• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Website of Steve Neff

  • BLOG
  • SHOP
  • MEMBER’S AREA
    • JOIN
    • FAQ
    • MEMBER LOGIN
    • Member Monthly Lessons
    • Member VIP Area
    • Member-Practicing with Neff
    • Member-Brecker Alternate Fingering Lessons
    • Member-Killin’ Altissimo Lick Lessons
    • Member-Monster Lick of the Day
  • RAVES
  • CONTACT
  • SUPPORT
You are here: Home / Reviews / Mouthpiece Reviews / Alto Mouthpiece Reviews / Alto Low Baffle Reviews / Aizen NY Jazz 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

Aizen NY Jazz 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

March 10, 2011 by Steve 17 Comments

This is a new Aizen NY Jazz mouthpiece that I received in the mail last week.  It is a 7 tip opening.  If you follow my blog regularly,  then you might remember that I reviewed the very first limited edition Aizen sax mouthpiece when it first came out a few years ago.  Since then, they have been a busy company and came out with a few more models.  They now have the NY Jazz, the Jazz Master and the SO mouthpiece.  I was curious as how these play compared to my first Aizen I had years ago so I asked to review these.

Aizen NY Jazz 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece (If you click on the pic it will enlarge)

This is the description from the Aizen website:

“With its signature rounded side wall and roll-over baffle, the AIZEN NY offers the very finest a musician can want from a jazz saxophone mouthpiece–rich, vibrant sound and full, glossy tone…outstanding responsiveness and projection.

Having fine-combed through the best of the best in vintage saxophone mouthpieces, AIZEN brought its specialized skills and finest craftspeople to bear.

The result was the AIZEN NY, combining top of the range hand-finishing with the vintage mouthpiece sound reborn.”

This is the first of the three that I tried.  Now I have to be honest, when I first tried this mouthpiece I thought it was pretty lame.  It didn’t sound great and the response was awful.  I was ready to put it back in the box but then I started thinking.  When I put the mouthpiece on it was really loose on the cork but as I pushed it on it got tighter.  I’ve noticed in the past that when the mouthpiece is too large for the end of the cork that this can sometimes  effect the sound and response of the mouthpiece.  I decided to wrap the end of the cork with a few strips of paper and put the mouthpiece on for another try.  This time it was nice and tight.  Guess what?   It played great.  Fabulous.  I actually loved it.  I was  surprised by how big a change occurred.

Like all Aizen mouthpieces, it looks great.  The rails and tip look terrific and the chamber and baffle are nice and smooth.  I did notice on this one mouthpiece that the tip didn’t match my Woodstone reed tip at all.  (Aizen was nice enough to send me a few boxes of Woodstone reeds to try…….it’s for another blog article but…..they were awesome!)  It had a different curve to it.  I’m not sure why,  the other two mouthpieces that came had tips that perfectly matched the reed shape.

As far as sound you can judge for yourself from the recording.  My thoughts were that it had a brighter rich sound to it.  Kinda vintage Meyerish to me.  Up top it really seemed to sing to me and down low it had a nice character to the notes.  One thing I have loved about the Aizen’s I have tried is the resistance they have.  Resistance can be a bad thing but I have learned over the years that it can also be a great thing.  With just a bit of resistance in the mouthpiece you have something to push against and  work with.  The slightest change of tongue,throat or embouchure manipulates the sound.  With resistance I feel like there is more sound and core to work with.  You’ll hear on the recording how I do more bending of the notes.  That is because of that resistance.  I feel like I can bend the tar out of notes.  It’s a great feeling because I feel like I can be more expressive and emotional while I play.  The notes seemed to have a texture and character to them that I many time miss in other mouthpieces.

I had a ton of fun playing this mouthpiece.  Some mouthpieces I really have to work hard to interact with,  this one was easy and I felt like I could go out and play it on a gig tonight.  The intonation was normal for my sax.  Nothing out of the ordinary in that regard.  The tone seemed more focused than fat to me.  Great for the straight ahead thing or a bebop head.  The flexibility made it workable for a very bluesy sound maybe even R&B……..

Aizen NY Jazz 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece

Give a listen to the sound clip below to hear for yourself what these mouthpieces sound like.   If you are interested in trying one of these visit Aizen’s website for more information.   Thanks again to Aizen for letting me try another great mouthpiece.  Please let me know what you think below in the comments…………….

https://public.neffmusic.com/AizenNYAlto.mp3

Filed Under: Alto Low Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Aizen, alto sax, NY Jazz, saxophone mouthpiece

Steve

About Steve

Steve Neff has been playing and teaching saxophone and jazz improvisation around the New England area for over 30 years. He is the author of many best selling jazz improvisation methods as well as founding the popular jazz video lesson site Neffmusic.com.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Avatarmike hughes says

    August 7, 2011 at 10:46 am

    great mouthpiece i love mine but dont drop it on to anything hard as it will break , i dropped mine and chipped the tip but fixed it with a mixture of fibreglass resin mixed with a drop of industrial strentgh super glue filled the chip in and reshaped it and it plays as good as it did before it was dropped,,

    Reply
    • stevesteve says

      August 7, 2011 at 11:31 am

      That goes for any hard rubber mouthpiece! I’ve been lucky so far and never dropped one but I have a bunch of students drop them………….

      Reply
  2. Avatarmike hughes says

    August 7, 2011 at 2:24 pm

    yeah 1st one ive dropped and chipped in 29 years , have you got any views on the rovner eddie daniels ligature ,it is the lig i use on the ny and seems to work great , what was the lig you used on the ny review, regards mike.

    Reply
    • stevesteve says

      August 7, 2011 at 3:53 pm

      I do have a Eddie Daniels ligature but it’s been sitting in a drawer for the last 10 years. I’ll have to dig it out and try it again. I’m not sure what I used on the rcording. I usually say right at the beginning what ligature and reed I’m using.

      Reply
  3. AvatarMerritt Smith says

    April 9, 2012 at 9:08 pm

    Recieved my Aizen NY #8 today. Love the sound and response. I’m using a Rigotti 2 1/2 Med. The piece has good projection and tone, and so far seems to be good on the Altissimo. I’m not dissappointed which is good, because many times after spending money on pieces I’ve often played them hoping it would get better many times it was all in vain. Even though I heard other pieces you played (and I preferred) you’ve helped me make well informed decision based on what I could afford right now. To say the the least, today I’m happy. Thanks Steve!

    Reply
    • stevesteve says

      April 20, 2012 at 10:58 pm

      Your welcome Merritt. I’m glad my reviews could help you find a piece you are happy with. Steve

      Reply
  4. AvatarBill says

    September 23, 2013 at 2:49 pm

    Can you tell which one has a brighter tone: aizen ny jazz 7 or Charlie Parker legend series 6* tip opening?

    Reply
    • stevesteve says

      September 23, 2013 at 5:34 pm

      I’m going from memory here…….but I think the Charlie Parker mouthpiece was slightly brighter. Hope this helps.

      Reply
  5. AvatarPeter says

    April 6, 2014 at 1:01 pm

    Just picked up a used Aizen 7 based in part on your review and my sound goals. At 1st, pretty lame, had to really work to get the lower notes to speak. Just like you, it was a little loose on my neck (mark 7) so I get it the plumber’s tape treatment. WOW! It is amazing how big of a difference that made in tone and responsiveness especially at the bottom of the horn. Anoother helpful review. thanks

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      April 16, 2014 at 8:31 am

      That’s great Peter. It’s amazing how a loose mouthpiece to cork connection can affect the sound and playability of a sax. I can’t tell you haw many mouthpieces I have tried that I was unimpressed with and then I fixed the cork to be tight with the mouthpiece and the mouthpiece came alive after that!

      Reply
  6. Avatarfredi says

    August 28, 2014 at 7:33 pm

    Hello Steve,
    I’m looking for alto mouthpiece.
    Is it better than Phil’s Refaced Meyer or Ishimori medium chamber?
    Thanks for help and review.

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      September 5, 2014 at 9:45 am

      Fredi,
      Those 3 mouthpieces are all good and play well. It’s all a matter of personal preference. I think you would do well with any of the 3. Steve

      Reply
  7. AvatarAngel says

    August 27, 2015 at 10:41 pm

    What kind of ligature did it come with? And do most reeds fit on it?

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      September 1, 2015 at 11:43 am

      Angel, I don’t remember it coming with a ligature. All alto reeds work on it………

      Reply
  8. AvatarRadu says

    June 20, 2017 at 5:09 pm

    What is the diference from Aizen and Aizen NY? Thank you

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      June 22, 2017 at 8:37 am

      Here’s a breakdown of their different mouthpieces. http://www.sax.co.jp/mouthpiece_e.html

      Reply
  9. AvatarSebastian says

    January 15, 2019 at 4:22 am

    This is a great MPC, but I would not classify it as a low-baffle type, dark-sounding one. Some time ago, I got inspired by your reviews and compared an Aizen NY to an Aizen Jazz Master, an Acoustimax, a Vandoren V16, and a D’Addario Select Jazz (all 6 openings, and I used Java Green #3 reeds IIRC). The Aizen NY was the brightest and punchiest of them by far, similar to the Custom Meyer I currently play. From that impression, I would put in the middle category.

    I also remember that the tip rail of the Aizen NY had a more rounded shape so that Java Red, ZZ oder V16 reeds seemed to best match the facing just from the looks of it. That struck me as odd. Still, the responsiveness of the MPC was good with other reeds as well.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Cart

Subscribe to the Neffmusic Newsletter for the latest reviews and best deals delivered straight to your inbox every month. Join now and you will also receive my 40 Ultimate Michael Brecker Licks free!

Select list(s) to subscribe to


Thanks for joining!


NEFFMUSIC PRINTED BOOKS

Testimonials

Hello Steve, I’m getting so much out of your lessons and books, amazing how much one may think one knows, there is always a new frontier or new way to view something you think you had somewhat down. You have taken it all to a new level and am so grateful. Your lessons are so down to earth and understandable and clear!  Thanks so much Steve! Cheers, Eddie

Eddie Parente
Thank you for all the educational information you provide.  I am a classically trained musician.  Professionally, I am a 4th and 5th grade band teacher.  I have played piano and sax for many years, but now I am starting to gig out more. I have always improvised by ear in the past. I have gotten by with my strong sense of pitch, rhythm and melodic contour. However, I want to go deeper. I want to play with a greater variety of melodic and rhythmic ideas to pull from.  I have studied to gain a … Read more
Ray
Steve really changed my way of practicing: I got a whole lot of new ideas for my playing the tenor.  His lessons are really helpful, give a lot stuff to practice and give clear answers to complicated stuff.  Steve has a lot of humor and I wish I had laughed so much in my former days with the horn.  All topics, from Blues to Approach note are dealt with clearness that wet ones appetite to play and practice that great ideas.
Uwe
Hi Steve, I can’t express just how much I appreciate your teaching. My playing has improved so much over the past year since I have been studying and practicing with your lessons. It is possible to teach an old dog new tricks, these lessons are proof! Thanks, Michael Byington
Michael Byington
I have been a member of Neffmusic for more than a year now and have enjoyed every minute of it! I have not only been going thru the Dominant Bebop Scale lessons and book (OUTSTANDING!) but the mouthpiece reviews, solo clips and transcriptions are very interesting. Steve approach to beginning and intermediate improv have given me many new pathways to teach my high school jazz ensemble students. Congratulations Steve, great product!
Craig
I can see from your instructional videos that you are a fantastic teacher – one that can truly relate to all ages – humble yet very positive in approach – never coming across as superior and yet so totally capable of demonstrating the principles and techniques that you seek to impart to the students. I have gained so much confidence in my playing from “pouring over” time and again these invaluable lessons. Invaluable not only in musical content, but also in human interaction content. I am absolu… Read more
Ron
I’ve been downloading your lessons for 4 months now (20 lesson) and I have noticed tremendous growth in my playing thus far! I’m so happy that I stumbled upon your site!
Bob
I have NEVER seen material like yours.  Amazing!!
Jerry

Never really had lessons before just kinda worked things out on my own. Was in a rut but your lessons are really helpful in opening melodic possibilities. Ur an awesome resource to the saxophone community. Thanks for sharing. 

Anthony
Hey Steve, I’m a 22-year-old from Australia. I thought it would be worth saying. You’re an absolute legend. I can’t thank you enough. You have helped me rekindle my love for the saxophone and music as a whole. All the best for the future, your work doesn’t go unnoticed. PS. I am loving your devastating minor lines pdf.
Sapph

Featured Video Lessons

  • The Secret to Modern Outside Jazz Lines Lesson-Minor $9.99
  • Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson
    Rated 4.90 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Secret to Altissimo (no one has ever told you about before) Lesson
    Rated 4.75 out of 5
    $9.99

Now over 600 video and audio lessons to choose from!
BECOME A MEMBER TODAY AND SAVE BIG ON EACH LESSON!

Devastating Dominant Lines for Jazz & Funk
Devastating Dominant Lines for Jazz & Funk

Free Lessons

  • Free Lesson on The New Ultimate II-V-I Primer-Major Keys
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering Altered Pentatonics
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering the Blues Scale Volume 1 & 2
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering the Dominant Bebop Scale and Language Book 1 & 2
  • Free Video Lesson on Approach Note Velocity Book

Recent reviews

  • Mastering Altered Pentatonics (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Dino Govoni
  • Mastering the Bebop Scale Review-Blues in All Keys Lesson 1
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Steve Nye
  • Devastating Minor Lines for Jazz and Funk Soloing (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Mark White
  • Devastating Dominant Lines for Jazz and Funk Soloing (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Mark White
  • The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Christopher Lutyk

Jazz Improvisation Books

Mastering Altered Pentatonics
Mastering Altered Pentatonics
Devastating Dominant Lines for Jazz & Funk
Devastating Dominant Lines for Jazz & Funk
Mastering the Minor ii-7b5 V7b9 Bebop Scale
Mastering the Minor ii-7b5 V7b9 Bebop Scale
Dominant Bebop Scale Book
Mastering the Dominant Bebop Scale
Mastering the Dominant Bebop Scale-Book 2
Mastering the Dominant Bebop Scale-Book 2
The New Ultimate II-V-I Primer (Major)
The New Ultimate II-V-I Primer (Major)
Mastering Major Diatonic Patterns
Mastering Major Diatonic Patterns
Devastating Minor Lines for Jazz & Funk
Devastating Minor Lines for Jazz & Funk-Thirty 5 Star Reviews!!!
Mastering the Blues Scale Vol. 2-Dominant Chords
Mastering the Blues Scale Vol. 2-Dominant Chords
Best II-V-I Patterns Book
Best II-V-I Patterns
Approach Note Velocity Book
Approach Note Velocity
Mastering the Blues Scale Vol. 1-Minor Chords
Mastering the Blues Scale Vol. 1-Minor Chords
Major Bebop Scale Book
Mastering the Major Bebop Scale & Sound

Footer

Recent Comments

  • Steve on Hard Rubber Otto Link 7* Tenor Mouthpiece
  • Giuseppe C. on Eye-Opening Boston Sax Shop Heritage Tenor Saxophone Neck Review
  • Ralph Jarmon on Hard Rubber Otto Link 7* Tenor Mouthpiece
  • TK on Phil-Tone Rift Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • Giuseppe C. on KPoudavoff Zimberoff Dukoff Hollywood 6* with Dexter Gordon’s Facing Curve Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

Top rated products

  • Tune of the Week-Softly as a Morning Sunrise Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • One Bar Blues Licks and the 12 Bar Blues Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Round Midnight Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Sax Intonation Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Beginner Jazz Improvisation Lesson 8B-Tenor Sax
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99

Product tags

alto sax alto saxophone approach notes audio lesson bebop scale beginner beginner saxophone blues blues licks blues patterns blues scale blues scales diminished scale dominant chords ear training fundamentals II-V-I improvisation jazz improvisation jazz lines jazz patterns jazz sax jazz saxophone jazz standard jazz standards licks Mastering the Blues Scale Michael Brecker modern improv modern improvisation online lesson patterns playing outside practice habits reading music sax basics sax lessons saxophone scales smooth jazz steve neff tenor sax tenor saxophone video lesson video lessons
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • SUPPORT

Neffmusic © 2023