Everything Saxophone Podcast

Sylvain Carton, originally from France, is a multi-instrumentalist (woodwinds, guitars) and composer currently residing in Los Angeles. He has recorded and performed for numerous groups, including Aly and Aj, Beats Antique, Tenacious D, and Lord Huron, among others. Sylvain is a composer and producer, crafting music for films, commercials, documentaries, and various other mediums. His big band com...

At 22 years old, Austin Gatus has had many accomplishments in his young career.  Austin has performed with Dave Koz locally here in Los Angeles, as well as on the Dave Koz Jazz Cruises to Europe and Alaska. He sat in with the Average White Band a couple of times on a recent tour, and was a featured artist with Kenny G with the Orange County Symphony and San Diego Symphony. In a recent appearance,...

Emerging from their lively Kent base in the UK, TJ saxophones had their beginnings in the early 1990s. Over the years, these instruments have transformed into a globally respected brand, celebrated for their excellence in Student, Step-up, and Professional horns. Learn more about these amazing saxophones in this episode from the NAMM Show 2024, featuring my conversation with Sandro Massullo.  We t...

Pianist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, and conductor - whatever it is Gordon Goodwin touches, it's all about his love of music. Gordon was born in Wichita, Kansas, and Goodwin's parents moved to Southern California when Goodwin was four. He completed his formal music education at Cal State University-Northridge, and began working as a live performer at Disneyland. In 1999, Gordon founded the Bi...

For the second time, we are featuring New York-based saxophonist and composer Sam Newsome on this episode. Sam Newsome often works in the medium of solo saxophone, and has released several critically acclaimed solo saxophone CDs. Since we last spoke to Sam in episode 106 in 2021, he has won the Soprano Saxophone category in the 15th Annual International Critics Poll, been nominated in 2023 for the...

In this episode, we are featuring one of the Pop/Rock world's most recognizable saxophonists, John Helliwell. If you've ever heard The Logical Song, or Take the Long Way Home, Give a Little Bit, or It's Raining Again by Supertramp, you've heard saxophonist and woodwinds specialist, John Helliwell. Born in West Yorkshire, England, John's first instrument was the clarinet. After hearing Sidney Beche...

A native of New Orleans, the birthplace of America's music, Victor Goines is an accomplished composer, musician, and educator.   He serves as the president and chief executive officer of Jazz St. Louis.  In 2016, his composition Untamed Elegance , a tribute to the Jazz Age, was performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Other commissions include Suite for Bird for the Music Institute of Ch...

Everything Saxophone Podcast Host, Donna Schwartz, interviewed New Orleans Saxophonist, Jason Mingledorff, for Episode 190.   We spoke about: What made Jason want to pursue improvised music How he met Sax Gordon How Jason taught himself how to listen A Blues tune that's a masterclass in Blues soloing Why we transcribe and how to do it Jason's resource for learning tunes & a tip from Jason to appre...

This is a Bonus episode! (This is the type of Bonus content that Patrons get on a regular basis. For more info on becoming a Patron, Click Here ) There was so much positive feedback from our 2 previous episodes with Pedro Eustache (episodes 187 & 188), we decided to add a 3rd episode. In this Bonus episode with the world-class woodwind specialist, Pedro Eustache, we wound up talking about:    How...

This episode is Part 2 of a 2-part series with the world-class woodwind specialist, Pedro Eustache. In this episode, we talked about: How he came to the sax from the flute The effect of Joe Allard & Dave Liebman on his playing Why Pedro plays all those instruments & how he finds the time to practice all of them Pedro's background with jazz improvisation & 1 tip How Pedro got the opportunity to per...

This episode is Part 1 of a 2-part series with the world-class woodwind specialist, Pedro Eustache. Pedro, widely known as Pedro Flute, was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and has been a US citizen for decades. Pedro's beginnings were marked by a rich musical culture inspired by his family, and in particular his brother, who exposed him to all types of music at a very young age. Since that time, Pedro...

Max Ionata has garnered critical acclaim for his fresh take on the standards of the Jazz Masters. Born in 1972, he is considered one of the greatest Italian contemporary saxophonists on the scene today, having published over 70 records. Max has recorded with musicians such as Robin Eubanks, Mike Stern, Joe Locke, Bob Mintzer, Joel Frahm and many others, all over the world. For his album, Like , th...

Carly Stock is a Los Angeles-born jazz saxophonist and woodwind artist known for her big tone and even bigger personality.  Since she first started the saxophone, Carly fell in love with masters like Kenny Garrett and Antonio Hart, and as she honed her craft, began implementing their creativity, huge sounds, and grit into her own unique style.  Carly found mentorship at the Colburn School of Perfo...

Latin Grammy Award Winner, Dr. Ed Calle,  is one of the most versatile saxophonists in the world. Having been born to Spanish parents in Caracas, Venezuela, he showed tremendous musical potential at an early age, developing his own distinct sound (which many have said is part of his DNA). Dr. Calle can be heard on over 1,700 albums, and over 10,000 singles, having performed with such legends as Ra...

Everything Saxophone Podcast Host, Donna Schwartz, went on location to the Jody Jazz Factory in Savannah, GA to film a saxophone mouthpiece masterclass by Jody Espina, Founder of Jody Jazz Mouthpieces. Even if you are not an equipment geek, this episode will answer all your saxophone mouthpiece questions.  The link to this episode, along with more Resources, is on our  website .   This episode was...

In the 3rd part of our series, A Day in the Life at the Jody Jazz Factory, Donna interviewed Danielle Walker, Manager, Accounts & Relations Artist & Manager. Along with her other responsibilities, Danielle is the main mouthpiece play-tester at Jody Jazz. She could be testing up to 300 mouthpieces a day! In order to be able to do that (and not lose your mind), she follows a simple process. Find out...

In this 2nd episode on location from Savannah, GA, you get to see how each Jody Jazz mouthpiece is made. From the bar stock, through the CNC machinery, through the buffing and detailing...every step along the way. Whether you are an equipment geek or not, everyone will get something from this episode. We strongly encourage you to watch the video for this one on our website: https://saxophonepodcas...

If you've ever wondered what it's like inside a factory producing saxophone and clarinet mouthpieces, you will want to listen to and watch our new 4-part series documenting a day in the life at the Jody Jazz Factory. Donna was invited down to Savannah, GA to see how JodyJazz mouthpieces are made, start to finish. In this episode, you will get to know Jody Espina and his motivation for starting his...

Everything Saxophone Podcast Host, Donna Schwartz, interviewed Jody Espina, President of Jody Jazz Mouthpieces, Live at the NAMM Show 2023 in Anaheim, CA. One of the biggest releases from the saxophone industry this year has been the new DV HR alto saxophone mouthpiece from Jody Jazz Mouthpieces. Hear what it sounds like, and get all the latest information from Jody Espina President of Jody Jazz....

Get a close up look at the New & Revolutionary Eastman 52nd Street Model 852 Tenor Saxophone! In this episode, Donna interviewed Ryan Richman, of Eastman Winds, Live at the NAMM Show 2023 in Anaheim, CA. There are so many ergonomic improvements to the saxophone with this horn. The sound is even throughout the range. The intonation is spot on. It's no wonder it won awards at The NAMM Show 2023! The...

A number of classical saxophonists had approached me at the NAMM Show a few years ago to let me know about the Lefreque Sound Bridge. They were saying it radically improved their overall sound and made it more efficient to produce in-tune pitches due to the way the Lefreque Sound Bridge bypassed some of the nodes on the saxophone. You can get the details from our previous episode  HERE . What surp...

You've probably heard all the buzz about the release of the Practice Notebooks of Michael Brecker. This episode dives deep into the publishing of those notebooks and more! Dr. David Demsey is the Coordinator of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University in New Jersey. He completed his Doctoral Studies at the Eastman School of Music, and has degrees from Juilliard School of Music and the Universit...

At the NAMM Show 2023, I was able to corner Maxime Carron of SYOS Mouthpieces for a few minutes to get the scoop on the latest happenings with the company. Every year, their booth is so crowded, it's almost impossible to get even a couple of minutes with them. The link to this episode, along with more Resources, is on our website . We also talked about new places you can find SYOS mouthpieces and...

You may not have heard about the new, patented design of the EMEO Digital Practice Saxophone. At the NAMM Show 2023, it was a big hit – their booth was crowded every single day. The link to this episode, along with more Resources, is on our  website .   This episode was proudly sponsored by Rovner Products, creators of fine ligatures for saxophone and clarinet for almost 50 years. www. RovnerProdu...

Richard Pavlidis is a saxophonist, composer, teacher and multi-instrumentalist from Melbourne, Australia. Educated at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Richard has toured Australia, New Zealand and Europe and has performed at major festivals including Splendour in the Grass, The Manly Jazz Festival in Sydney, and the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. Richard's debut solo album '...