I’m writing this list at a coffee shop in Des Moines, IA before my forty fifth show on a 44-day tour. In the last 44 days I had the pleasure of playing in multiple cities in WI, MI, MN, ND, SD, WY, MT, ID, UT, WA, BC, OR, CA, AZ, TX, Mexico, NM, CO, NE [read more…]
Introduction At the 2019 NAMM Show, I was able to meet up with Jeff Ellwood, who is a saxophone player and teacher based out of Southern California. I have been following Jeff’s playing for quite some time as well practicing his educational materials, which are very good for players at all levels. For those of [read more…]
I’d like to dig into two concepts to help give you something that you can try out for yourself, today. The first idea is great for beginner/intermediate players, the second is a more advanced idea. Let’s look at the beginning 8 measures of the etude on All The Things You Are (Bb version): Take a [read more…]
Introduction At the 2019 NAMM Show, I stopped by the DANSR booth and had the opportunity to briefly try the Vandoren M/O Pink Gold (some call it Rose Gold) ligature. Recently, Michael Fenoglio, Vandoren Brand Manager, was nice enough to send me a Vandoren M/O Pink Gold ligature for tenor saxophone. I will be comparing [read more…]
Anyhow who’s subscribed to the Best. Saxophone. Website. Ever. newsletter or follows the site on social media knows that I’ve just released a new course by sax legend, David Liebman titled The Ultimate Guide to Saxophone Sound Production. In a nutshell, it’s the culmination of his entire life’s work teaching the art of saxophone sound [read more…]
Biography As a saxophonist, composer and teacher, native New Yorker Sam Dillon has established himself as one of the most in demand musicians of his generation. Currently, Sam maintains a very active performance schedule as both a bandleader and member of The Jimmy Heath Big Band, The Slide Hampton Octet, The Mingus Big Band, The [read more…]
Introduction For those of you who don’t already know Matt Marantz, Matt is not just a great saxophone player, but over time has become one of the go-to guys for refacing mouthpieces. Since I have known Matt and have been able to check out his line of mouthpieces, I understand why his services have become [read more…]
Introduction When I decided to put out an interview with someone who could serve as an authority for saxophonists navigating today’s music business, I knew that the great Steve Kortyka was the guy I wanted to talk to. For those of you who do not already know Steve, here are some quick highlights to get [read more…]
Probably like most people, the thing that drew me to the saxophone was it’s sound. Initially, Coleman Hawkins on a 1950s French film sound track, then later countless other players. Early in my playing career it struck me that if you make a great sound then you don’t actually have to play that much; one [read more…]
There’s no good improviser in any style of music who hasn’t spent time mastering their pentatonic scales. The question, as always, is how do we master them and make them work for our own playing? The Pentatonic Pitfall Many beginning improvisers immediately start working with basic patterns and simply aim to rip through them as [read more…]
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