Who says that all sax players with world-class jazz chops must restrict themselves to the Blue Notes and Village Vanguards of the world? Not Jay Collins. A product of Portland, Oregon’s surprisingly vibrant jazz scene in the late 80’s and early 90’s, Jay’s footing in the jazz world is more than solid. It’s not just [read more…]
So it’s over and done with, our very first sweepstakes here at Best. Saxophone. Website. Ever.! Out of hundreds of entries, one lucky winner was chosen at random for the groovy prize of a $50 gift certificate to The Woodwind Brasswind – one of the world’s formost online retailers of all things wind instrument-related! And [read more…]
Here's a new alternative to the uninspiring tunes often found in the average beginning sax book. This collection of 25 tunes, each with backing and demonstration tracks plus a video tutorial, is the product one of my most significant discoveries in over two decades of working with beginning saxophonists. That is, beginners learn fundamentals much faster by playing the kind of music that attracted them to the horn in the first place.
INFINITEMUSICAN.COM
🎷 Sax Fundamentals Faster
This is a guest post from saxophonist, clarinetist, flutist, pianist, educator, and blogger, Mark Catoe. Back in April, the self-described “nonpartisan enterprise,” MinnPost, published an interview with Christian McBride. In it, he talks about the groups he currently plays with, having fun playing music, and knowing James Brown. I find the entire read fascinating (head [read more…]
Generously lauded in publications such as The Village Voice, The Boston Herald, The Boston Phoenix, and the Boston Globe, it’s obvious that Daniel Bennett is the toast of his former town (he is now based in New York City). With a list of teachers that includes Jerry Bergonzi and George Garzone, it’s easy to see [read more…]
Any devoted jazz saxophone player with an internet connection knows Charles McNeal’s love letter to jazz history, CharlesMcNeal.com. As a Facebook friend of Charles myself, there are periods where he cranks out, literally, a transcription each day. As an equal opportunity transcriber, he’s taken down hundreds of solos from all ends of the jazz legend [read more…]
For some time, I’ve wanted to get a grasp on what you, my saxadelic website visitors are most interested in reading about. Sure, I could pose the question as a simple post on Facebook and Twitter, but I thought I’d take it to the next level. With that in mind, I’ve decided to put my [read more…]
Epitomizing what it means to be a modern tenor player, sax maven Ben Britton is a name you’re going to be hearing a lot more of. Unlike your average musician weary of being overshadowed, Ben choose to supercharge his 2010 debut release, Uncertain Living by including the mighty Chris Potter as a special guest. With [read more…]
Over the course of recent generations of jazz musicians, the go-to supplier of jazz play-along recordings has been Jamey Aebersold, whose 200-plus recordings have made him a household name for anyone with even a passing interest in learning how to improvise. Although Aebersold’s books and recordings serve their intended purpose very well, the series has [read more…]
Professional saxophone players have it made. The online resume service ResumeService.com [Sorry(!), but this web page has disappeared since the original publication of this article] once recommended that professional musicians should present a portfolio that represents a wide variety of musical styles, as it broadens the musician’s market appeal to potential employers. In this economy, everyone [read more…]
This guest post is from saxophone and multi-reed player, composer, recording artist, and educator Sam Sadigursky of SamSadigursky.com I recently have been working extensively with a student on the Klose book of 25 Daily Exercises for Saxophone, which are an absolute essential for any saxophonist who is looking to improve their technique. In many ways, it might [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!
