Throughout my educational experience there’s always been this looming question: How do I improve my tone?  Now, this can mean a myriad of things for many different people.  For the beginner, it can mean “How can I project more?”, “How do I get better intonation?”, “How can I stop squeaking?”, etc.  For the seasoned veteran, [...]

Thought this was a neat, and somewhat odd, pairing. This is a video of a recent release of Isaac Mizrahi’s (“The Fashion Show” on Bravo) Fall 2010 collection. Now why the heck am I talking about this on my blog? Excellent question internet land! Go through the exact same process I did: watch the video, [...]

Not sure if anyone’s seen this, but it’s kind of like the Siamese twins of saxophone: It’s called the Aulochrome, and it’s the newest edition to the saxophone family.  From what I can hear and tell from the videos I’ve seen, it’s 2 Soprano saxes fused together with a single line of alternate key work [...]

So, you’re in the south east and you wonder “Is there a free jazz festival anywhere nearby?”…. Oh, you mean the Atlanta Jazz Festival, the longest running and largest FREE jazz festival IN THE U.S.!!!!  Yup, that’s what I thought… Anyway, last weekend’s festival was a whole lot of fun.  While I was only able [...]

A new one from NPR.org. Check out the concert photos they took and also take a look at The Bad Plus’ blog. YES, The Bad Plus has A BLOG!!!!

Joe who? For those of you that are not familiar with the Atlanta jazz scene, there’s a phenomenal trumpeter by the name of Joe Gransden.  Among other accolades and professional achievements which are far too many to list here, Joe is a “first call” horn player in Atlanta, glorious singer, and has worked closely with [...]

While my effects rig is still a work in progress, I’ve gotten some comments, e-mails, and phone calls asking what effects I use or recommend.  I’ve got a couple of images here that shows what I’m using and the way I put signal through each of these pedals.  I’ll soon be posting some videos displaying [...]

This is another installment of the live recordings NPR made at the Newport Jazz Festival 2009.  Not only is the Brian Blade Fellowship an amazing band with an incredible sound, it also features two phenomenal saxophonists Melvin Butler (Tenor) and Myron Walden (Alto Sax & Bass Clarinet).  The other members include Jon Cowherd on Piano [...]

Hi guys! I found a great series of videos that Rico Reeds has put out on YouTube of Jerry Bergonzi.  He’s got some great advice and some really cool techniques to improve your saxophone tone, articulation, & embouchure.  This is a set of 14 videos courtesy of Rico Reeds.  They have even more videos on [...]

While this article has absolutely no musical value, I thought this would be something funny to share with everyone.  Follow the link to read the full two page article by Eric Asimov.  Hint: there is mention of a personal Prada shopper…. STYLE | January 10, 1999 SHOPPING WITH: Joshua Redman; A Jazz Virtuoso Is Picky [...]