Walking around late at night it is hard to ignore the mournful tones of a lone saxophone coming from the green. The first time I heard it I was walking back from a night of studying, and I didn’t think much of it. When I heard the same sax the next night I thought maybe there was a recording coming from someone’s room. When I went on to hear the same dulcet tones almost every night my imagination went in some crazy directions: maybe it was a hideously scarred Phantom of the Opera-like figure, who was wandering the green plotting revenge and mooning over his lost love. Maybe it was the ghost of Dizzy Gillespie, damned to play the saxophone in a New England liberal arts college for all eternity for some reason. So it was with a mixture of disappointment and relief that I tracked down the Sax Man and discovered he was not the restless spirit of an American Jazz legend and had nary a facial scar or jaunty half-mask in sight. Instead I came face-to-face with James O’Connor ‘15, a somewhat soft-spoken but articulate freshman with a passion for music. After sitting down at Cro, we talked about college and music in order to shed some light on this mystery.
Q: How do you like Conn so far?
A: It is really a very welcoming and warm environment and everything is really exceeding my expectations as far as classmates and professors go. Everything is really positive.
Q: When did you start playing the saxophone and what drew you to that instead of any other instrument?
A: I started in fourth grade, and I’ve basically been playing ever since. I almost picked up the trumpet because I was really inspired by my brother, but on the day of [elementary school band] auditions I went with the sax because no one else in my family played it.
Q: Do you ever practice in other places or just on the green?
A: On occasion I practice in my dorm but I didn’t want to do it in the building because I thought it would bother people and I thought the green was a great practice space because most people don’t seem to be bothered by it. I sometimes prefer a different environment altogether than just a dorm or a practice room, although practice rooms are great to practice with a lot of focus. Although, I really like the feeling of the environment and the campus, and I’ve come to like the feeling of the night when everything is totally different. Though I practice during the day at home I like the different spin on my perspective that night gives you.
Q: If other people came out to play with you would you be interested in that? Or are you strictly a lone wolf?
A: I would definitely play with other people. I just came out initially to practice but I definitely would be open to other people, but for me attempts at being musical benefit from a community instead of an individual. Because if you’re playing by yourself you can be inspired by your environment, but there’s something extra and supplementary if you allow for other people [to join you]. It is just a bit more adventurous, and more about sending a message or communicating, so it’s more rewarding to send a collective message with a group of people.
Q: Do you plan on doing something structured with the school like the jazz band?
A: I am in the jazz ensemble here and that’s a lot of fun for me, and one of the reasons I wanted to play saxophone was that I always heard it featured in jazz, and I guess jazz music, for me, is the closest I feel creatively or musically and I guess it’s just fun to play. As far as majoring in it, I don’t think I have time, but if I can minor in it I would do that. I’ve been playing in classical or jazz ensembles since fourth grade and it’s great to be in an ensemble that contributes to each other in a creative or spiritual sense. There’s a lot of great musicians around Conn and its great to play with people who are more experienced or knowledgeable than I am, and I can learn a lot from talking or playing with those people. •
