Everything Saxophone Podcast

Kim Cypher is creating quite a stir on the jazz scene at present, emerging as one of the UK’s most exciting saxophonists, vocalists and composers and firmly securing a reputation for top quality, stylish, accessible jazz and musical entertainment.

Inspired by the funkier side of jazz and having studied alongside US saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis and internationally acclaimed jazz saxophonist Andy Sheppard, Kim’s style of performance is best described as ‘funky saxophonist meets 1940’s jazz singer’. Kim performs an eclectic mix of music spanning many genres with a quirky, jazzy twist together with her own original material.

Kim’s debut album ‘Make Believe’ was released at the end of 2016, receiving glowing reviews and culminating in a highly successful album tour with sell-out shows across the UK in 2017/18.

Kim’s 2nd album ‘Love Kim x’ (a collection of inspired original music and quirky takes on some well-known classics) was released May 2019 and was listed in the Top 10 jazz albums of 2019 by online jazz magazine Bebop Spoken Here. The album and tour featured Pee Wee Ellis plus some of the finest jazz musicians in the UK and US including saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis, David Newton on piano (14 times winner of best pianist in the British Jazz Awards), Clive Morton on double bass (ex-tutor to Jamie Cullum and long-time sideman with Frank Sinatra and Stephane Grappelli), Karl Vanden Bossche on percussion (Incognito, Jamiroquai, Joss Stone, Sade, Simply Red, Michael Buble), New York guitarist B.D. Lenz to name just a few.

In March 2020 (just before the coronavirus hit) Kim performed a sold-out show in Soho London with special guest Jazz Giant Ray Gelato. This was part of Kim’s ‘For Mum’ project raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity. The project ran alongside release of a brand new original song and video ‘All For You’ in April 2020. The project has so far raised over £2500 for the charity.

Kim has been featured on local TV, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio London ‘live’ plus international radio stations.

Her unique ‘funky’ style of saxophone playing has been built upon influences by great players such as Gerald Albright, Maceo Parker, Pee Wee Ellis, Andy Sheppard, Dean Fraser, Courtney Pine and Grover Washington. Kim’s vocal style has been influenced by the great Billie Holiday together with a wide range of vocalists / performers including Gunhild Carling, Imelda May, Caro Emerald and Liane Carroll.

In 2019 Kim was featured in the award winning ‘Women In Jazz’ book by author Sammy Stein and published by 8th House where she is described as “one of the UK’s most popular players”.

In 2016 Kim was flown to New York with her jazz quartet for a private jazz performance in Manhattan. In 2017 Kim was commissioned to perform a private event for the UK Prime Minister Theresa May.

In this episode, we talked about:

• Her “secret” exercise she loves to warm up with
• A huge tip from Andy Snitzer that’s helped her with tone
• How she created her unique style
• How she went from full-time school teacher to full-time musician
• How she’s created performing opportunities during the COVID 19 Pandemic
•  and a lot more!

Links:

Website: https://www.kimcypher.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/KimCypherMusic/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/KimCypher

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/kimcyphersax/

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/CyphersFilms

Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/3X3OhCRsaFUNYFRzwrQ5dI

Resources:

The Clarke Book that all trumpeters use, and the Rich Willey variations book (as well as many other great books that can be used for all instruments)

Catch the YouTube video of this interview HERE

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This episode is part 1 of a 2-part series with Doug Levin and Aaron Janik from Horn-FX. 

In 2015, their love of effects and pedals had led Doug Levin and Aaron Janik to various corners of the six-stringed internet and back rooms of guitar centers, only to realize an unfortunate thing: There was nowhere to find information about effects and pedals from the perspective, or made for horn players. 

In 2016 they created HornFX, a unique resource for the horn player looking to use effects. Its reviews, books, articles, artist pages, and effects databases are specifically geared to inform any horn player about what effects and pedals might best provide the sounds and capabilities they are looking for.

The goal of HornFX to give the most comprehensive, complete, well-thought-out information and advice to the pedal seeking horn player. 

Aaron and Doug also give lessons and consultations, build curriculums for middle school, high school, and higher education, build custom pedalboards for musicians, and work with some of the most accomplished musicians in the world to develop, build, and refine their effects set-up.

Doug Levin started playing saxophone at the age of 10. His earliest influences were guitar players like Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Steve Vai, whose sonic explorations would inform his love of effects and pedals. His love of music expanded and his broadening musical capacity led him to play with such greats as The Manhattan Transfer, Buddy Guy, and many more. His musical journey eventually took him to Oberlin College and Conservatory where he met his HornFX partner, Aaron Janik.

The musical community at Oberlin was astounding and helped Doug’s musicality clarify and mature. After college he became a working musician while taking on the business world full time. This double-edged hustle continues to this day as he runs HornFX along with Aaron, plays professionally, and spends his days working hard importing and distributing construction materials. HornFX remains Doug’s passion and allows him to lend his expertise to his wide musical network in a meaningful and fulfilling way.

Trumpeter, Educator, and HornFX Co-Founder Aaron Janik has been steeped in the discipline of music since the age of ten. The Massachusetts native’s earliest introduction to music is by way of revered New England trumpeter Jack Martin, whose expert tutelage molded Aaron into a well-rounded musician, fluent in all genres.

Aaron now resides in Los Angeles, CA where he teaches and regularly performs and records with artists across the country, touring with chart-topping artists like R&B First Lady Faith Evans, Charlie Wilson,and others. He has also performed with Earth, Wind, & Fire, Lil Kim, 112, Total, The Yellowjackets, Patrice Rushen, Bone Thugs & Harmony, Robin Eubanks, Bob Mintzer, Tom Scott, and many others.

Aaron completed his undergraduate studies at Oberlin College of Arts & Sciences in May 2013 with a Jazz Trumpet Performance degree as well as a Biology (pre-medical) degree. He also received his Masters degree from USC in Spring 2020, studying with Bob Mintzer, Peter Erskine, Alan Pasqua, Vince Mendoza, and others.   

Aaron endorses B.A.C. trumpets and Denis Wick mouthpieces. He also endorses Strymon, Morley, Pigtronix, Eventide, and Source Audio pedals as well as 64 Audio in-ears.

In this interview, we talked about: 

• How using effects can enable horn players to compete in modern music situations
• What a beginner should think about before using pedals
• How to use pedals to hear yourself at gigs
• What an advanced pedal user needs to think about to get the most from their sound with pedals
• A demonstration of the most commonly used effects pedals
• And so much more!

You can watch the video of this interview here: https://youtu.be/FCsG3pyGi88 

Links:

Website: http://www.horn-fx.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hornfx

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hornfx/

Email: support@horn-fx.com

Doug Levin  on Alto & Bari Saxes – HornFX Does Metal – Nephele – Animals As Leaders on Saxophone and Pedals

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This episode is part 2 of a 2-part series with Antonio Hart. The 1st part, episode 86, was all about jazz history. You can check that out on our site saxophonepodcast.com or wherever you listen to podcasts.

For this episode, we went deeper into Antonio’s own story. His influences, thought processes and more.

Antonio Hart is a Grammy-nominated Alto Saxophonist, Composer, and Educator, who regularly performs with the Dave Holland Band and the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, along with his own group.

He spent three years performing and recording with the late great Roy Hargrove, and has been a guest on over 100 recordings.

He has recorded 8 CD’s as a leader, and his latest CD is called Blessings.

He currently is a full-time Professor at The Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College.

His journey in music started when music programs were cut at his school in Baltimore, Maryland. He had to find a way to pass the audition to get into the High School for Performing Arts or else he would have no avenue to continue pursuing music.

Luckily for the jazz world, he did pass the audition, and it was the life lessons he learned in that school, along with the values and strong mentorship from the late great Jimmy Heath that propelled Antonio to create Grammy-nominated records, perform with some of the greatest legends of Jazz, and direct the Jazz Studies program at Queens College.

In this interview, we talked about: 

• Martial arts, and how his passion for it influences his approach to music
• How he’s felt he had to “come from behind” in order to push himself further with music
• The mentorship from Jimmy Heath, and how it’s impacted every aspect of his life
• Stories from Jimmy Heath’s heyday, performing and hanging out with other jazz legends
• What Miles Davis’ voice really sounded like before he damaged his vocal cords
• His approach to tone – he went into this extensively
• And so much more!

You can watch the video of this interview here: 

Links:

Website: https://antoniohartmusic.com/ 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/antonio.hart6854 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hart_antonio/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRq_R_atdArQ8EixFCdYRjg 

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Multi-instrumentalist, Vocalist, Composer Camille Thurman is the first woman in 30 years to tour and perform full time two seasons as a saxophonist with the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for 2 seasons.  

Camille has shared stages with such jazz and R&B luminaries as George Coleman, Roy Haynes, Dianne Reeves, Wynton Marsalis, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JALCO) featuring Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, Charles Tolliver, Jack DeJohnette, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Hendricks, Harry Connick Jr., Jon Batiste,  Audra MacDonald, Diana Krall, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Louis Hayes, Russell Malone, Nicholas Payton, Jacky Terrasson, Janelle Monáe, Alicia Keys, Lalah Hathaway, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, among others.

Camille has been runner up in the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition, two-time winner of the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award and a winner of the Fulbright Scholars Cultural Ambassador Grant, The Chamber Music of America Performance Plus Grant (Sponsored by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation) and the Jazz Coalition Composers Grant among others. Thurman also has four full-length recordings as a leader to her credit.

She is endorsed by D’Addario Woodwinds & Co. for reeds, Conn-Selmer Inc. for saxophones and Key Leaves saxophone products.

In this interview, we talked about: 

• How to approach a standard to make it your own
• How Camille used networking to become a 1st-call musician in NYC
• What Camille thinks about when improvising
• The influence of mentors, like Tia Fuller, Antoine Roney, Terri Lynne Carrington
• Camille’s funny story about how she switched from alto to tenor sax
• Tips for developing your tone
• And so much more!

“When it comes to jazz, it’s about function.” Camille Thurman

You can watch the video of this interview here: 

#METOO: A Story of Resistance & Resilience in the Music Industry

Camille’s performance of There Will Never Be Another You: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a4EGhwDkA4

Website: https://www.camillethurmanmusic.com/ 

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/CamilleThurmanMusic/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camillethurman/

YouTube: Camille’s channel

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In this episode, you are going to get a great Jazz History lesson. When I was getting my Master’s Degree at Queens College, I took a Jazz History course that I never forgot.

The Professor was a well-known, widely regarded Jazz musician even in his early thirties.

Grammy-nominated Alto Saxophonist, Composer, and Educator, Antonio Hart, regularly performs with the Dave Holland Band and the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, along with his own group.

He spent three years performing and recording with the late great Roy Hargrove, and has been a guest on over 100 recordings.

He has recorded 8 CD’s as a leader, and his latest CD is called Blessings.

He currently is a full-time Professor at The Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College.

In this interview, we talked about: 

• 1 simple, powerful tip to get started with Jazz history
• Antonio’s list of influential alto and tenor players from then to now
• His special relationship with Jimmy Heath, and the new recordings from Jimmy that are due to come out
• How to listen to your favorite musicians
• How Jazz  & Blues are intertwined
• How using curiosity can improve your playing
• The struggles of Black musicians in the past and especially in today’s climate
• And so much more!

“You should have one foot in the past and one foot in the present.”     Dizzy Gillespie

“Whenever there’s war or struggle, something beautiful comes out of that.”  Antonio Hart

“Jazz is about democracy, inclusion and love.” Antonio Hart

You can watch the video of this interview HERE 

Website: https://antoniohartmusic.com/ 

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/antonio.hart6854  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hart_antonio/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRq_R_atdArQ8EixFCdYRjg 

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Doug Webb, a great saxophonist based here in Los Angeles, is featured on hundreds of recordings for artists including Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, Sal Marquez, Stanley Clarke, Brian Bromberg, Quincy Jones, Mat Marucci, Bobby Caldwell, Kyle Eastwood, Rod Stewart, Carly Simon, Art Garfunkel, Queen Latifah and Cher. He played for fifteen years with the Doc Severinsen Tonight Show Big Band. 

He has recorded music for hundreds of movies and television programs, including playing for the Family Guy orchestra. He solos on the soundtrack for Million Dollar Baby and Gran Torino.

He has 16 albums out as a leader, with one of his recent ones being a collaboration with Greg Fishman.

And he has one of the most extensive horn and mouthpiece collections in the world!

In this interview, we talked about: 

• What it was like in the studio playing on the soundtrack for Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino
• The Coltrane record that changed Doug’s saxophone playing forever
• How he practiced improvisation, without any lessons from a private teacher or online videos
• His CRAZY practice schedule that made him the monster player that he is today 
• A funny experience with Warne Marsh
• What to copy when listening to the masters
• What you will learn in his 2-hour masterclass on reharmonizations and modal playing
• And so much more!

“It’s important to play a solo, not just transcribe it”   Doug Webb

You can watch the video of this interview here:

Doug’s classes on MyMusicClass.com

Website: http://www.dougwebb.us/ 

Facebook: http://facebook.com/DougWebbMusic  

Your support for the Everything Saxophone Podcast would be greatly appreciated!

Please go to our Patreon site and for a small monthly donation, you can help defray the costs of presenting and hosting the podcast and keep the great interviews coming.

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New York Born and raised multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer, and songwriter, Augie Bello’s musical style is distinctly eclectic and incorporates elements of funk, pop, r&b, jazz and electronic music. Taking influence from artists including, Allen Stone, Michael Brecker, Mura Masa, Amy Winehouse, and multiple others has given him an extremely unique sound. 

Soon after starting college at The New School for Jazz, Bello realized that with music as a career, he needed to create his own opportunities and success. With this knowledge, Bello started to post videos of his music to Instagram in 2018. Since then, he has grown a following of over 59k people who are eager to hear his original music. Through Instagram, Bello has met and recorded with multiple artists including, Teddy Swims, Austin Kolbe and many others. 

Since the beginning of his musical journey, Bello has been bringing his comedic personality and unique style into everything he does. With each day, his goal is to make someone smile and this shines through with the music he plays and creates.

In this interview, taken during the NAMM Show in January 2020, we talked about: 

• How he’s built a large following on social media
• How he makes the transition from the practice room to the stage
• The best goal to have as a performer 
• His mindset for playing at jams
• How to perform for your audiences
• How he approaches altissimo – he shares the exact fingerings he uses
• How he performs split tones
• His latest single at the time, Candy
• And so much more!

“It’s not how many notes you play, it’s how you play the notes”   Augie Bello

You can watch the video of this interview HERE

Augie’s Social Media Links:

Website: https://www.augiebello.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AugieBello/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/augie_bello/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGnzPW1NG9elagzN5–Qdbw

Twitter: https://twitter.com/augie_bello

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This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing saxophonist and author, Katja Rieckermann.

We had done an interview at NAMM, but the noise level was so out of control, we decided to do a separate interview now. 

Katja, originally from the northern part of Germany in a small town called Luebeck, did not start playing the saxophone until age 21. It took a number of years and a bit of a struggle until she made the leap to move to the U.S. and in particular, Los Angeles, CA.

She has performed with rock bands Scorpions and Saga, and has been in television and films like Ally McBeal and Star Trek Nemesis.

In 2001, she got the opportunity to perform with Rod Stewart on his Human World Tour, and continued performing with him for 15 more years.

Since then, she has also performed with Carole King, Al Green, Jeff Goldblum, Carlos Santana, Mary J. Blige, Toto and many others.

She has 3 studio albums out, with guest artists such as Arturo Sandoval and Joe Bonamassa. One of her big singles, Walkin’ the Dog did well on the charts in 2015.

She’s performed with Lady Gaga at the Grammy Awards and also opened up for Tower of Power in Pasadena in 2019.

In this interview, we talked about: 

• Katja’s journey starting the saxophone in her early 20’s
• How she started her performance career from nothing when she moved from Germany to Los Angeles
• Tips for networking in a new location 
• What it was like touring with mega star Rod Stewart for almost 15 years
• Her approach to playing recorded solos vs creating her own
• Katja’s solo career, and how it has evolved
• Her process for creating her 101 Soulful Funk Licks book, and you’ll hear her demo some of the cool licks
• And much more!

We did this interview while being sheltered in place, so you will also hear how she’s handling that too.

You can watch the video of this interview here:

You can buy 101 Soulful Funk Licks Here: http://katjarieckermann.com/store.html

Here’s Katja’s Video Promotion for the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb2NIXNnvSs

Here’s my Video Review: https://youtu.be/A4GZ1pOPTck 

Katja’s site: www.katjarieckermann.com 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYT5evZlESMPr4M4YJ4mPGw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katja.rieckermann.7

Album Page:  https://www.facebook.com/Katjarsax

Instagram: https://instagram.com/katjarsax 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KatjaRieckerman

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Today’s guest is non-other than the young phenom, Alex Hahn, a multi-award winning saxophonist, educator and composer based in Los Angeles, California.

He recently won 1st place at the Michael Brecker International Saxophone Competition, graduated with his 2nd masters from the prestigious Thelonius Monk Institute, performed and studied with Herbie Hancock, and recorded on Michael Bublé’s last two Grammy Nominated albums.

He is a 6-Time Downbeat Magazine Award Winner, 3-Time Next Generation Jazz Festival Outstanding Soloist, 1st Place Winner in the North American Saxophone Alliance Jazz Saxophone Competition, and winner of the Perform with Mintzer International Saxophone Competition.

Alex has taught all over the world including the Panama Jazz Festival, Sitka Jazz Festival, and at International Jazz Day in Havana,Cuba and St. Petersburg, Russia.

Chris Potter has said of Alex: “Alex has a real melodic gift in his writing and playing”

Alex is endorsed by D’Addario Woodwinds, Andreas Eastman Saxophones and Key Leaves.

In this interview, we talked about: 

• How to get past performance anxiety
• The pros and cons of working with backing tracks
• The most important character trait for success 
• Hand position tips 
• What it was like competing in the Michael Brecker International Saxophone competition – he shares priceless info around 5 minutes into our conversation
• What he likes most about his Eastman saxophones
• You’ll hear him play solo saxophone on the tune, Cherokee
• He’s joined by Rajiv Halim to perform Bag’s Groove
• And much more!

Tweetable – “There’s no substitute for playing with live musicians.” Alex Hahn

You can watch the video of this interview here: https://youtu.be/ZHGf_Yka_ow

You can read more about Alex here: https://youtu.be/ZHGf_Yka_ow

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJF3hTBmWFhwKcywXtzRmEw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realalexhahn/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/realalexhahn

Twitter: https://twitter.com/realalexhahn

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