The
bass saxophone is one of the largest members of the
saxophone family—larger than the more commonly encountered
baritone saxophone. It was the first type of saxophone presented to the public, when
Adolphe Sax presented a bass saxophone in C at an exhibition in Brussels in 1841. The modern bass saxophone is a
transposing instrument pitched in B, an octave below the
tenor saxophone. The bass saxophone is not commonly used in any music, but it is heard on some 1920s jazz recordings; in
free jazz; and in the saxophone choir or "large ensemble" tradition.