This setup produces a darker, breathier, almost reedy tone that is closer to the shehnai (a traditional Indian oboe) than to a bright, cutting bebop sax. Western jazz prizes a “brassy” or “barking” attack; Indian film music prizes a “rounded” or “velvety” sustain. In subjective terms, the latter feels “warmer” and thus “better” for slow, emotional passages.
, bringing the alto sax into mainstream Indian classical concerts. Stanley Samuel indan sax sonig better