Phil Rovner founded Rovner Products in 1974, when he created the Original Dark ligature. To this day, that ligature is still one of the top sellers in the entire Rovner catalog.

Over the years, more Classic models were developed, such as the Light, the Eddie Daniels (the Versa replaced this one), and the Mk III.

When George Reeder, current President and Co-Owner of Rovner Products took over in 2014, the ligature catalog has expanded to include the Next Generation ligatures: The Versa X, the Star Series, The Legacy, The Platinum, Platinum Gold and the Van Gogh.

Since I’ve been getting so many questions on the Van Gogh ligature, in this episode, George gives more background and a demo on how to properly place this unique ligature.

Since 2014, he and his wife and Co-Owner, Lynn, have developed even more products, some of which we are going to talk about in this episode.

And there’s an incredibly special discount that George is going to reveal that you DON’T want to miss!

Great quotes:

“Rovner creates New Art, not an iteration of existing art”

 

YouTube Video of this episode is HERE

NAMM 2020 Interview is HERE

 

Links:

Website: https://rovnerproducts.com 

Reverb: www.reverb.com 

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

Instagram: https://instagram.com/rovnerproducts 

Twitter: www.twittter.com/rovnerproducts

 

Questions about the correct Rovner Van Gogh ligature size for your mouthpiece?

Contact support@rovnerproducts.com 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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. 

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.

This was a special episode…Doug and I had been talking about how we could help saxophone players now, especially in the age of COVID 19, to refine their performances using effects pedals.

 

In this episode, we talked about:

 – how solo saxophone players can use effects pedals to enhance their show

 – Doug’s advice for playing vocal melodies with effects pedals

 – Live Streaming; how to sound great using effects pedals

 – the different roles the performer takes when considering which pedals to use

 – how to think like a producer and play less

 – tips for using effects pedals with jam tracks

 – Doug performed a ton of demos

–  and a whole lot more!

 

Great quotes:

“Play less…think like a producer”

“Go out of your way to mess up and fail”

 

Links:

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

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

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

Email: support@horn-fx.com 

 

YouTube Video:

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Grammy award winning baritone saxophonist Lauren Sevian is one of the most in demand musicians on the scene today. 

She is the Winner of the “Rising Star” Baritone Saxophonist in the 67th Downbeat Critics Poll and  Winner of the Hothouse Jazz Awards Baritone Saxophone 2019.

Ms. Sevian came to NYC in 1997 to attend the Manhattan School of Music, and soon thereafter began touring with groups such as Diva and the Artie Shaw Orchestra. 

She can be seen performing as a bandleader around the NYC area with her quartet, the LSQ, or LSAT, her quintet co-led with alto saxophonist Alexa Tarantino, which recently won first place in the “Made in NY” jazz competition. 

She is also co-director of the all female collective “Lioness™️’”. 

As a side woman, she can be heard regularly with the Mingus Big Band, and has performed with countless other groups, notably the Dizzy Gillespie all star big band, Christian McBride’s Big Band, Robin Eubanks Big Band, and the legendary Count Basie Orchestra. 

Her debut album “Blueprint” was released on saxophonist Greg Osby’s label Inner Circle Music to critical acclaim, winning a SESAC jazz award for national performance activity, and receiving rave reviews in publications such as Downbeat, Cadence, and All About Jazz. 

Her sophomore album, “Bliss”, was released spring 2018 on Posi-tone Records, and features all stars of the jazz scene, Alexa Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Christian McBride, and E.J. Strickland. 

Her versatility as a musician has led her to a variety of playing situations, working with the likes of actor Denis Leary, with Maurice Hines in the theater production of “Tappin Thru Life”, and with Harry Connick Jr. in his broadway show “A Celebration of Cole Porter”. 

She is a frequent guest artist at many universities, high schools, middle schools, and jazz festivals across the country. As an educator, she has been teaching privately for over 15 years. 

She is on the jazz saxophone faculty at the Manhattan School of Music, Jazz at Lincoln Center as the director of the “Young Women’s Jazz Orchestra”, instructor for the middle school jazz academy, Summer Jazz Academy at Bard College, and Jazz House Kids Summer Jazz Workshop. 

She has adjudicated at many jazz competitions & festivals, notably the Essentially Ellington Competition at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Monterey Jazz Festivals’ “Next Generation Jazz Festival”, the Victoria Music Festival in Melbourne, Australia, and the Eau Claire Jazz Festival at the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire. Ms. Sevian endorses Buffet-Crampon saxophones, D’addario Woodwinds, RPC mouthpieces, Key Leaves, Robinson’s Remedies, and BG France accessories.

In this episode, we talked about:

 – Lauren’s “Strong Island”/Long Island connection with Donna

 – The solos she transcribed that were most influential

 –  Having a confident mindset

 –  Her tips for increasing your breath support

 –  How to approach performing as a duo

 –  How Greg Osby inspired her to record

 –  Her early years in the NY Jazz scene

  – Her playing partnership with Alexa Tarantino 

 –  How the Lioness Collective started

 –  Being a woman in Jazz today

–  and a whole lot more!

 

Lioness, Live from Dizzy’s

 

Great quotes from Lauren:

“From weakness can come strength”

“Be comfortable being uncomfortable”

Lauren’s Links:

Website: https://www.laurensevian.com/ 

Facebook: https://facebook.com/laurensevian  and https://www.facebook.com/LSATband and https://www.facebook.com/lionesswomeninjazz  

Twitter: @BaritoneLauren

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS0F-yjkBxQ 

Instagram: @LaurenSevian 

 

Recordings links:

Bliss on Posi-tone Records

Blueprint

Lioness -Pride & Joy

 

Check out the YouTube Video of this episode:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Adrian Crutchfield has taken the world by storm in recent years, not only as the last sax player to perform and record with Prince, touring the world and being featured on Prince’s last three albums, but also touring domestically and internationally with acts such as Lionel Ritchie, Bette Midler, and Cee-Lo Green — all the while writing and building his 2017 release titled ‘Leap’.

In jazz, Mr. Crutchfield has been featured by names such as Kim Waters, Mike Phillps, Alex Bugnon, Jeff Lorber, and Branford Marsalis; and with legendary groups such as Fourplay and The Gap Band featuring Charlie Wilson.

Adrian is a 2008 graduate of Florida State University (B.A. in Music with a concentration in jazz, contemporary media, and commercial music).

Although young, this saxophone aficionado is one of his generation’s most prolific and successful professional musicians.

In this episode, we talked about:

•  how Kenny G inspired him to play saxophone
•  the #1 lesson he learned from performing with Prince
•  the Harry Potter connection between the magical world and the musical world that helps him relate to his fans
•  why singers were his biggest influences when he first started playing
•  and so much more in this Epic almost 2 hour interview!

Catch the YouTube video HERE

Adrian’s Links:

Website: http://adriancrutchfield.com/ 

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/goodsax 

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/adriancrutchfield/featured  

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

 

Support the Show!

And get awesome behind-the-scenes footage not shared anywhere else!

There is extra bonus footage from Adrian and Laura Dreyer and Kim Cypher.

Check out our Patreon site today 🎷

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Saxophonist, flutist, and composer Laura Dreyer is a vibrant, creative voice in the New York jazz scene.

Her catchy original compositions combine lyrical melodies with jazz, Brazilian rhythms, funk, and rock, resulting in an exciting, contemporary palette of sound with a strong rhythmic twist.

A multi-instrumentalist, Dreyer performs both nationally and internationally with her Brazilian Jazz ensemble, “Laura Dreyer and the Manhattan/Rio Connection,” while additionally being in great demand as a side-person.

Audiences have heard her in the bands of such diverse artists as Dr. Billy Taylor, Dom Salvador, Helcio Milito, Portinho, Bossa PDX, Walter Bishop Jr., Mel Lewis, Robert Palmer, Nnenna Freelon, saxophonist/author James McBride, “The Diva Jazz Orchestra, and many others.

Laura has recorded four CDs as a leader/producer, including Mysterious Encounter (Lavasphere), Free Flying Bird (Sony/Piloo), and Sax in the City (Apria), and Vida. Arte. Amor. (Mayimba Jazz). She is also featured on acclaimed Brazilian pianist Dom Salvador’s newest release, The Art of Samba Jazz, which received a Premio da Musica Brasileira award for Best Instrumental CD.

Laura attended The Berklee College of Music in Boston, and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music form SUNY Empire State College. She has additionally studied with saxophonists Joe Henderson and Joe Lovano, and composers Lyle Mays and Jim McNeely. She is active as a music educator, having served on the faculties of the Jamey Aebersold Jazz Clinics, Cazadero Music and Arts Camp, Jazz Camp West, and the New York Pops Salute to Music Program.

She was a featured performer and educator in Busan, South Korea at The Friends of Music in Korea Music Festival, and is currently on the faculty of Village Community School, Riverdale Country School, and The New York POPS PopsEd program.

Laura regularly conducts clinics and workshops at high schools and colleges which have included Berklee College of Music, The University of Reno, Nevada, Portland State University, The Jazz Improv Convention, and The California Jazz Conservatory.

In this episode, we talked about:

• Laura’s experience being one of the original band members in the Diva Jazz Orchestra
• Being a female jazz player; the differences from the ‘90’s – now
• How to decide on your “look”
• Preparing for jam sessions; 5 tunes you should know and her mindset tips
• Lead alto saxophone responsibilities in a big band
• Tips for authentically performing and composing Brazilian music
• Essential Brazilian musicians you should know (and Laura provided us with a free pdf!)
•  and a lot more!

 

Links:

Website: https://www.lauradreyer.com/ 

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

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/lauradreyerjazz 

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

 

You can watch the video of this interview HERE

Laura’s List of Essential Brazilian Musicians

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

 

Become a supporter of the Everything Saxophone Podcast!

Go to our Patreon Page, and for a small monthly donation (from $2-$5), you get behind the scenes access to footage from the interviews that is not released anywhere else.

 

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

 

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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 

 

Loving the Podcast? 
Please show your support with a small monthly donation to keep the great interviews coming.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download