Here the Coltrane tribute continues. The rest of the sax players check a chance to blow.
On tenor saxophone: Michaell Brecker, Dave Liebman, Joshua Redman, George Garzone
On piano: Geoffrey Keezer
On bass: Dave Holland, Christian McBride
On drums: Jack Dejhonette, Brian Blade
Here’s an epic Coltrane tribute concert featuring the tenor sax –
On tenor saxophone: Michaell Brecker, Dave Liebman, Joshua Redman, George Garzone
On piano: Geoffrey Keezer,
On bass: Dave Holland, Christian McBride,
On drums: Jack Dejhonette, Brian Blade
Neal, an instrument mechanic said jupiters has many problems. A used student Yamaha maybe a better route that way the beginning student will know it’s him or her needs to adjust tone etc. preventing being in the dark of a malfunction instrument.
-Yvonne
Hey Yvonne,
The older Jupiters used to have a lot of problems. They have gotten better over the years. A Yamaha will probably be better, I would agree. They used to not be great either. Both companies have improved a lot with time.
I have liked the Jupiter and know other sax players who have them and like them.
Yamaha is a bit safer though.
-Neal
Ok, great information
-Yvonne
Hey Neal!
Cheers on the info. I’ve already started by making simple recordings so I can recognize and play notes in my mind instead of music. I’m just starting with the basics and practicing a couple of notes at a time.
Just one question. I’ve noticed that there are a few saxes with white lacquer. They look great! How popular are they and are they worth the extra buck? I’m still happy with my Reference 54. It’s still a great horn.
I’ll keep reading the sax station. Catch you later!
Manny
Hey Manny,
Cool. Yeah, making recordings is a great idea. Can be a little painful to listen to it…. haha
I haven’t seen too many of the pros using the colored saxophones. They’re made by LA sax? They seem to like the crazy colors.
My personal opinion- the lacquer is just paint, and it doesn’t help your sound. Plating is different- gold/blacknickel/silver are all actual metals that can change the sound.
But some people get the lacquer itself removed from their saxes because it ‘deadens’ the sound.
-Neal
Playing saxophone (and music in general) is good for the soul! An old teacher of mine, Gary Stotz, always said that it’s a great antidepressant.
If you’re looking for saxophone lessons in Pacific Grove or Monterey for yourself or your student, I will be teaching this summer. E-mail me at neal (at) saxstation.com (replace the (at) with @ and remove the spaces).
Played in the band while I went to school in Pacific Grove (and jazz band and full orchestra), and took some lessons over the years. At university I continued playing in big band and jazz combo as well as several bands with fellow students. I took some piano lessons too, which I would highly recommend since it lets you see the chords and gives you a much better sense of harmony, etc.
Since it’s so close by, I have almost always gone to the Monterey Jazz Festival. There have been some amazing performances and it makes me want to get better so I can become awesome on sax too.
Playing saxophone isn’t easy, well playing it well isn’t anyway. I suppose you could honk out a note without much effort.
On saxophone, you need to have the right attitude and the intention to play what you want when and how you want it. With the that attitude you still need to find what to practice and how to practice. (got that phrase from a grey-haired sax man). And after you keep at it for a while, you too can rip out a gut-busting sax solo.
I know that I was sometimes in the dark about how to go forward and what musicians to check out.
Let me know how I can help you focus on what you need and what questions you have. And if you’re interested in saxophone lessons, shoot me an email.
Stan Getz playing some latin jazz. The album is Cafe del Mar.
Eddie sent me this video the other day.
Gotta dig Stan Getz’s sound. George Young told me to listen to more of him- to get more of the feminine sound incorporated in what I play- really to get the versatility to be able to do that and also have a solid powerful sound on sax when I want it.
What is a good brand for tenor saxophones ?
Selmer, Keilwerth, Yamaha, Yanagisawa are some good saxophone brands.
Check out this post to read more in the post and the comments, https://saxstation.com/saxophone-brands.htm
Many players like the Selmer Mark VI’s best, but some are in bad condition and may need many repairs or be beyond repair. Within the brands the different models can be very different. Even the same model may feel/sound different.
Yamaha is a bit more affordable than the others.
Go try them out and see what you like!
Saxophone breathing question?
I’ve only taken up sax a few months ago. When playing I find that when my lungs get fatigued, exhaling relieves it, not inhaling. Is the main root of this problem that I need more lung strength, or that I need to practice exhaling all my air quickly before taking in new air during a song, or do I need to do something else?
fred_jala on flickr
mikebaird on flickr
Since you started only a few months ago, you’re still getting used to playing saxophone.
You’ll build up lung strength as you play.
A good exercise is called doing ‘long tones’ where you play notes for an extended period of time.
One exercise I do takes about 8 minutes. I spend one complete breath split between two notes. Then progress up and down chromatically one octave from low E to E.
What kind of sax does Gato Barbieri play?
| Instrument | Mouthpiece | Reed |
| Selmer Mark VI Tenor Saxophone | Berg Larsen Metal 105 – short facing tenor moutpiece | Rico 1 ½ |
(From http://www.theowanne.com/mouthpieces101/playerSetUps.php?pid=5#SetUp)
I love the sound of Gato Barbieri- he lets loose some crazy passion out of his saxophone. He both plays sax and composes.
His music from Last Tango In Paris was nominated for a Grammy. Her’s another video with Gato Barbieri:
Here Gato Barbieri plays with Carlos Santana
If you play saxophone, and someone asks you to play, and you don’t have music….. what are you going to do?
Even if you do call the ghostbusters, it’s not going to help you.
Knowing tunes and being able to make up a solo will save you.
Putting in the practice beforehand will help you out a lot. BUT you don’t want to sound like you’re practicing when you’re taking a solo. So part of it has to be spontaneous. If you put together phrases you know in a way that sounds good, you’re still being creative.
In that sense it’s like language, you speak using words and phrases. It’s not as if you make up new words on the spot using only the letters.
Above phrasing and ideas even, the most important thin however, in my opinion, is your sound. People will often compliment you afterward by saying, “you sounded good.” So practice your long tones! Those will make you sound better and more in tune.
It’s not just about sound though, you also don’t want your rhythm to be off, so practice with a metronome!
Thanks Neal. I have only just started playing Alto Sax as an adult. I was experiencing a lot of discomfort in my right thumb. I found I was holding the instrument incorrectly and have now adjusted the thumb hook and my grip which has helped. However, as I am going to buy a better quality Sax now I know I am sticking with it, I was wondering if a Tenor might be more comfortable for me to hold (given its larger diameter). I have quite big hands. Also would you say Tenor is better suited to Rock and Blues than Alto.
-Davey
Hey Davey,
Sounds like you fixed the issue with your sore thumb?
Most of the pressure shouldn’t be on your thumb, if your neck strap is adjusted right.
Personally, I use a harness for my tenor. It won’t hurt your neck today or tomorrow, but years of playing all the time will cause problems. With alto, you probably don’t need one.
I have known quite few sax players who would do things like using a regular neck strap with a bari sax…. Even with tenor it can be bad (over time).
It doesn’t look quite as ‘cool’ on stage, but for the bigger saxophones, it may be better to practice with a harness and perform with a neckstrap.
A tenor might be more comfortable for you. That’s funny though, usually I hear about people’s hands being too small for the bigger saxophone, guess your case it the opposite. Try one out and see how it feels.
For me, the issue is more about which one you like the sound of better. I like the tenor sound. But alto can be have a sweet sound and is usually better for classical music and there are some great jazz alto players too.
Cannonball Adderley could definitely play the blues, but yes, the tenor is usually used more for rock and blues. You would sound different if you used an alto for blues and rock, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
-Neal
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