Saxophone by the Sea

Author: Cheng Nai Shan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Until the Cultural Revolution began and the family was searched, my father had preserved a large number of black vinyl records of the classic jazz and pop songs from the 1920s and 1930s by the Victor Company: "Silent Lake," "Autumn Leaves," "Red Cherry," "Tears Fill Your Eyes," and "Rose Life." The rich tone of the saxophone, the main instrument in these songs, would make the glass windows buzz. The recording technology of those days already had such excellent bass effects! In my memory, the nights of Shanghai in the 1950s and 1960s were like this, accompanied by a soft and gentle saxophone melody, with the whole family gathered around the radio, each doing their own things: reading the "Xinmin Evening News," knitting, doing homework, and chatting. Simple yet filled with warmth, I grew up this way, through my childhood and my years of blossoming youth. Until the Cultural Revolution shattered everything! The Shanghai nights in my heart were the "Xinmin Evening News" and the saxophone. Today, that walnut-wood casing, 1948 model, 12-speaker American "Westinghouse" floor-standing turntable is still in perfect condition in my home, but the father who once cherished it and the old records that brought us countless warm nights have turned to ashes! I can never return to that time again! We cherish the past not because the "old" is good or bad, but simply because we are attached to the golden childhood and youthful years we spent together. Here, I dedicate this collection of essays, "Saxophone on the Sea," to my beloved readers. It records some of my thoughts as the night slowly falls and our city begins to hum with the melody of the saxophone. Shanghai is a grand and magnificent symphonic epic, but I have always insisted that without the saxophone, the flavor of this piece would be off-key, and its essence would lose its taste.