Introduction I have been taking lessons from saxophonist Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, in which we have discussed a topic called “Approach Notes and Enclosures”. Chad informed me that this concept has helped many of his students move away from just playing scales over chords or “button pushing” and has helped students develop lines that sound more like [read more…]
(Originally titled, “The Sound, The Trane, and All The Rest”) I’d played a Selmer Paris Mark VI tenor since 1975, when my teacher and I hand selected it from among a half-dozen other examples at the legendary Charles Ponte Music on New York City’s 48th Street. I’d performed and recorded with it on the Jersey [read more…]
Vandoren V21 Saxophone Reeds Introduction I have played on almost every type of Vandoren reed on the market today except for the V12’s. Currently, the Vandoren Java Red box 2.5 has become my favorite cut as mentioned in my Vandoren Product Overview(Vandoren Product Review). Since Vandoren has released the V21 reeds for alto and tenor saxophone, I [read more…]
Forestone’s Hinoki Reeds and Mouthpiece Patches Introduction Forestone continues to research, develop, and improve upon their existing product line. Recently, Forestone introduced a new synthetic reed called “Hinoki”. The Forestone “Hinoki”reed is a jazz cut hybrid that unlike the black bamboo model, comes in an ivory color that more resembles traditional cane. Forestone was nice [read more…]
Introduction I have been playing on an old Slant link for quite some time and have tried various manufacturers versions of an old slant link or early Babbitt mouthpiece to find one that played the same or better than mine. With Theo Wanne’s various mouthpiece models to meet every player’s needs, I was excited to [read more…]
Sax Dakota Straight Tenor and Alto Saxophone Introduction Over the past few years at NAMM, I have seen many saxophonists test play the Sax Dakota Straight tenor and alto saxophone. Due to their popularity at the show, I never had a chance to sit down and test play both saxophones. Recently Peter LaPlaca, owner of [read more…]
Biography The gifted, versatile saxophonist/clarinetist/composer John Ellis occupies an imaginary (and extremely imaginative) space directly between the celebratory, welcoming spirit of New Orleans and the edgy, frantic streets of New York City. Both as the leader of his own eclectic projects and as an in-demand sideman for a mind-boggling number and variety of artists, Ellis [read more…]
KB Sax Handcrafted Saxophone Necks Introduction I visited Kim Bock’s shop a few years ago to try out various vintage Selmer and TM custom saxophones as well as gain a better understanding of his repair work since more and more players were going to Kim to have their saxophones overhauled and setup. Recently, Kim has [read more…]
One of the most bewildering things for people learning to improvise can be how to add chromatic notes into their playing. We often learn chords and scales, but simply knowing them doesn’t make us able to play the colorful and interesting notes that make up the solos of so many of the greats, as well [read more…]
Bravo Reeds Introduction With the various limitations that traditional cane reeds present to saxophonists such as warping, consistency, and longevity. There are more and more manufacturers coming to the market with synthetic alternatives to address these issues. I have tried various synthetic reeds from Legere, Bari, Fiberreed, Forestone, Fibracell, and although I still prefer traditional [read more…]
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