The Woodwind Forum
Dedicated To The Woodwind Enthusiast
Jazz Saxophone Etudes, Volume 2 – Reviewed
Jan 26th
A review of “Jazz Saxophone Etudes, Volume 2″ by Greg Fishman can now be found in the Reviews Section.
Woodwind Forum Discussion Community Launched!
Jan 12th
You’ve found the woodwindforum.com’s front page!
Poke around and you will find diverse content about woodwind instruments. We also have a Vintage Ads Gallery and one of the best resources (if we do say so ourselves) about Yanagisawa Saxophones.
Our Discussion Community is a great place to talk about your favorite woodwind instrument whether it is a saxophone, clarinet, flute, oboe, or bassoon.
www.woodwindforum.com/community
Twelve Days of Christmas – Saxophone Style
Dec 24th
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Twelve New York Meyers
Eleven Charlie Parkers
Ten Zoots a-drinking
Nine brown box Rico’s
Eight reeds adjusting
Seven ligs a loosening
Six tunes a changing
Five vintage horns
Four Great Neck Brilhart’s
Three Stan Getz’s
Two vintage links
And a gorgeous and mint Mark VI
Bass Sax Blues
Dec 17th
Thought I had a great lead on a bass sax for a good price. No such luck. Still hunting for that killer deal.
Greatest Alto Players
Dec 13th
In no particular order:
Siguard Rascher – Top tones!
Marcel Mule – The French School
Cannonball Adderley – Amazing tone, technique, and feel
Paul Desmond – Could you be more lyrical on the alto?
Phil Woods – The complete post bop package. Beautiful tone and lyricism on ballads.
Johnny Hodges – There’s only one Johnny Hodges!
Benny Carter – Such great sensitivity in all that he played.
Kenny Garrett – The best of the “young” guys. Unique tone and wonderful technique. Really interesting sense of harmonics and scales.
Greg Osby – Pushes the envelope of jazz/fusion/funk and everything else
Steve Coleman – One of the coolest senses of harmonics and scales around.
Low B flat or Low A Bari?
Nov 16th
I own a couple of JK stencil B flats and generally play the JK’s instead of the Beugnier stencil low A that I have. I think I prefer the tone of the JK’s and the action is a lot more friendly. It’s rare that I need a low A so it hasn’t really been an issue. Like most players I’d love to have a nice modern low A but the price of baritones has gone through the roof in the last few years.
Oboe Is Hard
Nov 15th
I picked up an oboe this summer and all I can tell you is that it is hard to play! The horn is in good adjustment but oboe requires a lot more adjustment for intonation than even the most out of tune saxophone. Clarinet is easy by comparison. I do have to say that I find oboe easier to play than flute. Nothing I’ve found yet is harder than flute.
2003 Alto Setup
May 24th
Prior to early 2004 I was an alto player. After that time I started to play tenor most of the time. Here’s a peek into what I was playing in 2003:
Alto:
63 Buescher 400
55 Buescher Aristocrat 141
Vandoren V16 A5 mouthpiece – Most Playing
Selmer S80 C* mouthpiece – Classical or Ensemble
vintage Martin mouthpiece – Classical
Bonade lig (backups are Harrison and Vandoren Masters)
I am using Rico Jazz Selects in 2 1/2 and Alexanders in 2 1/2 for most of my playing. I prefer a bright reed.
I use Hemke 2 1/2 for classical or when I want a darker tone.
May 2007 alto setup:
1960 Selmer Mark VI – Chicago Mouthpieces R Series Prototype or vintage Selmer Short Shank Soloist – Fibracell Reeds
1952 Buescher Aristocrat 140 – Chicago Mouthpieces R Series Prototype or Chicago Mouthpieces SJ – Fibracell Reeds
I inherited my VI and bought the Buescher after working with the 400 and 141 a bit and finding that they were too bright for the sound I wanted. I prefer a full tone with less higher partials.
Sonny Rollins – Nine Birthday Videos
Sep 8th
Sonny Rollins had his 76th birthday yesterday and gave his fans a present by releasing nine videos from throughout his career. They’ll be up for a few more days so enjoy them while you can. Sonny Rollins Birthday Videos
Listening To A Conversation – Lessons in Jazz Improv with Tim Price and Sue Terry
Sep 8th
I had the opportunity to review a new CD by Tim Price and Sue Terry. It’s a great free improv collection. You can read the review in the Reviews Section.