Over the past few generations there has been an exponential increase in the technical capabilities both of professional and advanced student saxophonists. What was once reserved for the premier virtuosos is demanded of every undergraduate-level performer and the list of abilities continues to get larger for younger and younger musicians. While there have been several [read more…]
Introduction I’ve been checking out Sam Greenfield’s Instagram account for quite some time, and besides enjoying the creative content he posts, I’ve also been blown away by Sam’s mastery of the instrument. I am excited to share with you my recent interview with Sam, and if you haven’t already been following him on Instagram and [read more…]
The new JodyJazz DV HR Tenor uses the patented DV secondary window to add mid and low harmonics, resulting in a more authoritative tone than normal tenor sax mouthpieces provide. And the long straight somewhat high baffle gives the mouthpiece it’s fantastic projection and cutting power along with excellent altissimo.
JODYJAZZ.COM
The New DV HR Tenor from JodyJazz
Introduction Every so many years I spot player that really has his/her technique, sound, and rhythm down at such a young age. Ryan Devlin is one of those players. Since being a student of Chad Lefkowitz-Brown and studying at UCF, Ryan has continued to hone his skills both as a saxophonist as well as a [read more…]
Ah, those two infamous words “Woodwind Doubler”. As I’m sitting down to write this article, I realize how funny it is that requests for woodwind doublers are so common, yet requests for say, string doublers, are so rare. But, we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here… A pit gig is a pit gig. Without [read more…]
Introduction I have been fortunate enough to speak with many great saxophonists over the years, and recently had the chance to sit down (virtually) and speak with Dayna Stephens. While many saxophonists focus on one or two members of the saxophone family, Dayna’s instrumental arsenal includes soprano, alto, tenor, and his favorite of all the [read more…]
This past March, on Bach’s 336th birthday, I put out a collection of jazz etudes called Bach Shapes: The Etudes. The book collects etudes from my Bach Shapes books, which isolate the beautiful melodic shapes of Bach’s music so you can apply them to tunes or technical practice. There are short analyses for each etude in the book but [read more…]
Introduction As we come out of the first year of a historic global pandemic, I am glad to say that many musicians have adjusted and come out with creative ways to release and promote their existing and new music, as well as simply survive. One such musician is renowned saxophonist, Tim Garland. I am very [read more…]
There seems to a be a common idea that improvising in odd time signatures is hard. When I come across a new time signature, I remind myself that it isn’t difficult – it’s unfamiliar. If you think 4/4 is easy, that’s likely because you’ve spent significantly more time playing songs in four, making it familiar [read more…]
Introduction If you’re looking for another smokin’ alto player to add to your list of people to check out, Nick Biello is your guy. Besides being as a top-notch alto player, Nick can also be seen playing bari, tenor, and soprano in various groups. I first saw videos of Nick playing alto saxophone when I [read more…]
Introduction The following article is a mini-lesson that incorporates an etude from Little Leaps and Sounds, which is my latest book geared towards the intermediate level and includes etudes written over twelve common jazz standards. After releasing Volume 1-3 of Leaps and Sounds between 2018-2020, I saw there might be a need for etudes written with [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!
