Sax-O-Fun Belgium presented the highest-level performance of the Belgium "Saxophone Quartet" to Zhongshan citizens on the evening of July 15. [Photo by Sun Junjun]

In 1845, Belgian born Adolphe Sax applied for the invention patent on "saxophone", which makes Belgium the "hometown" of saxophones. On the evening of July 16, Belgian music ambassador, the Sax-O-Fun Belgium band, held a special concert in Zhongshan, presenting the charm of the saxophone.

Founded in 1994, Sax-O-Fun Belgium consists of players from the Belgian professional orchestra and teachers from music schools. Alex Steurs, founder of the band and baritone sax player, is the descendant of Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone. That night, he invited his Chinese old friend Lu Ming, also Head of Jiangsu Oriental Wind Orchestra, to deliver a speech on the culture and stories behind the set list.

The musicians performed many jazz-style works that night. From Hugo Kannen's "Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home" to Nick La Rocca's "Tiger Ragtime", all of such cheerful melodies moved the audience to sway along the syncopation.

The classical music played with saxophone was also fascinating. The players' remarkable skills can be seen from the skillful Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka by Johann Strauss and Laughing Sax by Edward Balor who made weird laughter sounds with Soprano.

When Chinese musical works like White Hair Women Selection and A Step Higher were played by saxophone, the audience was surprised. "These are special performances for this tour. It is not difficult to play Chinese music with saxophone, however understanding their culture and expressing their charm is challenging," said Alex in his forth tour in China.

"The saxophone is developing rapidly in China. Besides, the arrival of Sax-O-Fun Belgium advanced the cultural exchange of saxophone music between China and the West, and enhanced the level of saxophone performances in China," said Lu Ming.