“George Garzone has developed an improvising concept called the triadic chromatic approach. The saxophonist uses the four groups of triads—major, minor, augmented and diminished—and has
figured out how to improvise on them with random inversion, with a half-step coupling between each triad. “This is a way of playing that helps you break away from your normal repetitions,” Garzone said…”
In general, my saxophone mouthpieces are like airport security: metal is usually not encouraged. It’s not that I dislike the sound of metal. In fact, I do like it, especially in contemporary settings. It’s just that metal mouthpieces come at a cost—more on that later. Yet if anyone is capable of changing my view, it’s Jody Espina (a.k.a. JodyJazz). I have had the pleasure of playing and reviewing a number of JodyJazz mouthpieces, including the inaugural offering from the DV and DVNY lines (both tenor mouthpieces). So reviewing two “siblings” (a DVNY alto mouthpiece and a DV baritone model) was not so much about testing the abilities of the design, but rather transposing the idea to other saxophones.
“JodyJazz continues to produce new models of gold-plated brass mouthpieces that give serious saxophone players further options for great sound and response. The JodyJazz DV NY alto #5 and DV baritone #8, released early this year, bring metal professional sax mouthpieces to new levels of efficiency and tonal flexibility.”
“Neumann has introduced its KMS 104 hand-held wired microphone for live performance applications, a follow-up to the company’s KMS 105 model. Designed for optimal transmission of the
human voice on loud stages, the KMS 104 improves on the KMS 105 with the added feature of a cardioid polar pattern. Neumann’s entire KMS series offers higher acoustic transparency than most
other handhelds, allowing a wider frequency range with better resolution of audio transients…”
“Lets face it; a mouthpiece maker has a finite amount of time in the spotlight—just think of names like Dukoff, Guardala, Sugal, Barone, Gregory, etc. Jody Espina, on the other hand, has enjoyed an uncommonly long day in the sun for a mouthpiece manufacturer.”
“… the most inspiring were the DV alto mouthpieces. Bright, full of harmonics and brassy without being shrill, the DV altos projected effortlessly in all ranges, with an especially wailing altissimo. It was easy to play quiet and low with a fat, full sound. Intonation was spot-on.”
…responsive, …rich darkness and warmth,…plays well in all of the registers, and has a sweetness that compliments the naturally bright frequencies of the soprano.
