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Brian Powell

Mouthpiece Cafe House Blend II Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

January 12, 2017 by Steve 3 Comments

Today, I am reviewing another saxophone mouthpiece made by Brian Powell and Erik Greiffenhagen over at Mouthpiece Cafe.  If you have visited my site before you probably know that I hold Brian and Erik in pretty high regard.  They have both done tons of sax mouthpiece refacing jobs for me over the years with great results. […]

Filed Under: Mouthpiece Reviews, Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Brian Powell, Erik Greiffenhagen, House Blend II, mouthpiece Cafe, saxophone mouthpiece, tenor sax

Modern STM Otto Link Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Refaced by Brian Powell

June 18, 2010 by Steve 8 Comments

This is a modern Super Tone Master Otto Link tenor saxophone mouthpiece.   Everyone knows that buying a modern metal Otto Link is pretty much a roll of the dice.  I remember going to a music store and trying 10 of them and not liking any of them.  Many times over the years I have stopped […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Brian Powell, otto link, Super Tone Master, tenor saxophone

Berg Larsen 110/2 Tenor Mouthpiece

August 14, 2009 by Steve 28 Comments

This is a Berg Larsen hard rubber tenor mouthpiece I recently won on ebay.  I saw that it was refaced by Brian Powell and I knew it had to be good.  Sure enough it plays great.  I thought it would be really bright but it has a big thick core to it that is nice. […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: berg larsen, Brian Powell, tenor mouthpiece

Battle of the 3 Florida Link Tenor Mouthpieces

August 14, 2009 by Steve 11 Comments

I thought I would put up a comparison clip of 3  metal STM Florida  Otto Link tenor mouthpieces that I have.  The first one is a Florida Link 7*(no USA) that was refaced by someone. If I had to bet money on it I would say it’s Theo Wannes work.  It looks just like other […]

Filed Under: Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Brian Powell, florida link, otto link, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews, Theo Wanne

Early Babbitt Otto Link .110 Tenor Mouthpiece

August 14, 2009 by Steve 3 Comments

This is the Early Babbitt Otto Link I have posted about before. The last SP  otto link I got that Brian Powell had worked on was a .110 and I loved it. I t just felt like the tip opening was where I felt the most comfortable.  I sent this Early Babbitt Otto Link (.105) […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Brian Powell, early babbitt, otto link, tenor mouthpiece

SP Otto Link Tenor Mouthpiece

August 14, 2009 by Steve 3 Comments

This is another SP otto link that Brian Powell refaced and brought the beak down on.  I love these mouthpieces.  They are not too dark, not too bright but can really blow when you lay into them.  This is a .110 and is a little darker than the .107 Otto Link I had.  I saw […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Brian Powell, SP Otto Link, tenor mouthpiece

Brian Powell Refaced NY Link 7*

August 13, 2009 by Steve 2 Comments

This is a NY link that I won off ebay that was advertised as worked on by Theo Wanne.   I put my own baffle in it.  There is an earlier clip of it on here if you look with a description. I sent it off to Brian Powell and asked him to clean up […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Brian Powell, NY link, tenor mouthpiece

Early Babbitt HR Otto Link 7* Tenor Mouthpiece

August 13, 2009 by Steve 8 Comments

Holy Cow!  This piece is great.  I just got four pieces back today from Brian Powell.  This is the Jon Van Wie refaced link that has a clip posted of it last year.  This piece always played nice but didn’t have any guts to it.  I really couldn’t dig in with it.  I played another […]

Filed Under: Tenor Medium Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Brian Powell, early babbitt, tenor mouthpiece

Hard Rubber Otto Link 7* Tenor Mouthpiece

August 13, 2009 by Steve 11 Comments

This mouthpiece is the best hard rubber link I’ve ever played.  I won it off Ebay for 200.00 bucks.  That was the opening bid and no one else bid on it.  It’s a little confusing because the seller said it was a John Reilly reface but when I received the piece it had engraving on […]

Filed Under: Tenor Low Baffle Reviews, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Brian Powell, otto link, tenor mouthpiece

Early Babbit Alto Mouthpiece 7

August 13, 2009 by Steve 2 Comments

This is the Freddie Gregory refaced HR link that I recorded on another clip. It played great but to be honest…..it was way to picky with reeds.  It would take me forever to find a good reed.  I sent it to Brian and had him work on it and set the tip at .080 which […]

Filed Under: Alto Low Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: alto mouthpiece, Brian Powell, Early Babbit

Hard Rubber Berg Larsen Alto Mouthpiece

August 13, 2009 by Steve 4 Comments

This is a Berg Larsen hard rubber mouthpiece that I won on ebay.  It was advertised as being worked on by Freddie Gregory.  I was not happy with it when I got it at all. I would be very surprised if Freddie Gregory had worked on this. It didn’t seem to play like most of […]

Filed Under: Alto High Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: alto mouthpiece, berg larsen, Brian Powell, freddie gregory

Florida Hard Rubber Otto Link Alto Mouthpiece

August 13, 2009 by Steve 4 Comments

This is a hard rubber otto link I bought on ebay.  It was advertised as being worked on by John Reilly and had a  5* facing on it.  It played well but was a little too closed for me.  I sent it to Brian Powell and had him reface it to a  .080 which is […]

Filed Under: Alto Low Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: Brian Powell, florida, john reilly, otto link

Meyer G Alto Mouthpiece

August 13, 2009 by Steve 11 Comments

This was a Meyer G with a 5 opening. It was way to small for my tastes. I sent it to Brian Powell to reface it and open it to a .076. It played nice before and had a lot of volume but it felt to closed for me.  This was the first piece I […]

Filed Under: Alto Medium Baffle Reviews, Alto Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: alto mouthpiece, Brian Powell, Meyer

Poll of 9 Tenor Mouthpieces

October 20, 2008 by Steve 6 Comments

I decided to run a poll for 9 sound clips I just made of my last 9 tenor mouthpieces.  I’m having a heck of a time deciding which ones to sell and I figured it would help me to play them side by side and record them.  On all 9 clips I’m just playing a […]

Filed Under: Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews Tagged With: blues, Brian Powell, mouthpiece poll, solo sax, Tenor Mouthpiece Reviews

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Testimonials

Steve,  Just want to say thanks for all you are doing for all of us. I’ve learned more from you than anyone else in my 40 years of playing.

If you can give some tips on One Note Samba, Ceora, and Wave… that would be cool.  I really like learning how you apply your concepts to actual songs!

Have a great year,

Kevin Ledbetter

I've learned more from you than anyone else in my 40 years of playing.
I’m an experienced player in the pop/soul/funk areas of music and, previously, classical.  Over the decades I’ve been playing, I’ve always felt that I could do what I needed in those styles of music.  However, recently I began to feel limited by my use of the same old licks. When I discovered Steve Neff’s website, and heard the audio examples based on the exercises in his books, I realized they were what I needed.  I purchased all of them and have been working on them since.  It’s very hard work… Read more
Paul
I just joined Neff Music last month. I can’t tell you how excited I’ve been to be able to pick back up on lessons. I’ve been in a rut and you got me out! I’ve especially appreciated the Lesson Path section. It was so clear I knew exactly where to jump in and start. Many many thanks!
Karin

Steve, just a note to say thanks.

I’ve been playing a long time, but your material, laid out in such a thoughtful way, helps me to understand concepts in a new and deeper way.

You are a true gift to the jazz community.

60 lessons and going strong,

Kevin Ledbetter

Kevin Ledbetter
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
Just wanted to send you a quick note to say thank you for being you, your playing, your website and your desire to help others. I’m a professional musician in the US Army and I’ve visited your website almost every day since discovering it a couple of months ago. Your lessons are profound and easy to use. I’ve purchased most of your PDF books and now am starting to delve more into the video and audio lessons.  Thank you for being a great resource!
James
Thank you so much for the great job you are doing to help further our jazz studies. Though I make my living as a repairer of musical instruments I am a student of jazz and have been fortunate enough to be involved with a big band and a combo for the last several years. As my children began to leave “the nest” I had decided to dedicate the next half of my life to a more serious study of the sax but I didn’t know exactly how I would go about doing this until a friend of mine turned me onto your si… Read more
Jon

Hello Steve,

I just want to say thank you so much for your unbelievable work, it is just mind opening, thanks for sharing it.

Wolfgang from Berlin

Wolfgang from Berlin
Hi Steve, I live in a gorgeous but rural area of Oregon-no music store within 80 miles. Your lessons are my lifeline!  Truly the best there are anywhere online. Love your playing. Love your teaching.  Thanks again. Ed
Ed Woodmansee
I am enjoying your style of teaching, and you’ve done a great job with the videos….good sound quality and well constructed lessons.  Balances the more guitaristic material found on the majority of guitar based programs.  Jazz vocab is what I’m all about at this point in the journey.   I especially dig the fact that you’ve studied with Bergonzi…helps me see his voluminous output in a more  bite sized way.
Milton
Hey Steve, My name is Jason Freese and I play keyboards and sax in the band Green Day.  I grew up taking sax lessons from Eric Marienthal when I was a kid and got out of it for a long time. I ran into you on youtube while searching for sax stuff. I bought a whole bunch of your lessons and have been loving it! Thanks! Here is my wikipedia so you can see the albums I’ve played on….Thanks again. It’s sparked my interest in practicing again.   Jason
Jason Freese (sax player for Green Day)

Thank You Steve. I think that I will be busy for years. Thank You for your great contribution to jazz music. Your books, more than teaching “how to play jazz”, actually teach “how to speak jazz”. I wish I found your methods years ago.  

Jean-Eric

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
Thanks so much for putting all this great learning material out there. I don’t often have the time to take a lesson with a teacher, so the ability to download lessons is really invaluable. My playing has improved enormously (I think :)) – and the lessons are so varied there’s always something to be inspired by. Incredible value too!
Roger

Hi Steve,

First, I want to thank you for all of your great lessons. They are like a “For Dummies” version of all the books on my shelf. The lessons break things down into manageable pieces, and give me the confidence that I’m practicing the right pieces. I’m starting to make progress.   Thank You,   Kim

Kim
By the way, BIG COMPLIMENTS to you, Steve! Not only are you a great player, you are also a great teacher! I, too, am a woodwinds player/teacher. I have new inspiration to play and teach because of you. The concepts and “thinking” is similar to what I already learned in College, but hearing you explain and PLAY the concepts REALLY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE! Also, your written patterns are more interesting than other books I have seen! Keep up the good work. I will be recommending your sit… Read more
I will be recommending your site to others!
I want to say something about Steve Neff’s series of lessons, Beginner Jazz Improvisation. For a couple of years I tried many beginner lessons and my problem was that there was a gap between lessons that were fairly simple and ones that I was not quite ready for and my progress stalled out. That problem was solved with the series Beginner Jazz Improvisation. He guides you step by step along the way and builds a foundation for learning jazz and blues. He leaves no question about what to practice … Read more
Pete
I have NEVER seen material like yours.  Amazing!!
Jerry
It is so refreshing to have a great player, who can provide lessons and examples in a manner which is understandable to most any enthusiastic saxophonist who is ready to improve. not just the, do this, do that, memorize this, memorize that… while all that is absolutely necessary, you go on to give reasons and examples to explain and validate why you have to do all of these things, the benefits, if you will… that is the key for me, you tell, explain, demonstrate, explain some more, you give perso… Read more
Cedric
I just wanted to write a thank you note to you for this website. I play and teach saxophone, but I have always been intimidated by the gear aspect. Your website has helped me become a lot more knowledgable. Your knowledge is staggering! I’m telling all my students about your website. Pierre
Pierre
Absolutely the best learning experience in my 40 years of playing.These books are awesome!!
Alfred LaBella

Love your lessons!  I have been using your lesson packages for many months now, and am learning a lot.  It is so perfect for me with a very busy adult schedule and difficulty in taking jazz/improv music lessons from reputable instructors who live and hour or more away from me.

Lenore
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
I would like to say that in the last year my sax playing has progressed loads from your lessons. I have had a sax for about 20 years and dabbled with lessons from a few teachers and have learnt very little from them. As you have said in your lessons many teachers tell you to use the blues scale and leave it there, not even showing you the resolution points!!. I am now believing I can in time become a good improviser.
Thanks again,
Shane
Shane

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