Everything Saxophone Podcast

Rulon Brown grew up in the boondocks of Anchorage, Alaska playing saxophone in coffee shops and pit orchestras for caffeinated audiences with cabin fever. As a teenager, he spent summers in Pittsburgh studying with legendary soul saxophonist Eric Kloss.   He performs many genres of music, including Celtic Jazz and Latin music, and his commercial credits include work for interactive media, TV, radi...

Having been nominated as Rising Star Alto Saxophone by Downbeat Magazine for 9 years in a row, Sharel Cassity is making a name for herself in the Jazz world. She's performed with Herbie Hancock, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, Natalie Cole, Wynton Marsalis and many other Jazz legends.   She's also performed with mainstream artists such as Aretha Franklin, Natalie Merchant, KD Lang, Vanessa Williams and...

John Mackey is a MD and biomedical researcher, a passionate jazz musician, and lead alto sax player in the River City Big Band in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.   John is the founder and creator of  ReedJuvinate , a reed storage system that makes reeds instantly playable and germ-free. The link to his full biography, along with more Resources for this episode, is on our  website . In this episode, we...

Adam Larson is quickly becoming one of the most recognized names in the jazz world. Adam hails from Normal, IL and now lives, teaches, and performs in the New York City area. Adam has four albums as a leader and his latest album, Second City, received a four star rating in Downbeat and was listed as one of the best recordings of 2017. Adam is endorsed by P. Mauriat Saxophones and Vandoren. His pro...

Sean Murphy is a classical saxophonist, educator, and publisher who has a lot to share and we think you'll find this interview packed with useful information! Sean is currently a candidate for a DMA from the University of North Texas. We used this interview as an opportunity to talk about the process of receiving a terminal degree in music and what that does for your chances of teaching in higher...

Vocalist, saxophonist and songwriter/arranger, Bobby Hurricane Spencer lifts the spirits and moves the body with his deep soulful and funky blues. Recently named by Elmore Magazine as one of the top six killer artists you need to hear right now, Bobby started his musical career in Oakland but now calls Los Angeles home. He cut his teeth in the Chitlin' Circuit of the Bay Area, anchored dead center...

Cory Weeds is a saxophonist, label owner, and one of Canada's hardest working musicians. He studied saxophone at North Texas and has been making waves in the music industry ever since. He has performed with the likes of Mike Ledonne, Christian McBride, Joe Farnsworth, Peter Bernstein, and Joey DeFrancesco. He was the owner of the now defunct, Cellar Jazz Club in Vancouver. There, he made it a poin...

Darren Rahn is a Canadian-born, Denver-based saxophonist, mixing engineer and producer with over 25 #1 singles, multiple Grammy nominations over the past 11 years.   He has recorded 6 albums. His 5th album, Sonic Boom features the song,  Losing You , which pays homage to his dear friend Waymon Tisdale, who passed away 6 years ago.   Darren's latest album,  Hymns from the Heart,  draws upon his Gos...

John Ellis is one of the most in demand saxophone and woodwind players in the world today. In 1992, John Ellis moved to New Orleans to study with the legendary Marsalis family, thus beginning his New Orleans connection. Around 1996 Ellis moved to New York and has been there ever since while keeping his NOLA connections and inspirations intact. Ellis keeps an impossibly busy schedule putting out a...

Jim Snidero is both a legendary saxophonist and educator of the highest caliber. Growing up in Camp Springs, Maryland, Snidero took to music and the saxophone at a young age. After attending the University of North Texas, he made his move to New York and has been a fixture on the scene ever since. After arriving in New York, Snidero gained notoriety by joining the band of the legendary organist, B...

Jamey Aebersold was born July 21, 1939, in New Albany, Indiana. He attended college at Indiana University and graduated in 1962 with a Masters Degree in Saxophone. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music by Indiana University in 1992. He also plays piano, bass and banjo. In 1989, the International Association of Jazz Educators inducted Jamey into their Hall of Fame at the San Diego conventio...

Jazmin Deborah Ghent is a national jazz and gospel recording artist born in Heidelberg, Germany and currently residing in Central Florida. She was recently voted Best New Artist of 2017 by the Smooth Jazz Network.  She graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education/Jazz Studies and Tennesssee State University with a Master's Degree in Music Education. She curre...

This week's episode is a good one. Dan Gelok from the University of Houston stops by to give us somewhat of a masterclass on controlling the saxophone. This discussion comes in the form of talking about voicing, overtones, and altissimo. All of which Dan is a master of both as a player and a teacher. So many players have trouble with this aspect of playing the horn and Dan does  such a great job o...

Nigel McGill's performing career is quite diverse, having performed with military bands, cruise ship ensembles, symphony orchestras and big bands. He has done extensive studio work, having performed for movies and many television shows including the hit USA series "24" and "Bones". As a musical director, Nigel has conducted tours throughout the UK and Europe including performances at London's famo...

Bobs. That is Bob Franceschini and Bob Hemenger. These two great saxophonists and educators are two of the three masterminds behind the Inside-Outside Saxophone Retreat which takes place in Tennessee every summer.   The Inside-Outside Saxophone Retreat is run by the three Bob's: Bob Reynolds, Bob Franceschini and Bob Hemenger.   Bob Reynolds is a well-known musician and educator, having toured wit...

Jon Irabagon is one of the most original saxophone players on the scene today. After winning the Monk Competition in 2008, Jon has been making amazing records as well as becoming one of the most in demand sidemen in New York and the world over. Jon is also a super nice guy and more than willing to talk about the things he has done in his career and life that have gotten him to the point he is toda...

If you haven't tried Marca Reeds yet, listen to this interview to see why you should! At NAMM 2018, Donna was hearing all this great buzz about Marca Reeds. Unfortunately, she got to the booth too late to get samples in the strength she needed, but she had a great conversation with Aaron Elvy, the Sales Manager. A week or so later, he sent her some samples of the Jazz reeds. She couldn't believe h...

Welcome back to another episode of the Everything Saxophone Podcast! I'm very excited to bring you this week's episode with one of my favorite saxophone players on earth, Walter Smith III! Walter is one of the top voices in modern music and has recently released  his latest album titled,  Twio.  Walter is from the music hotbed of Houston where he grew up around countless other top jazz musicians s...

Michael Lowenstern, widely considered one of the finest bass clarinetists in the world, has performed, recorded and toured as a soloist and with ensembles of every variety.  He has performed with groups such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Klezmatics, and has 6 solo recordings to date. Michael's Earspasm YouTube channel contains hundreds of videos that have become a source of information...

Roxy Coss is an accomplished saxophonist who has just released her fourth album as a leader, "The Future Is Female." Roxy is an important modern voice in jazz and is doing great things in the New York scene and beyond. In this episode, we talk about Roxy's career as a player and her work as an advocate for women in jazz. Jazz musicians have always been a force for change and Roxy is doing some imp...

Greg Fishman started playing professionally in Chicago at the age of 14. He graduated from DePaul University in Chicago with a degree in Jazz Performance, and earned a Masters Degree in Jazz Pedagogy from Northwestern University. Greg is an expert on the music of Stan Getz, and has authored 3 transcription books of Getz's material. Greg is the author (and publisher) of Jazz Saxophone Etudes Volume...

Noah Preminger is one of the most talented young voices on the tenor saxophone today. Hailing from Connecticut and now making his way on the New York and Boston Jazz scenes, Noah has made quite the name for himself. His prolific output is an important part of what keeps him going in music and life. It was an absolute pleasure to speak with Noah and this interview is a unique one. We get to  see ho...

We are very excited to bring you this week's episode featuring the great, Jeff Kashiwa. Jeff had so many important things to say about saxophone and life as a musician. We are sure you're going to get a ton of actionable advice on this episode. Enjoy! Seattle native,  Jeff   Kashiwa  knew he was destined to be a musician following his junior high introduction to woodwinds. His instincts were corre...

Welcome to our first episode! We are very excited to bring you this fantastic interview with Derek Brown. Thanks for tuning in and enjoy the episode! From his 7 million views on Youtube to his interviews on international television and NPR's Weekend Edition, Billboard-charting saxophonist/innovator Derek Brown and his solo "BEATBoX SAX" project has been exploding across the world music scene. As d...