Today, I am reviewing a new metal tenor saxophone mouthpieces made by Vandoren. This mouthpiece is the Vandoren V16 T7 Medium Chamber model. I have been dying to try this mouthpiece since first hearing about it a few years ago. I used to play a Vandoren V16 T75 back about 12 years ago but was always curious how […]
Seamus Blake “Blues Up and Down” Saxophone Solo Transcription
Here’s a great solo transcription from one of my favorite players, Seamus Blake. This is a fast blues called “Blues Up and Down” and is from an obscure CD entitled “Sax Summit”. I say obscure because I am probably one of the biggest fans and followers of jazz saxophone recordings and I had never heard of it before […]
Bejamin Allen Dagradi Model Tenor Mouthpiece Review
Today, I am reviewing two more hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpieces from Benjamin Allen. These are the 20TD model (also known as the Dagradi model after the great sax player Tony Dagradi). Benjamin Allen was nice enough to send me 3 Dagradi mouthpieces to try and today I am reviewing two of those for you. (The 3rd one […]
Transcriptions of Chris Potter On Rhythm Changes
Here are two short transcriptions of solos Chris Potter did on a March 8, 2008 Masterclass. The bootleg was floating around the internet (www.dimeadozen.org) and I was lucky enough to grab it. In these two examples Chris is showing the differences in his playing style from when he was younger to now. The first solo […]
Donny McCaslin Blues Solo in 6ths Tenor Sax Transcription
Here’s another solo transcriptions I started working on yesterday. This is from a clinic recording of Donny McCaslin demonstrating using sixth intervals while improvising over a standard blues on the tenor saxophone. I have no idea what this is from or even where I got it but it must have been on the internet somewhere. I tried […]
David Mann’s Tenor Saxophone Solo-Sun Down Transcription
Here’s another great David Mann transcription from a Bb Blues that was sent to me from Igor Tomanoski. This is a solo that Dave played on the tune Sun Down. I made a few minor additions and changes to the transcription of some notes and rhythms I heard. This solo is another great example of […]
Neffmusic Lessons: Where do I start?
Now that the Neffmusic site has over 500 lessons to choose from, the two questions I get asked the most every week are: “Where should I start?” and “What should I do next?” (Also, “What mouthpiece should I buy?” but that is a different subject than we are dealing with today). To answer these questions, I […]
David Mann’s Tenor Saxophone Robusto Funky Solo Transcription
Here’s another great David Mann transcription that was sent to me from Mark Sepinuck. John Blevins did all the hard work of transcribing this one. He’s braver than I am to tackle the cadenza at the end of this solo………..Thanks for transcribing this John! David Mann Here’s a short bio of Dave that I found […]
David Mann’s Tenor Saxophone Robusto Blues Transcription
Here’s another killin’ blues transcription I have been working on. This is 14 choruses of a swingin’ blues that David Mann recorded as a demo for the 10mFan Robusto hard rubber mouthpiece last year. As soon as I heard this clip I put it on my list of solos to transcribe. There are lots of great ideas and […]
Chris Potter playing the alto saxophone at 15………….
Here’s an interesting video I just found the other day! This is Chris Potter playing a gig when he was 15 years old! Chris Potter is one of the top tenor saxophone player’s in the world right now. It is so interesting to hear where he was at when he was just 15 years […]
Tony Dagradi Tenor Saxophone Solo Transcription on Invitation
So this week I wanted to keep to my transcription goal but things have been a bit hectic around here. I was playing a Benjamin Allen Tony Dagradi model tenor mouthpiece most of today while I was practicing and it reminded me of a Tony Dagradi solo on Invitation that I had heard a while […]
Michael Brecker Transcription-Blue Bossa 1985
Happy Holidays Everyone!! Here’s another new transcription I have been working on. It’s Christmas Eve, the wife and kids are in bed, the presents are under the tree, not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse, when down from Steve’s office arose such a clatter, the sound of Michael Brecker……that was the matter………. This is […]
Ken Okutsu High Baffle Tenor Mouthpiece Review
Today, I am reviewing my first hard rubber tenor saxophone mouthpiece from Ken Okutsu in Japan. It is the high baffle model and has an 8 tip opening which is .110. I hadn’t heard of Ken Okutsu before but he emailed me asking if I would be willing to try his mouthpieces. I of course […]
Michael Brecker Transcription of Confirmation-Berklee Clinic 1987
Here’s another new transcription I’m working on. Every once in a while I get in a mood to transcribe some Michael Brecker. Then, after I get started I soon think “What the heck was I thinking? This is crazy!” It’s usually after I have slowed down one section to the slowest it can possibly go and […]
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