I want to start this review out with a big apology to Joe Rohrbacher of Just Joe’s Music in Bend, Oregon. Joe sent me a couple of complimentary Just Joe’s Sax Gel Straps to try out and perhaps review almost 5 YEARS AGO!! This was around the fall of 2011 and at the time I was having a […]
saxophone
The Lighthouse Omnibook-Dave Liebman and Steve Grossman Review
Today’s review is about a great transcription book by Petter Wettre entitled “The Lighthouse Omnibook”. This book has been sitting on my shelf for a few years but I was reminded of it the other day when John Greiner (a great tenor player that I played with at Berklee in different ensembles) mentioned the […]
Westcoast Sax MoFo Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
Today, I am reviewing the Westcoast Sax “MoFo” tenor saxophone mouthpiece. Now, not being hip to the newest slang and terminology, I had to ask my teenagers what MoFo meant. My daughters told me “Mofo” stood for mother-f*****, someone who is bad-a** or hard core. My first thought was “Why would someone name a saxophone […]
Wes Montgomery’s Round Midnight Transcription for Tenor Sax
A friend of mine emailed me a link to the youtube video below and I have been listening to it all week long. I love the way Wes Montgomery plays the melody on Round Midnight by Thelonious Monk. It’s got a great bluesy feel to it that I don’t hear with any of the sax […]
Joe Allard Overtone Exercise for Saxophone
I wanted to share this great saxophone Overtone exercise that Dr. David Demsey wrote out a number of years ago. Dr. Demsey studied with Joe Allard from 1977-1980 and is the Coordinator of Jazz Studies and Professor of Music at William Paterson University. There is a great interview with Dr. Demsey about Joe Allard that any of you […]
Forestone Hinoki Synthetic Reeds Review
Today, I am reviewing a product that I never ever thought I would review. The product is a synthetic reed. (*Before you read further, I need to state in all honesty, that I have always hated, detested and scorned every synthetic reed I have ever tried. Over the last 20 years I have at times tried […]
This Guy Blows My Mind…….Derek Brown
Derek Brown has a Youtube channel called “Beatbox Sax”. While most of us mere mortals are just trying to figure out how to play the sax the normal way (or should I say the way that is most “common”), Derek is one of those rare individuals that is breaking new ground with the saxophone. Check out the two […]
Danny Walsh Transcription of Solo on “One for Rich”
Here’s another great solo transcription from a Youtube video that I started working on a few days ago. My tenor was getting overhauled so I thought I would take a stab at an alto solo while it was in the shop. This is from the great sax player, Danny Walsh and is a solo he played with the Ball State […]
Mark Russo-Saxophone Overtones, Altissimo and Growling
This is a great video of Mark Russo demonstrating different concepts on a Cannonball alto and tenor saxophone. Mark was one of the first professional saxophone players I ever heard in concert. I was in high school and went to the Syracuse Jazz Festival and a group called the Yellowjackets started playing. I had […]
Chad Lefkowitz-Brown transcription of Tenor Sax Dexterity Solo
Today I am sharing a transposed part to a solo transcription done by Joey Lieber (pianist). Joey shared this tenor saxophone transcription on Facebook in C last week and I wanted to transpose it to Bb for tenor saxophone ASAP as this was a very cool solo…….. This transcription is of a solo that Chad Lefkowitz-Brown […]
Free Video Lesson on Approach Note Velocity Book
I decided to offer a free video lesson on my book “Approach Note Velocity Volume 1 & 2” for everyone. I have sold many of these books over the years and really want to make sure that everyone is getting the most out of them that they can. You can consider this an “overview” lesson on […]
Ken Okutsu Traditional Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
Today, I am reviewing my third hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece from Ken Okutsu in Japan. It is the Traditional model and has a 7 tip opening which is .104. ( I call it a 7* tip in the recordings below because .104 is close to the traditional 7* size). I already reviewed my first two Okutsu mouthpiece […]
Saxophone Microphone Review and Audio Shootout Part 2
Walter Ruckdeschel wrote a great in-depth review of 8 different stand mounted microphones that can be used for live gigs a number of months ago. I was so fascinated that I asked him if I could post his finding here for everyone to see. Walt emailed me today and said that he had just completed […]
Phil-Tone Rift Alto Mouthpiece Review
Today, I am reviewing another great mouthpiece by Phil Engleman at Phil-Tone mouthpieces. Phil Engleman is the founder of Phil-Tone mouthpieces and I have reviewed a number of his excellent mouthpieces in the past. The Equinox,the Eclipse, the Solstice, the Tribute, the Sapphire, etc…………… Phil came out with this new alto sax mouthpiece a […]
Great George Garzone Masterclass
Here’s a recently posted masterclass by the great jazz teacher and tenor saxophone player George Garzone. I studied with George for a semester or two while at Berklee back in the mid 80’s. I remember him messing up my whole musical worldview by telling me to not tongue and stop playing licks. ( I had […]
ReedJuvinate Woodwind Reed System Review
Today, I am reviewing a product called the ReedJuvinate Woodwind Reed System. As a woodwind player, you are probably already aware of what a pain reeds can be to keep and store. How do you best store them? I’m always curious about the different ways people store their reeds when not in use. I’ve seen […]
Devastating Minor Lines for Jazz and Funk Soloing
I just finished a brand new Neffmusic book that I am very excited about. The description is below: An inside approach to outside playing using pentatonics, chromaticism, 3-tonic systems and intervallic patterns to produce modern lines in the style of Michael Brecker and Bob Berg. Devastating Minor Lines contains 100 16th note lines written out […]
Saxophone Microphone Review and Audio Shootout
I recently had a member on my site (Walter Ruckdeschel) post an in-depth review of 8 different stand mounted microphones that can be used for live gigs. I was so fascinated that I asked him if I could post his finding here for everyone to see. If I didn’t have my hands full teaching and […]
Rafael Navarro Maestra Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
I have another Rafael Navarro mouthpiece up for review today. This is a hard rubber Maestra 6* soprano saxophone mouthpiece. I used a Vandoren Java 2 1/2 reed on it with a Vandoren Optimum metal ligature. My soprano sax is a Yamaha YSS-62. Like all of Rafael’s mouthpieces I have tried so far, this one […]
Rafael Navarro Maestra Marble Tenor Mouthpiece
I have another Rafael Navarro tenor mouthpiece up for review today. This is a marble Maestra 8. I used a Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 strong reed on it with a Francois Louis Ultimate ligature. Like all of Rafael’s mouthpieces I have tried so far, this one is a work of art. The mouthpiece looks so […]
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