Sydney:
Six-year-olds with saxophones hanging past their knees have joined more seasoned professionals, as saxophonists in Australia set a world record by forming the largest ensemble of the jazz instrument in history.
More than 900 sax enthusiasts gathered at Sydney's Cockle Bay wharf on Saturday to belt out "Waltzing Matilda" and "Happy Birthday," in celebration of the opening of the Darling Harbour Jazz and Blues Festival.
According to James Valentine of Australian public broadcaster ABC, a record 940 musicians performed.
Valentine said the performance was "terrific."
"What's fantastic is that the way when you bring together a big group like that, you can do it with singers or brass players or whatever, the overall sound is fantastic, anybody's individual sound, in a way it doesn't matter if you're a great player or a beginner, the overall sound is so good that you'll get carried along with it," Valentine told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
One of the players, 84-year-old Keith Thomas, said he started playing the saxophone early on because he was shy.
"I felt that if I learnt a musical instrument, I'd be more popular with the girls," he said.
The old record was 918 participants, led by conductor Jin-Shin You, at the Taizhong Jazz Festival in Taiwan in 2008.