{"id":100433,"date":"2021-05-11T15:07:12","date_gmt":"2021-05-11T19:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/?p=100433"},"modified":"2021-05-11T15:07:12","modified_gmt":"2021-05-11T19:07:12","slug":"great-video-interview-of-the-saxophone-player-and-teacher-george-garzone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neffmusic.com\/blog\/2021\/05\/great-video-interview-of-the-saxophone-player-and-teacher-george-garzone\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Video Interview of the Saxophone Player and Teacher George Garzone!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here is a great interview of the tenor sax player and teacher George Garzone by Jay Metcalf of BetterSax that I just stumbled upon on Youtube today. I studied with George Garzone for a short time at Berklee College of Music in the late 80’s (I wish I could have studied more with him but I left Berklee soon after that).<\/p>\n

The things I remember most about my sax lessons with George Garzone during that time is that he seemed intent on two things.<\/p>\n

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  1. \u00a0To get me to tongue less (or even not at all)<\/li>\n
  2. \u00a0To get me to stop playing licks.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In the very first lesson, George asked me to play for him.\u00a0 I played a couple of choruses of some standard, and afterwards, I remember George saying (in a very laid back and hip way) that I was tonguing way too much and that we had to work on not playing “licks”.<\/p>\n

    I have to admit that my weekly lesson with Mr. Garzone was very frustrating for me because I had spent close to ten years learning how to improvise in jazz by learning every “lick” I possibly could and now George Garzone was basically trying to teach me to “Stop playing those licks!”.<\/p>\n

    Although it was infuriatingly difficult to not play licks and tongue less, Mr. Garzone really opened a door for me mentally that I believe has had a huge impact on my playing and teaching over the years.\u00a0 I still play my share of licks and patterns but every time I improvise I can hear that “Garzone” voice in my head telling me to “Stop doing that!”\u00a0 “Change things up!” “Play something new, unexpected and unique!” “Stop being so predictable…..”<\/p>\n

    All that being said, I have to say that the highlight of those lessons with George Garzone is that once in a great while when he would stop and say “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” in regard to something that I just played.\u00a0 I would be ecstatic but could I repeat what I just played?\u00a0 No way!\u00a0 I had no idea what I just played.\u00a0 I guess that was whole point that Mr. Garzone was trying to teach me back then.\u00a0 When you spontaneously improvise, it should be hard to repeat!<\/p>\n

    Thanks to George Garzone for all those lessons, all the Fringe gigs at the Willow in Somerville and all the standards he played at Copley Place.\u00a0 I learned so much from all of them!<\/p>\n

    Check out this great interview and be sure to check out some of George Garzone’s recordings!\u00a0 He’s the man!<\/p>\n