A few months ago I put out a post titled Viral Saxophone Videos You Can’t Afford to Miss. In a nutshell, the post was basically a roll-call of the funniest saxophone-related online videos I had found to date. One of the videos I featured was the promo for a series of videos entitled Extreme Sax [read more…]
Over the course of his storied career as a sideman, Adam Kolker has worked with the likes of The Village Vanguard Orchestra, the Maria Schneider Big Band, Bruce Barth, Judi Silvano, Kenny Wheeler’s Large Ensemble, Ben Sher, Bobby Previte, Gunther Schuller, and others. On the solo front, his latest album, Reflections has the Grammy-nominated sax [read more…]
1. The differences between the brands is not as big as you might think. One of the first things to consider when purchasing a saxophone reed is which brand to buy. Every saxophone player has their personal favorite, but in terms of sound quality, the differences between the brands are minimal. Personally, I started with Vandoren reeds and [read more…]
So, are you interested in learning how to play the saxophone? Perhaps you’ve been playing for a few years on your own and you’ve decided now is the time to take it to the next level. Or maybe your child is interested in the instrument, but needs more one on one time with an expert [read more…]
One listen to masterful altoist and Selmer Artist Rob Wilkerson’s deeply expressive, original, and enchanting album, “Nest” will make it abundantly clear that Rob is not just another beboppin’ alto man. Although his original work favors subtlety over flash and flair, when it comes time to burn, Wilkerson can cut heads with the best of [read more…]
I’m always on the lookout for exercises that develop tone, technique and articulation. While I use material that is familiar to saxophonists (e.g. The Universal Method, Oliver Nelson’s Patterns for Saxophone), I also draw from methods developed for other instruments. Having started as a classical flute player (until a Charlie Parker record changed my life), [read more…]
Baritonist Frank Basile gets around. And by that I mean shakin’ up the scene with the likes of The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, The Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band, The Jimmy Heath Big Band, The Dave Holland Big Band, The Joe Lovano Nonet, Michael Bublé, The Christian McBride Big Band, Pablo Mayor’s Folklore Urbano, The [read more…]
A Labor of Love I remember being in sixth grade and asking my sax teacher the inevitable question: “Who’s the best saxophone player in the world?” Of course, there can never be a definitive answer to a question like that, but my teacher didn’t miss a beat when he replied, “Michael Brecker.” And he wasn’t [read more…]
This guest post is from saxophone and multi-reed player, composer, recording artist, and educator Sam Sadigursky of SamSadigursky.com If I could only go back, I think I would play the guitar. Not just to rip those pentatonic scales up and down and play around with effects while my long hair blows in the wind, but [read more…]
Grammy nominated performer, composer and producer Ben Wendel has enjoyed multiple domestic and international tours with such artists as Cuban drumming legend Ignacio Berroa, Thelonious Monk Piano Competition Winner Tigran Hamasyan and even Snoop Dogg. He’s also a founding member of the Grammy nominated group Kneebody. In addition to playing saxophone and bassoon, Ben also doubles [read more…]
Tips and Techniques from the pros PLUS free access to the Sax Lessons with the Stars archive - 10 years worth of interviews and exercises featuring the likes of David Liebman, Bob Mintzer, Ben Wendel, Bob Reynolds, and many more!
