Everything Saxophone Podcast

In this episode, Donna interviewed Hans Kuijt, from LefreQue.com, a Dutch-based company that won the School Band and Orchestra award for innovative technology at the recent NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA. The LefreQue sound bridge is an accessory to help all woodwind and brass instrumentalists get better intonation, more core to their sound, and an evenness to the tone. Of course, the accessory does not...

Matt Otto is one of my favorite saxophone players and teachers. Matt's approach to the language and creativity is one of the most important voices in the jazz world. His  amazing website  is a treasure trove of lessons, advice, and wisdom on being the best player you can be. Matt has lived and played all over the world and brings that experience to our conversation. Matt lives in Kansas City and i...

Blues/Funk/Soul Saxophonist, Songwriter and Singer Vanessa Collier has been creating quite a stir in the Blues world, performing in many Blues festivals all over the country, being nominated for Blues and Songwriting Awards  and receiving accolades from Blues Blast Magazine, and epic Blues artists such as Buddy Guy and Joe Louis Walker. Vanessa has released two critically acclaimed albums (2014's...

Saxophonist, Songwriter and Producer Michael Lington has been topping the Contemporary Jazz charts and winning many awards for over 2 decades with his 11 albums and hundreds of live shows.  Soul music really spoke to him at an early age, and Michael's playing can be described as a mixture of King Curtis and Earl Bostic, with a serving of Dave Koz, a smattering of David Sanborn and you have Michael...

This week we welcome one of the top saxophonists in the New York area, Andrew Gould. Andrew is a full time freelance musician doing some very interesting things and loving every minute of it. Andrew has performed with James Moody, Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Wallace Roney, Jon Faddis, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Mambo Legends Orchestra, David Weiss, Bobby Sanabria, Ray Angry and many more. Andr...

Back when I was in high school, I attended some jazz workshops on Long Island, and I met Andy Farber at a couple of them. We became friends, and even back then I was astounded by the knowledge he had of jazz recordings and artists. Well, our show today will be like a jazz history lesson for you. The people that Andy and his family have worked with are among the Who's Who of Jazz, and the details a...

I have never laughed so much and had so much fun with one of my guests as I did with Theo Wanne. Theo is one of the nicest guys in the saxophone industry and most knowledgeable individuals in the world when it comes to the history, design, and elements that make a great mouthpiece. It isn't every day that I get to speak with a world authority on what is, perhaps, the most important piece of equipm...

Saxophonist, Songwriter/Composer and Vocalist Grace Kelly is on top of the music world as of late. In 2018, she was the Grand Prize winner for the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the Country Music category. She appears regularly in the house band for the Late Show with Stephen Colbert , and was highlighted on screen as a jazz soloist for the emmy-nominated Amazon series Bosch. Grace broke open...

Kenyon Carter is a saxophonist, recording artist, and jazz educator who has spent more than twenty five years helping countless people become better musicians. Kenyon has worked with middle school and high school students as a band director and frequent honor band clinician, aspiring saxophonists as a university saxophone and jazz instructor, and other musicians across the globe through his popula...

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. Austin has also had preg...

Saxophone nerds unite! This week's episode is really fun and informative when it comes to thinking about the history of the amazing horns we play and some of the gear surrounding the instrument. Derek has made it his mission to be as knowledgeable as possible about vintage and modern saxophones and mouthpieces. Derek is also a fantastic saxophonist and woodwind artist based out of the Salt Lake Ci...

Steve Neff has been playing and teaching saxophone and jazz improvisation around the New England area for the last 30 years.  He is the author of many popular jazz improvisation books as well as founding the popular jazz video lesson site Neffmusic.com  that has over 600+ video lessons on it as well as hundreds of sax related reviews.  The link to his full biography, along with more Resources for...

This week we caught up with Kris Urbanski for an exciting conversation. Kris is a saxophonist and educator based out of London and has been dazzling audiences around the world with his amazing sound and approach to the instrument for some years now. Kris is really pushing the boundaries of jazz music through his playing and compositions and has made quite a following for fans of the music the worl...

Baritone Saxophonist and Jazz Educator, Claire Daly has garnered much praise and recognition during her career. She grew up in Westchester, NY, and then attended Berklee College of Music, where she studied with Joe Viola, one of her main mentors.   She is a six time winner of the  Down Beat  Critics' Poll "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" and winner of the  Jazz Journalists Association 's "Bari...

Pauline Eveno is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Shape Your Own Sound mouthpiece company based out of Paris. We caught up with Pauline to talk about her studies in acoustics and how she came to find herself making mouthpieces for saxophone players all over the world. SYOS has been working closely with some of the top players around the globe to figure out what makes a great mouthpiece. With their 3D...

Mobile since her birth in Singapore, composer, and saxophonist Caroline Davis lives in Brooklyn, New York. Her debut album, Live Work & Play, was featured on All About Jazz's best releases, and she was named one of JazzTimes' Best New Artists in 2012. Her second album, Doors: Chicago Storylines, is an audio documentary that uniquely sets stories from Chicago's jazz scene from the 80s and 90s along...

Ted Nash is a multi Grammy winning woodwind artist that has one of the most impressive resumes you could imagine. This week, we had the good fortune of catching up with Ted to talk about many things that go into his storied career. Growing up in Los Angeles, Ted's father and uncle were both in demand studio musicians and Ted took to music at a young age. After landing gigs with Lionel Hampton, Qui...

Originally from Houston, Texas, Jason Whitmore is proud to call San Diego his home. A graduate from the University of Houston with a degree in Saxophone Performance, Jason holds a deep appreciation for live performance spanning all genres of music. Jason has worked as full-time musician, touring and playing saxophone all over North America. Since the early 2000′s, he has been exploring his love fo...

This week's episode is one that will open some doors for you. Ben Britton is an important Educator and saxophonist that is going to enlighten you on sound production and overtones. Ben is the author of two fantastic volumes on these two subjects called  A Complete Approach to Sound  and  A Complete Approach to Overtones.  These books have been pivotal in the development of myself and so many of my...

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...

This week features an amazing saxophonist, composer, educator, and woodwind artist, Geof Bradfield. Geof is an important voice on the Chicago scene where he also teaches at Northern Illinois University. Bradfield hails from Houston and attended the famous High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Since then, Bradfield has called many places home including Washington and New York. Geof has ha...

Louis Van Taylor has performed with Ray Charles, The Gap Band, Michael Bolton, Stevie Wonder Sheila E., Billy Vera and many more, but he is best known for performing with Kool and the Gang. Louis was born in Salt Lake City Utah and later moved to Los Angeles CA, where he attended Foshay Jr. High, then later moved to Pasadena and was a graduate of Pasadena High School.  Louis has always been one of...

This week is a rebroadcast of an interview Nick did a couple of years ago with the great, Donald Harrison. Please enjoy and let us know what you think! Donald Harrison isn't a new name to most jazz fans and this interview is an enlightening look into the life of a legendary jazz musician. We catch up with Donald to talk about his roots in New Orleans, what he's practicing these days, NOLA jazz fes...

Perhaps best known as the saxophonist behind the iconic solo from Whitney Houston's,  I Will Always Love You , Kirk Whalum's passionate playing has been moving audiences all over the world. Shaped by his Memphis Gospel roots, he shaped his tone through work in the Houston nightclubs in the early 80's. He initially became known as a sideman and session player with such artists as Barbra Streisand,...

This week features all-star saxophonist and educator, Julius Tolentino. Julius is the director of jazz at Newark Academy in Livingston, NJ and is also a veteran of the New York music scene having played with many legends such as, Louis Haye's Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band and the Louis Hayes Quartet, Eric Reed's Sextet, Jeremy Pelt's Quintet, Natalie Cole, Wycliffe Gordon, Connie Francis, Gloria...