I’ve recently begun to throw myself full force into practicing again. Although I’ve done quite a bit of professional playing in my day, the last few years have seen me doing a lot more work at the computer and a lot less at the horn. But unlike other periods where music performance was a more central [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…]
As one of jazz music’s leading voices on alto sax, David Binney’s musical vision is constantly shifting and expanding whether it’s in the realm of playing, composing or producing, Having played with giants such as Gil Evans, Maria Schneider, Jim Hall, Brian Blade, and Mark Turner, David was also a co-founder of the hard-edged quintet “Lost Tribe.” He [read more…]
A household name for saxophonists worldwide, Bob Sheppard has done it all. Superstar names such as Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Perter Erskine, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder and many, many, many legends pack his world-class resume. Splitting his time between Los Angeles, and New York, Bob’s forged working relationships with the best musicians on both [read more…]
Saxophonist, composer and author Walt Weiskopf has worked with legendary acts such as Buddy Rich, Frank Sinatra, Toshiko Akiyoshi, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and Steely Dan to name just a few. As a solo artist, he’s recorded fourteen critically acclaimed albums bringing onboard heavyweights such as Brad Mehldau, John Patitucci, Billy Drummond, Joe Locke, and [read more…]
UPDATE: Adam is no longer 21, as you might imagine being that this article is a few years old, but it’s a nice snapshot in time of his development. Incidentally, since this article came out, I had the privilege of publishing Adam’s game-changing streaming video course focused 100% on sax technique, so head over to [read more…]
If you haven’t heard of Tim Willcox yet, then you’ll be hearing of this brilliant sax man soon enough. Based in Portland, Oregon, Tim has been honored with multiple awards. Besides being awarded in Downbeat magazine as a high school student, Tim was named a Presidential Scholar of the Arts, with the honor being bestowed [read more…]