Today, I am excited to be reviewing the new Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece released by Selmer Paris a few weeks ago. Ryan Lillywhite, the woodwind category manager at Conn Selmer, reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in reviewing the new Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece. After seeing the stunning photos he sent, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to test it out. Just a week later, the Jazz Tribute 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece arrived at my doorstep, ready for an in-depth evaluation.
Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
Here is a description of the Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece from the Sweetwater website description:
The Jazz Tribute signifies the importance of jazz to Selmer Paris, a company whose world-class saxophones are deeply interwoven with the history of the genre, while acknowledging the tenor’s status as the quintessential “jazz” horn. Although the Jazz Tribute excels in acoustic jazz settings, it is not a conventional design by any means — nor is it your typical “power blaster” metal mouthpiece. While hard rubber mouthpieces have traditionally been the go-to for playing comfort and a rich, full sound, tenor players have increasingly turned to metal mouthpieces for sheer power, projection, and the ability to cut through a busy arrangement. But what if you could have it all? Enter the Jazz Tribute. Crafted from premium high-grade brass with a gleaming gold-plated finish, this mouthpiece offers exceptional durability, along with strong projection and sonic brilliance. But it’s the sophisticated engineering behind its design that helps it deliver remarkable fullness, roundness, and warmth that belies its metal construction.
Years in development, the Jazz Tribute benefits from a meticulous, cutting-edge design and manufacturing process informed by advanced materials science, computer-aided CNC machining, and 3D optical inspection to achieve an exacting level of precision. Drawing on its expertise in acoustical engineering and fruitful collaborations with professional tenor players, Selmer has produced a mouthpiece that both complements and exploits the distinctive voice of the tenor sax. The result is one of the most versatile metal saxophone mouthpieces ever created. Perfect for everything from small-combo jazz to a diverse range of modern music styles, the Henri Selmer Paris Jazz Tribute combines sonic density with extraordinary clarity and comfortable ease of play. It’s this outstanding versatility that makes the Jazz Tribute a standout among metal tenor mouthpieces. With the right reed and embouchure, it will accommodate just about any musical setting.
Located within Selmer’s Mantes-la-Ville workshops, digitally controlled facilities maintain uncompromising quality standards. Here, Jazz Tribute mouthpieces are meticulously milled on modified machinery formerly used by the Swiss watchmaking industry. To ensure unit-to-unit uniformity, this precision equipment is calibrated to tolerances of less than 0.03mm. In addition, a high-resolution 3D optical quality control machine scrutinizes every design parameter, guaranteeing the mouthpiece you get will be perfect and play flawlessly. The result of Selmer’s fastidious attention to detail is a mouthpiece that provides supreme playing comfort and optimal expressive malleability.
Available in three tip opening sizes to suit your playing predilections, the Jazz Tribute comes as a complete set with a specific ligature and mouthpiece cap. Inspired by the coveted ligatures of Maison Selmer, this exclusive ligature boasts a new beveled design that seamlessly adheres to the contours of the mouthpiece to exude elegant aesthetics and deliver superior performance. The cap, specially designed for this set, benefits from the same refined design ethos. A complete, high-performance package, the Selmer Paris Jazz Tribute represents a fabulous value among today’s high-end mouthpieces.
Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece (Selmer Paris Photo)
The Selmer Paris website also adds this information about the Selmer Paris Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece:
Inspired by the legends who shaped the golden era of jazz, the new Jazz Tribute mouthpiece is designed for today’s players who cherish jazz’s traditions while shaping its future. This metal tenor mouthpiece stands out for its balanced sound, combining timbre and roundness. Ideal for jazz and modern music, it provides a rich sound density while remaining easy to play. Made from high-quality brass with a gold-plated finish, this mouthpiece ensures exceptional durability and sound quality, along with remarkable brilliance and projection.
An exclusive ligature and cap are supplied with the Jazz Tribute.
This mouthpiece is available in 3 openings for a single table length (36 mm / 1.42 in.):
- 7* (2.67 mm / 0.105 in.)
- 8 (2.80 mm / 0.110 in.)
- 8* (2.92 mm / 0.115 in.)
Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece (Selmer Paris Photo)
The Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece is made of brass which is then beautifully plated in gold (I have actually heard that the Jazz Tribute mouthpiece is brass which is plated with copper first, then silver and then gold but I haven’t confirmed this yet). It comes in three tip openings of 7* (.105″), 8 (.110″) and 8* (.115″).
The Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece comes in a nice black velvet bag that is inside a beautifully designed cardboard box with what looks like mouthpiece engineering drawings and measurements all over the box. The tip opening of 7* is listed as well as the table length of 36 mm (1.42 inches). As was true for the Selmer Jazz Flow alto saxophone mouthpiece, table length, is referring to the facing curve length. The Selmer Jazz Flow alto mouthpiece was advertised as 30mm long but when I questioned Ryan Lillywhite about this extremely long facing curve when preparing that review, he replied, “In a nutshell, normal humans use the .0015 gauge to read the length of a facing curve but Selmer Paris looks at their CAD model which tells you where the first micron starts to curve. So if you had a .0000001 gauge it would get close to the 30 mm facing curve length.” I reached out to Ryan Lillywhite again for this review and he informed me that the same is true of the Jazz Tribute tenor mouthpiece and if you measured it with a .0000001 gauge it would be close to the 36 mm facing curve length listed on the box.
All this being true for the Selmer Jazz Tribute mouthpiece would mean that to us mere mortals who have to use a .0015 gauge to measure a facing length, the facing length of the Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece would come out to about 29-30 mm which is a much longer facing curve on a tenor saxophone mouthpiece than I have encountered before (I have heard from two trusted sources that have measured the facing curve at 30 mm length). Most of the tenor saxophone mouthpieces I have reviewed here at Neffmusic have been between 23.5 mm (shortest facing curve I have tried) and 27 mm (longest facing curve I have tried). Needless to say, a 30 mm length facing curve is really long on a tenor saxophone mouthpiece.
The Selmer Jazz Tribute mouthpiece chamber is listed on the box as round. There is no description of the size of the chamber on the box but later in the review I describe the chamber size as large to extra-large.
Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece (Selmer Paris Photo)
The Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece has the “Henri Selmer Paris” logo beautifully engraved in black on the top of the mouthpiece with “Fabrique en France” (made in France) engraved below it. The words “JAZZ TRIBUTE” are engraved on the side of the mouthpiece in what looks similar to the jazz font I use for writing music notation in Finale. The tip opening of 7* is machine engraved on to the middle of the mouthpiece table. The black engraving on the rich gold plating looks very classy and absolutely incredible.
The shank of the Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor sax mouthpiece is understated and simple. Whereas many metal mouthpieces have engraving around the shank of some sort, there is no engraving or design on the shank of the Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece. The outside diameter of the shank is narrower than the main body of the Jazz Tribute mouthpiece and the understated curved design of the shank actually seems to draw more attention to the main body of the Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece.
Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece (Selmer Paris Photo)
The Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor sax mouthpiece comes with a Selmer gold ligature that looks very similar to the older Selmer 404 silver ligatures that I love so much. This new Selmer Gold 404 ligature (let’s call it that for this review) varies from the original Selmer 404 silver ligature in that it is beveled (angled) so that the top of the ligature sits further back on the top of the mouthpiece than the bottom of the ligature is on the reed. When the ligature is tightened down firmly and at full tightness there is still room for the screws too tighten more if needed which is good in case the ligature stretches out over time like many of my Selmer 404 silver ligatures have. The new Selmer 404 gold ligature fits smoothly and perfectly on the Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece and looks great!
The Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor sax mouthpiece also comes with a beautiful gold Selmer mouthpiece cap that fits over the mouthpiece when it has a reed and ligature on it to protect the reed and mouthpiece. I am personally a bit nervous about sliding a metal mouthpiece cap over any metal mouthpiece just because it increases the chance of damage to the tip of the mouthpiece in my opinion. I have done gigs in dark nightclubs and after a few drinks during the gig, I went to put my metal mouthpiece cap on my mouthpiece and accidentally put some substantial dings into the tips of some of my favorite metal mouthpieces in the past. I write all this just to make the point, “Be very careful when putting on metal mouthpiece caps” (Especially in the dark after you have had a few drinks…..).
Selmer Jazz Flow 7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece looks amazing to the eye as you can see in the photos. The gold plated brass is smooth and shiny and I don’t see an imperfection anywhere. The tip, rails and table look even, precise and perfectly crafted. The mouthpiece tip rail and side rails are even and symmetrical. The shape of the tip rail matched the shape of the different reeds I used on the Jazz Tribute mouthpiece very closely.
The baffle of the Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece has a slight curvature from side to side so that the middle of the baffle is slightly lower than the outside edges of the baffle. The baffle travels about 3/8’s of an inch before it rolls over smoothly into a steeper decline towards the rear of the mouthpiece chamber.
The chamber looks to be a large to extra-large sized chamber. Compared to a typical Otto Link Super Tone Master tenor mouthpiece chamber the Selmer Jazz Tribute mouthpiece chamber is larger but not as large as a Theo Wanne extra-large chambered tenor mouthpiece or a typical NY Otto Link extra-large chamber.
The bottom of the mouthpiece chamber is scooped out slightly so that the bottom of the chamber is lower than the bottom of the bore of the mouthpiece. The side rails are scooped out but travel inwards as they head towards the chamber area and then expand outwards as they enter the chamber area. The roof of the chamber is nice and thin to accommodate the larger chamber.
Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The diameter and beak profile of the Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece is very close to the diameter and beak profile of a typical metal Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece. It felt very comfortable to me as I was play testing it. The body size of the Jazz Tribute tenor sax mouthpiece is similar to a typical metal Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece as well.
I tried a variety of reeds with the Selmer Paris Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece including Rigotti Gold, BSS, Roberto’s Winds, SYOS and Vandoren Java tenor saxophone reeds. I decided to record the sound clips on a BSS (Boston Sax Shop) Silver Box #3 tenor saxophone reed.
One important aspect I noticed about the Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece I received is that it had a concavity to the table that went from the bottom of the window to right above where the tip opening is engraved on the bottom of the table. I could see the effect of this concavity every time I took a reed off of the table as I would see a substantial amount of saliva or condensation in the middle of table from the bottom of the window all the way down the middle of the mouthpiece table.
With new reeds, it got suction and performed well, but with used reeds it was pretty rough going. They would either not get suction at all from the beginning or lose suction five to ten minutes into playing. I was thinking the concavity down the middle of the table was causing used reeds to not seal on the mouthpiece but I communicated with Benjamin Allen who thought it was more likely the extremely long facing curve length of around 30 mm that was causing the issue. All of my used reeds have been used on mouthpieces with a much shorter facing curve and have formed to those curves so trying to find a used reed that would work on the Selmer Jazz Tribute mouthpiece’s longer facing curve was difficult. That being said, new reeds worked fine and sealed well so I would think if I spent some time flattening the used reeds they should work on the Jazz Tribute mouthpiece as well.
Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
When first playing the Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece, my first impression was that the Jazz Tribute produced a darker more spread tenor saxophone sound at lower to medium volumes. At full volume, the tone would get a bit brighter and a bit more focused sounding but I would still consider the tone to be more on the darker and warmer side of the tenor saxophone tone spectrum.
When I describe a saxophone tone as more spread, I am describing a saxophone tone that is on the other side of the spectrum from a typical Guardala focused type of tenor saxophone tone. That Guardala “high baffle” focused type of saxophone tone is like a laser beam. It is condensed, concentrated and often times, much more powerful. A more spread tenor saxophone tone has more depth and width to the tone. Many times, it has more character and warmth to it as well. Instead of the tone being in a tight concentrated ball of projecting sound it is more spread like a cloud or blanket of sound that fills the room in a different way. The Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece has this spread saxophone tone that I am describing. That type of tone is great for jazz playing and especially sweet for ballad playing.
Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece had thick and lush low notes that sounded fat and full. Whether playing the low notes at full volume or in sub-tone, I really enjoyed the warm and fat low end of the saxophone with the Jazz Tribute mouthpiece.
The high palm key notes of my tenor saxophone were full and round sounding as well. Sometimes these notes can tend to sound thin and edgy when played softly but I found those notes to sound beautiful at softer volumes which I really enjoyed. You can hear examples of those notes I am describing in the first phrase of the first sound clip below when I go up high.
The altissimo range was easily accessible with the Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor mouthpiece as you can hear in the third sound clip below. Interestingly, I found the altissimo range of notes to sound unique compared to other tenor saxophone mouthpieces I have reviewed here on the site. I’m not sure how to explain it though. It’s like the altissimo notes are more restrained or subdued. Usually when I play in the altissimo range on the saxophone, some notes break away from me a bit or feel like they are about to. The altissimo range on the Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor sax mouthpiece felt like those notes were more “under control” or “locked in” if that makes sense. Listen to the third clip below and see if you can hear what I am trying to describe.
The articulation on the Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece was not as crisp and immediate as I find the articulation on tenor saxophone mouthpieces with a shorter facing curve and I assume that is because of the longer facing curve length. In general, I find that shorter facing curve lengths lend themselves to a crisper more immediate style of articulation while the longer facing curve lengths lend themselves to a more legato and smooth style of articulation. I think of Dexter Gordon’s style of articulation when thinking of the way longer facing curves articulate. (Matter of fact, Dexter Gordon reportedly had a 27 mm long facing curve according to Sebastian Knox, which is a pretty long facing curve as well)
As an example of this articulation, when you listen to the first sound clip below, it is hard to hear the articulation in the lines I am playing. I am articulating like I always do on these lines but the articulation is more muted and legato sounding to my ears. It almost goes unnoticed when listening to the sound clip because of this. I actually like this “understated” articulation and again……it reminds me of Dexter Gordon’s articulation.
Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The intonation on the Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece was very good up and down the saxophone and the mouthpiece was a great match for my Selmer Super Balanced Action tenor saxophone. The extra-large chamber size really brought down the pitch of the notes that can tend to be sharper on my SBA tenor saxophone with mouthpieces with smaller chambers and more baffle in them.
The evenness and smoothness of notes throughout the range of the saxophone when playing fast lines made the notes smooth and silky while playing fast. The Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece responded immediately to emotive manipulations such as dynamics, bends and vibrato. The combination of those two elements with the spread and fat tenor saxophone tone made the Jazz Tribute tenor mouthpiece a lot of fun on ballads.
Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
The Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece was perfect for me at the 7* tip opening. I would imagine the 8 and 8* opening to be even more spread sounding as that is usually what I experience when I go up in tip openings from a 7* but you would have to try those tip openings out yourselves to find out what they are like.
The Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece had an average amount of power and volume when pushed. I would say that the Selmer Jazz Tribute mouthpiece could get me to a comfortable 7 in volume when I really pushed it. Although that volume is fine for most settings, small group jazz playing or even big band playing, I would not classify the Selmer Jazz Tribute as a tenor sax mouthpiece that would be great when competing with loud electronic instruments in funk, R &B or pop settings where you need to cut through the mix during a very loud gig. The combination of a darker more spread sound is usually not best in those kinds of settings but you would have to try the Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece yourself in those settings to find out if I am right or not.
Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
On the sound clips below, I try to give a good range and variety of tenor saxophone sounds and textures so that you can hear how the Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece performs in different styles and volumes.
The first sound clip below is a recording of me playing a bunch of random lines and ideas like I usually do with no effects on the sound. This is just the sound of the Jazz Tribute tenor sax mouthpiece dry. I try to run through a variety of bebop lines, jazz melodies, articulations and miscellaneous ideas up and down the range of the saxophone so that you can listen and get an idea of how the Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece sounded and performed for me.
The second sound clip is of me playing the melody of “When I Fall in Love” with some reverb added to the sound.
The third clip is my typical altissimo range sound clip with reverb added so you can hear how the Selmer Jazz Tribute mouthpiece sounds with more volume up in that higher range of the saxophone.
The fourth clip was added shortly after I posted this review live. I had the thought that if the facing curve was so long, maybe I should be playing the Jazz Tribute mouthpiece differently to adapt to the longer facing curve. I put the same reed on it that I recorded the other clips with and took quite a bit more mouthpiece so my bottom lip was closer to that breaking point where the facing curve breaks away from the table and I got a lot more volume out of the Jazz Tribute mouthpiece. I was actually surprised by how much more volume. I’m wondering if my normal embouchure position was perhaps dampening the reed because of where the longer facing curve breaks. It was a bit uncomfortable for me to take that extra mouthpiece in my mouth but the tone seems bigger to me. I think I like it more. What do you think?
Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
In my opinion, the Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece is a great tenor sax mouthpiece for those of you looking for a tenor sax mouthpiece that can play with a classic warm round jazz tenor saxophone sound that is full and fat sounding while giving the player easy expression and a warmth of tone with a bit of brightness added. As the name states, the Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor sax mouthpiece is a tribute and salute to all the great jazz tenor saxophone players who came before. I would certainly have loved to hear Coltrane, Dexter or Sonny Rollins on the Jazz Tribute to see how they would have sounded on it.
If you like the sound and look of the Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece by Selmer, you can find them for sale at Sweetwater. I have agreed to be an affiliate for Sweetwater so if you purchase a Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece from this link, neffmusic.com will receive a small commission on the sale while your cost remains the same. (This helps to support my site and keep the saxophone related reviews, articles and transcriptions coming to you…..). Sweetwater even offers the option to pay in three installments as well which is nice.
If you try a Selmer Jazz Tribute tenor saxophone mouthpiece or have any thoughts, comments or questions on this review, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve
*To hear the most detail from these clips it is best to listen to them from a computer with nice audio speakers or headphones rather than from an iPhone or laptop speakers. It makes a world of difference!
Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-BSS (Boston Sax Shop) Silver Box 3 Tenor Saxophone Reed-No Effects Added
Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-BSS (Boston Sax Shop) Silver Box 3 Tenor Saxophone Reed-When I Fall in Love-Reverb Added
Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-BSS (Boston Sax Shop) Silver Box 3 Tenor Saxophone Reed-Altissimo-Reverb Added
*I just added the clip below a few hours after I posted this review. It’s interesting because right before I posted the review, I had the thought that if the facing curve was so long, maybe I should be playing the Jazz Tribute mouthpiece differently to adapt to the longer facing curve. I put the same reed on it that I played above and took quite a bit more mouthpiece so my bottom lip was closer to that breaking point where the facing curve breaks away from the table and I got a lot more volume out of the Jazz Tribute. I was actually surprised by how much more volume. I’m wondering if my normal embouchure position was perhaps dampening the reed because of where the longer facing curve breaks. Let me know what you think of the added clip below…….
Selmer Jazz Tribute 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-BSS (Boston Sax Shop) Silver Box 3 Tenor Saxophone Reed-Taking more mouthpiece in my mouth-No Effects Added
Right away it sounds good. I am going to do a review on it here in Copenhagen when they arrive. I am really looking forward to it.
Thanks for the heads up Steve.
Best vibes, Bob Rockwell
Thanks, Bob. Let me know when you post a review as I would like to check it out!
Steve plays wonderfully with this mouthpiece.
Aesthetically the mouthpiece is wonderful. As a curiosity, it seems to me that aesthetically it resembles a bit to the metal V 16 of Vandoren, but I say this at first sight and without having been able to make a direct comparison.
I find that the sound seems to me, how shall I say, like “muffled” (simple observation); this can be more or less liked, depending on taste.
I prefer a more centered and focused sound that, perhaps, is obtained with narrower chambers and tip openings: but this is only my opinion relative to my personal taste.
In the fourth clip, tooking quite a bit more mouthpiece, the sound, for my taste, I like better.
It’s, perhaps, a pity that the mouthpiece is produced only starting from what seem to me three rather large openings, which could exclude those who prefer narrower or medium-large openings and, probably, with a more centered, focused and, perhaps, relatively brighter sound.
Giuseppe.
Thanks Steve for the review. You sound great with that mouthpiece on your SBA! While I like taming character of 404 ligature on Otto Link STM. to make it sound more forward and defined, but I found out that the payoff is reducing tone shaping and flexibility in that regard. I guess if someone likes that tone very much (in this case the Selmer mouthpiece sounds like a very nice classic jazz recording tone that perhaps some musicians really like to nail down) then your objective is not flexibility. I’m curious if a different ligature like Marc Jean would add more vibrancy / freedom of reed vibration to the tone that allows shaping the tone with embouchure. Also positioning the ligature closer to the window may help reduce the effect of extra long facing curve in case it can make the mouthpiece behave a bit closer to medium long facing curve which perhaps helps with having crisper articulations that you mentioned. Just a thought.
Thanks, Arya. Those are some great ideas. I will try out the Marc Jean ligature and experiment with moving the ligature closer to the window. I’ll let you know. Thanks!
a nice piece, but it costs a lot. 540 euros in France. I don’t know in USA now with the new duties, Bravo Steve, you make it sound as good as it could be.
It sounds excellent in the various clips, congratulations. However, I don’t notice much difference with the Theo Wanne Lakshmi 7** metal I use. Thanks for the review. Best regards.
Well first I think you could make rico beginner mouthpiece sound great. After listening to you play Syos, Otto links etc… I am founding this Selmer Piece to be a very beautiful sound for you.
I blow this mouthpiece, tip-opening opening 8, on a Yamaha 82Z WOF UL and the C1 Custom neck. I use the Woodstone Ligature as well as Legere French Cut 3.0, Vandoren Java Red 3.5 and Woodstone 3.5. The mouthpiece is fantastic in every way. Selmer does not conceive a replica or homage of any historical mouthpiece: the Jazz Tribute speaks for itself. The enclosed ligature looks elegant, is not bad, but the mouthpiece interacts better with the reed if you use another ligature, for example a woodstone. The sound of the mouthpiece is very complex and colorful and what particularly characterizes it is its unusual density and substance.