What is Ibiza Sax?

When potential clients get in contact for a wedding, party or corporate event they know that they want a saxophonist to play for them and their guests, elevating their party experience. However, what they might not be sure about is what they that saxophone player to perform for them.

The wonderful thing about sax is that it is hugely versatile. Smooth jazz comes just as naturally as screaming funk, beautiful ballads just as enjoyable as high energy dance tunes. This is great but can lead to the problem of having too much choice.

I often get clients requesting Ibiza sax which can mean a variety of things. It was originally coined by players in Ibiza such as ‘Lovely Laura’ who would jam along to dance and house tunes, improvising solos during instrumental sections of tunes and often playing along or harmonising with the melody or vocals. As well as sounding good, saxophones are quite striking visually and a lot of players use shiny or sequinned clothing to emphasise the showmanship element of their performance making your sax player a real focal point of the party.

A massive part of what made the Ibiza sax style memorable to people is the interactive element. Traditionally a saxophone player would sit or stand in the corner and maybe read from scores but the Ibiza sax really encouraged the roaming saxophonist craze where the performer walks around improvising to the tunes, allowing your guests to see them perform up close. This flexibility lets the sax player really engage with the dance floor and brings extra energy to the party!

I often ask clients to send me a few of their preferred tracks and then extrapolate what would be best for the set from there. If clients are keen for dancing then there are certain tunes that go down well with everyone (Freed From Desire by Gala, Ain’t Nobody by Chaka Khan and I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston etc.) that nearly always make it into the set.

If you’re after a relaxed vibe you might want the performance to be more background music with an Ibiza twist. In that case I have a list of well-known tunes such as Watermelon Sugar, Go Your Own Way, Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You etc. played in a novel Bossa-Nova style but with a house music twist.

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Nick Pike Saxophone

A talented and versatile saxophonist, Nick plays iconic pop, funk and soul songs reworked with his unique touch. Nick Pike Saxophone is available throughout London, Essex, Surrey, Hampshire, Sussex, Kent and Berkshire. Book now >