After over 20 years of using the “El Cheapo” LaVoz/Rico Reedgard which retails for $4.49 for the tenor version, I decided it was time to store my reeds like a big boy. So I went out to my friendly local music store, Baxter Northup and picked up a shiny new Rico Multi-Instrument Reed Vitalizer Case which retails [read more…]
Touted by Phil Woods as “one of the greatest alto players ever,” it’s no coincidence that Jon Gordon has been steadily building his reputation as one of the baddest of the bad on his axe. And it’s hard to avoid virtuosity when you’re sharing the stage and studio with folks like Kenny Barron, Tony Bennett, Dave [read more…]
This past weekend I got to interview none other than the musical genius swiss army knife known as Bob Mintzer. I know, totally awesome and amazing, right? One thing he said during the interview really stuck out to me was this: To play in a contemporary way, you really must have the depth of having studied the players that [read more…]
How many accomplished professional animators can say that they’ve also played alto with some of jazz’s greatest musicians? That’s right, none – until now. Well, actually, Allen Mezquida has been doing his thing for quite a while. Besides being a masterful alto player, Allen has also animated for Disney, Warner Brothers, and Sony. Heck, he’s even [read more…]
From time to time, I like to feature a company that’s doing something particularly interesting for us saxfolk. In this interview with RS Berkeley founder Les Silver, we take an in-depth look at not only the company’s history and latest products, but also into the subject of working with, and carrying on the legacies of some of [read more…]
There’s a lot to be said for sitting up straight and walking tall. Indeed, there’s something about proper posture that exudes health and confidence. Hell, a good posture will even make you look thinner (not that any of us need to look thinner, of course, just sayin’). For us who play a wind instrument, the [read more…]
Blazin’ saxman Steve Neff recently hipped me to a very cool YouTube video in which a very interesting concept was introduced to me. In the video, it was suggested that you could improve the quality of your tone by pushing in your mouthpiece to the point where your horn is a quarter-step sharp and then [read more…]
If your aim is to underscore the sound of a cool cat puttin’ on the moves circa 1958, you’re probably going to want to learn to flutter tongue. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, flutter tonguing is basically a sound effect, or dare I say, gimmick used by saxophone [read more…]
I won’t waste all of your time trying to introduce Sonny Rollins to you, since you already more than familiar with the music and the man. And if you aren’t…wow… But seriously, it’s no secret that Sonny’s name belongs in the same sentence with John Coltrane, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, and any one of the [read more…]
This week’s podcast is a very special event here at Best. Saxophone. Website. Ever. as we interview saxophone giant David Liebman. A Brief History Having been featured on nearly three hundred and fifty recordings as both a leader and a sideman, living saxophone legend David Liebman is one of the most influential voices on his [read more…]
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