave digger, pissed, throws you out and the pall-bearers catch you but are bowled over again. They try to hoist you, but grab you wrongly and you're upside down and dangling from your pants, to everyone's shock. Some helpful fellows rush over with the coffin and try to fit you back inside, and things look like they're going back to normal ... only for the bottom to give way and your corpse falls through the coffin as the pall-bearers march away, proud and ignorant.
"The song that makes everything funny no matter what the topic." Extremely challenging sheet music piece for a tenor saxophone. Amazing breath control.
Knowing next to nothing about playing music, this sounds anything but simple to me! The sax all by itself is doing so much that it sounds like multiple pieces playing together, and then the back-up brasses come in to make it even wilder. I'm picturing Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins when he's performing music in the street with all those different instruments attached to him and rigged up to play as he moves his body parts. Or watching Beck play the guitar and harmonica simultaneously, between singing or cracking jokes. It's impressive multi-tasking. People only think this is a simple or silly bit of music because it's linked so tightly with Benny Hill shenanigans. As viewers they are also mostly unaware of how demanding physical comedy is too.
I fondly remember my beloved mother crying tears of joy as he played this Live at a county fair in Phoenix Arizona in 1972 or 73. This one goes out to you, Mom. I love you, and I miss you.
Next day at school: LH has an ... incident in school because Roz wouldn't permit him to hang out with H the previous night. Nailed one of his classmates in the head with a book. Down at the office. A huge ruckus. Chairs being thrown around. Chris Chris. Chris. Settle down. Bugged out eyes. It looks like they're going to have to send Chris away for ... a while. Cali's mind: tea time at 25 gossip with Barbie doll, snow white, little mermaid, and her GI H doll she stole
This has been used so much in comedy that I feel it is under appreciated. This is an absolutely slamming performance. Uses lots of tricks and techniques unique to the saxophone. It must be a massive challenge to play. Truly this deserves more respect than it gets.
I played tenor saxophone. Omg this piece is insanely difficult to play. 😂 Three bars in I gave up, I'm pretty sure this man had the mammalian diving reflex. I would not be surprised if he could hold his breath under water for ten minutes. He has to have dolphin or otter DNA or something. 😂
When I did my senior jazz tenor recital, I played my songs that I had passed my recital juries with (couple Trane, Shorter, Mingus, and Brubeck pieces), bowed, started my final piece, a surprise Yakety Sax. My sax professor was on the floor laughing.
I am his daughter, Linda, and yes, he had huge lungs. He had to take 2 xrays to see his lungs effectively. Upper lungs and lower lungs. Doctors were always amazed when he had xrays.
@@lindaoneal9139 You can see that by the size of his chest, I reckon he would be able to swim underwater for a week! Fantastic bit of music though, could listen all day, but it tires me out!
Stop dairy and cereals products, even peas, if the first two are not enough after a month. Onion soup are great to help for the glu to get out. Take care.
I know the tune very well but was not aware who played it; Boots is an amazing player. I am looking for some footage of Red Prysock playing tenor, I have some of his albums. He is more R&B, not as fast/manic as this, but had a great powerful tone. See Charleston Twist on here.
michael T Boots Randolph was a very famous session sax player hired by Chet Atkins for RCA , He can be heard on a lot of Elvis songs and of course Brenda Lee Rocking around the Christmas Tree .
Boots recorded for Monument Records which my Uncle Fred Foster owned. I worked for my uncle a while in 1965 at his studio and had a chance to talk with Boots many times. He was a very humble talented guy. One of the finest people I ever had the pleasure of knowing. I am sure Boots is featured in the Heavenly Choir now.
That’s fascinating! I grew up with Boots’s Christmas album, “Boots and Stockings”. It was the only instrumental album we owned that I liked and would play on my own little turntable. Years later, I wanted to find the magic of that music again, but I never really learned the name of the artist or the album when I was playing the record as a child. But I remembered the *label*. I sat down and drew a picture of it, and then hunted the internet until I found them -the pink and yellow slim triangles of the label-Monument Records! From there I was able to figure out it was Boots and Stockings. I shared the findings with my mother, and we bought the album off of eBay. So good to have this music back in our lives again! Viva la Monument Records ❤
I saw him in concert once in the early 90's and man could he still rip it up on this song, played it just like he did on this video. One of the best sax players there ever was.
Yeah. I'm British and my mother bloody HATES Benny Hill. I thought this would really get a reaction. We settled on "Lucy and Linus" (the classic Peanuts theme)... and we threw Jolly Ranchers at everyone in the cathedral before they threw rice at us. Brilliant fun.
Its funny cause this song is supposed to be like a serious exhibition of expert playing by a saxaphone master but Benny Hill took it and used it for his show and now everyone thinks of it as just some zainy theme song to an old comedy TV show.
Why can't it be BOTH as everything is perceived differently by everyone? Let's just enjoy it for whatever it is and yet I can appreciate it from BOTH SIDES.. hence the reason I said both.
Suddenly, I’m 8 years old again and laying in front of the TV, washed and dressed and Yackety Sax meant 3 things, The Benny Hill show was about to end, it was 8:30pm and it was my bedtime! The 1970’s Happy days!
I played this song for my Dad. He was a real fan of this song, and he played that Boots Randolph 8 track tape in his 2 year old 1967 Lincoln headed south to Lake Seminole which was often. Both my mother and father are passed on and I miss them both. This ones for you Dad !!
God bless benny hill, boots Randolph and Alex Lester, bbc radio.....Alex made my night, I was working night shift driving trucks and Alex had a sax solo segment on his 2 am show, was driving near Milton Keynes, 15 years ago .....and it made my night. Slap my top. Sad end to such a good man ,benny hill.
When I first heard this on Benny Hill so many years ago I laughed and thought country music on English tv. And of course when hearing Boots wail out this number i had to think of Benny. Salute to two masters in their respective fields. Miss you both.
I hadn't heard this masterpiece before the Benny Hill show made it known worldwide. I found this music so wonderful that I've searched for the original version since years and voila, I have just found it. Excellent performance Mr. Boots Randolph!
So late Saturday night I'm at the Elks Lodge and I put this song on the jukebox. Maybe 20 people are in there, everyone looks up and someones yells out "Benny Hill Theme." The BEST part was when one of the elderly barmaids gets up and dances with the elderly hall manager right in front of everybody, just having a good ole' time! I will never forget that!
I told my dad today who is 83 name a musician you really like he told me boots Randolph I'd never heard of him before he is on my list as one of my favorite musicians of all time
I saw Boots Randolph along with Chet Akins and Floyd Cramer also with the Nashville Brass at the Atlanta Civic Center in 1970 or 71. I was 10 years old at the time and I liked Boots. Even today I still play his CD and he was just amazing. I still remember that concert even tho I'm in my 60's now. Oh what memories with Mom and Dad at that time. Wish I could do again. May they all Rest in Peace.
Brilliant; and it takes me back to my youth; his 1963 performance, which hit "the charts" was during my university years. But I have also listened again to his 1963 performance in immediate succession to this. Although I can see the temptation in a long performing career to "up" the tempo, I am not convinced that it actually adds to the music, and it possibly does the reverse. But in my own field, as a classically trained church organist, I find that I am sometimes tempted by the same impulse!
This is next level, virtuoso stuff. Such a shame that people remember it from the Benny Hill show, but don't know it was written and played by Boots Randolph. A joy to watch.
King of Sax. My husband plays Yakety Sax on his sax. We heard BOOTS in concert once in Grand Rapids, Mi. (De Vos Hall). A memorable & once in a lifetime experience. K Bergman
If anyone is here in 2021 watching. Your a legend. Cause this song became a funny song when famous or no famous RU-vidrs would use it for their videos.
OH MY GOOOD THIS MELODY JUST MAKE ME SMILE REMEBERING THE GREAT BENNY HILL!!!! NOTHWITHSTANDING THAT I´M MEXICAN, HIS HUMOR TRAVEED ACROSS ALL THE BORDERS! THAN YOU BENNY HILL FOR ALL THE SMILES THAT YOU GAVE US!!!! A LOT OF ANGELS MUST BE SMILING UP THERE!!!! HAHAHAH
Amazing. Legit amazing. I've always adored this song but never saw a live performance of it by the master himself. Watching this is like watching the Dueling Banjos scene in Deliverance for the first time.
What a great rendition of a fantastic self composed delivery of the original music. Benny Hill robbed it for his show , but Boots Randolph was the unmistakable original, Thanks for posting .
This never gets old. Boots didn't care to talk about this song because it took so much out of him to play but yet he kept increasing the tempo over the years (I think he was trying to challenge himself)and the song made him some bank thanks to Benny Hill so he probably liked it a little more than he let on :-) Some performers are "elite" level talents and he was surely one.
Eu adoraria ter conhecido ele antes, que músico fantástico, o som dele é agradável e incomparável, que bom ter esta referência, Dear Zernebock, thank you for your video, it's the best!! Best regards, Wilson-Brazil
Beautiful. All I can think about when listening this is all the skill and effort that must have went into creating this wonderful piece. Well, that and tig 'ol bitties.
Several years ago when I lived down south a neighbor's golden retrievers got loose and attacked another neighbors chickens. Suddenly I hear all hell breaking loose and see the chickens running down the street for dear life followed by the golden retrievers. And a group of people were chasing after the dogs trying to protect the poor birds. Now every time I hear this I think of that bizarre chase.
I think of my cousin repeatedly failing to throw a spacer block to my uncle. His younger brother started whistling the circus theme around throw 3 or 4, but Yakety Sax would have been even funnier. Good laughs
