Saxophonist, composer and educator, Rajiv Halim, performs regularly with his Rajiv Halim Quintet in the greater Chicago area.

Rajiv was the saxophonist for the eclectic band, Kids These Days, and released an EP that garnered praise from the chicago Tribune, NY Times and Huffington Post.

Rajiv has also won awards as a solo artist, having placed 2nd in the Saxophone Idol competition sponsored by Keilworth in 2013. He also took 2nd place in the 2014 Taichung International Saxophone Competition in Taiwan.

He has performed and recorded with artists such as Jennifer Hudson, Chance the rapper, Ernie Watts and many others.

Rajiv is a Key Leaves artist, and we got the chance to chat at the Key Leaves booth at the NAMM 2020 Show.

In this interview, we talked about: 

• His latest album, Foundation, available here: https://www.rajivhalim.com/music
• His approach to songwriting – he shares some good tips here
• Rajiv’s tip for getting a huge tone
• Tips for trying out horns and equipment
• Breathing Gym resource: https://amzn.to/39dGrMd 
• And more

In addition to listening to the podcast, you can also watch the interview on our YouTube channel

(And please Subscribe to our Channel)

You can read more about Rajiv here: https://www.rajivhalim.com/ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsEHleABovFRsTKWZJ_2xbw 

Twitter and Instagram: @RajivHalim

Facebook: https://facebook.com/rajivhalim 

Nick Mainella’s new book, 50 Perpetual Motion Exercises

Donna’s review of Nick’s book

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Jody Espina is the founder, president and designer of JodyJazz Saxophone & Clarinet Mouthpieces. He is a highly regarded Jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and flutist with a unique and personal sound and is also a respected Jazz educator.

He has taught in High Schools and Colleges in the United States and Spain, but because of the tremendous success of his mouthpieces, had to give up full-time teaching to devote all his time to his company.

Jody still gives Master Classes and Clinics all over the world on subjects such as sound production, practice techniques and improvising. 

Jody has done studio work, performed in the pit Orchestras on Broadway, and performed live with artists such as Mel Torme, Milton Berle, Lew Soloff, Dave Douglas and many others.

He studied mouthpiece design with the legendary Santy Runyon for many years.

JodyJazz.com enjoys the highest rating among saxophone mouthpiece companies on the World Wide Web.(as rated on Alexa.com)  As a player Jody knows the importance of intimately knowing the products that he is making and selling that is why in addition to Jody, the JodyJazz crew includes three working professional recording saxophonists.

In this interview, we talked about: 

• The 20th Year Celebration Platinum DV limited edition series mouthpieces
• New products out for 2020
• Who the new HR Dark Saxophone mouthpiece is best for
• A new acquisition that is huge for the JodyJazz company
• And so much more

In addition to listening to the podcast, you will want to watch the interview on our YouTube channel to see all the new products.

You can read more about Jody Espina here: https://jodyjazz.com/jody-espina-biography/  

Website: https://jodyjazz.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jodyjazzofficial 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JodyJazzInc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jodyjazzinc2 

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Chika Inoue, has been praised for her beautiful tone, acute sensitivity and virtuosic technique. She has received numerous performance awards in competitions, lavishing praise as a soloist and chamber musician. Chika has performed internationally at major venues, appearing as soloist and chamber musician in the United States, Germany, Italy, China, and Japan.

Chika transcribes and performs works beyond the standard classical repertoire, performing works of violin, clarinet, oboe, flute, voice and piano, expanding the limits of the saxophone technique and artistry.

A native of Osaka, Japan, Chika spent most of her youth in Frankfurt, Germany and San Diego, California.

She is currently on faculty at Los Angeles City College as well as the California State University, Dominguez Hills. 

Chika is endorsed by Vandoren, Selmer, Key Leaves, and LeFreque.

In this interview, we talked about: 

• How to shape your sound to create color/timbre
• Why singing her piano parts helped her overall musicality
• Her #1 tips for saxophone students of all ages
• The difference between projecting your sound for classical performances vs. popular music
• The benefits and problems of having perfect pitch
• Repertoire recommendations
• The benefits of transcribing classical music from other instruments
• And more

“You can do so much with just 1 tone”

Resources mentioned:

Ryō Noda is a Japanese composer and musician who has written several works for classical saxophone.

48 Ferling Etudes – in my Amazon store

LeFreque – sound bridge accessory for brass and woodwinds

Don Trimble –Orange Coast Sax Shop.   Repairs and sound screws

Matt Lee-West Coast Sax – mouthpieces, sound screws and more

Nick Mainella’s new book, 50 Perpetual Motion Exercises

You can read more about Chika on her site here: www.chikainoue.com 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMRd1Hr2I1tooP_2dEHuQLw

Instagram: @ChikaSax

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

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Meet Saxophonist, Author, Producer, Composer and Arranger Caleb Chapman.

For the past 22 years, Caleb has run CC Soundhouse in Utah. His bands, comprised of musicians ages 12-18, are regarded as some of the finest in the world, and have received dozens of awards, including a combined 52 of the prestigious DownBeat Awards and many more.

Caleb’s flagship ensemble, the Crescent Super Band, has a long list of performance credits that includes many of the world’s most prestigious jazz festivals

In 2011, Caleb was named the “John LaPorta International Jazz Educator of the Year,” one of the highest honors in music education. He was also President of JEN, the Jazz Education Network.

He has appeared with artists as varied as GRAMMY-winning bassist, Christian McBride and Neon Trees frontman, Tyler Glenn. He has performed the National Anthem on solo saxophone at various NBA games.

In 2013,  Caleb wrote The Articulate Jazz Musician, with Dave Matthews Band saxophonist and multi-GRAMMY winner, Jeff Coffin. This book provides a cohesive way to articulate the jazz language. He also co-authored, Rehearsing the Jazz Band, with Mary Jo-Papich.

Caleb is an artist and clinician for Yamaha Saxophones, D’Addario Reeds, JodyJazz Mouthpieces, and Planet Wave Cables. 

In this interview at the Key Leaves Everything Saxophone Podcast NAMM Hang 2020, we talked about 

• His journey starting his music school in 1998
• Music education opportunities in Utah
• Future plans for expanding the CC Soundhouse model
• His performance experiences playing all styles of music, including ska
• His new American Songbook and originals project with the nephew of Donny Osmond
• How to be an effective music teacher
• And more

You can read more about Caleb and his bands on his site here: https://ccsoundhouse.com/about/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccsoundhouse

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

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

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1eil7V5M2SmGkNYUOP9z1A

Want a copy of Nick Mainella’s new book, 50 Perpetual Motion Exercises?

Click HERE for more info.

You can watch the video of this interview here:

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In our latest series of interviews from the NAMM 2020 Show in Anaheim, Donna interviewed Saxophonist, Producer, Composer and Arranger Darren Rahn. Darren has had multiple #1 singles on the Billboard Contemporary jazz charts over the years, and has produced artists such as Najee, Dave Koz, Riley Richard and many others. 

In this interview at the Key Leaves Everything Saxophone Podcast NAMM Hang 2020, we talked about 

• Darren’s advice for recording in a studio
• His experience performing with and producing Dave Koz’s latest Christmas album 
• Darren’s interesting analogy for creating and performing music
• How to find your voice
• The role your equipment should play, and he shares some gems he’s found
• And more

Keep in mind, it was pretty noisy at NAMM, but what Darren shared was really good, and we didn’t want you to miss it.

You can read more about Darren on his site here: https://www.darrenrahn.com 

Twitter: @https://twitter.com/darrenrahn

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

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

Nick Mainella’s new book, 50 Perpetual Motion Exercises

Podcast: Play in new window | Download