Reviews

"Founder Jody Espina Reflects on a Quarter-Century"

"Sweet Highs, Booming Lows, Meaty Midrange & Extreme Versatility"

"Harmonious Invention, Embedded Bite Plate, Ease of Play & Beautiful Expression"

"A 'Striking' Origin story...JodyJazz's Hand-Hammered HH Tenor Sax Mpc."

"Reinventing The Mouthpiece...How JodyJazz's recruitment of a cymbal craftsman has given its latest mpc a tonal twist."

"...played much louder with great resonance.....consistent tone color at all volumes....stayed dark and rich from subtone to full volume."

"Musician and small business owner Jody Espina helps passionate sax players sound their best."

"...supercharges the HR* by adding in low and mid frequencies that build the core of your tone without sacrificing projection."

"warm-sounding, easy-blowing, expertly hand-finished"

"rich, warm sound with complex harmonics"

"incredibly free blowing and a real joy to play"

"impressed by the immense power and flexibility"

"The POWER RINGs are a work of genius"

"the most free-blowing and responsive mouthpiece out there."

"The mouthpiece gave me access to a huge dynamic range and provided me with power and projection to spare."

"We have built a good reputation, even amongst classical people who know us and expect good mouthpieces."

"Beautifully made and finished, this mouthpiece is about as free blowing as it gets."

"free blowing as it is, it allows the player to dig deep into the lower register with complete confidence."

"If you want power, it's all there for the taking, from a scorching altissimo to a full and beefy lower end."

"hugely impressed by its tonal character and general playability"

"The higher notes and altissimo range were incredibly responsive and impressively powerful."

"From day one we have gauged and play-­tested each mouthpiece we make which separated us from many of our competitors."

"The JET Baritone is very free blowing, has spot on intonation and wows us with the ease with which you're able to manipulate the sound."

"This flexibility is what will make the JET an attractive piece for working bari players who are called upon to play different roles in various types of ensembles."

"JodyJazz mouthpieces are known for innovation and state-of-the-art design."

"Jody Espina has created a revolutionary new mouthpiece design with the DV."

"Jody Espina, the Founder, President and Designer of one the world’s best mouthpieces for saxophones and clarinets, is himself a monster musician of
the highest order."

"JodyJazz instructional materials capture world-class musicians at their finest, and provide an expertly produced lesson format that is comprehensive yet casual, and an inspiration for your improvising and soloing."

"This piece can really scream, and I was pleasantly surprised at its ability to maintain a big, full sound when I backed way off and played softly."

"Good sub tones, offers plenty of control and that small amount of resistance is just perfect for easy articulation."

"The range of sounds the Giant can produce is remarkable.....The response and tone were even in all registers, and articulation was nice and clean. And that's not all: The altissimo range absolutely killed....it plays like crazy. Whether you prefer hard-rubber or metal, check out the Giant - there really is nothing else quite like it out there."
"When DownBeat contacted me to review the new Giant for tenor saxophone from JodyJazz, I asked what makes it different from the rest of the company’s premium mouthpieces. I learned that it was made out of aluminum, which produces a darker tone than brass or steel. I was also informed that it was capable of producing a sound with characteristics of both metal and hard-rubber mouthpieces."

"You can't help but admire Jody Espina of Jody Jazz; his total commitment to developing and refining the design of the metal mouthpiece to achieve the ultimate in sound quality and projection borders on the fanatical..."

"With their precise machine-work and skilled hand-finishing, the DV mouthpieces make a prime example of why JodyJazz has invested in both machinery and personnel."

"... the DV CHI has the most effortless playability of any mouthpiece I've ever encountered ... the sound is earthy and full with a nice balance of edge and depth."

"Here’s a novel concept: jazz play-along CDs that are designed not only for developing advanced improvisational skills, but for learning the art of trading solos as well. And not just with anyone, but seasoned pros George Garzone and Kenny Werner..."

"They’re the youngest group in history to play the Chicago Jazz Festival. They’ve rubbed elbows with Orbert Davis and Ron Carter and have their sights set on playing the White House. And after receiving an endorsement deal with JodyJazz, the Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School jazz ensemble is sounding better than ever."

"DV CHI produces a robust well-rounded sound... broader tonal spectrum...effortless response."

"... the DV CHI has the most effortless playability of any mouthpiece I've ever encountered ... the sound is earthy and full with a nice balance of edge and depth."

"To Jody Espina, president and founder of JodyJazz, mouthpieces are like car engines. “Musicians often don’t know all there is to know about their mouthpieces, the same way people might not understand
something as important as their car engines,” Espina said. “I don’t know much about my car engine, but I still have to drive...”

"Virtuoso mouthpiece craftsman Jody Espina expands into the instructional DVD market with The Music of George Garzone & the Triadic Chromatic Approach, a comprehensive presentation of the ideas behind the music of Berklee and New England Conservatory instructor George Garzone..."

"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."

"Two new sets of precision crafted mouthpieces from JodyJazz give saxophonists the airflow and the versatility that they need to cover a wide range of tones and styles..."

" … produced a warm, dark tone and blew freely and evenly across the traditional range of the horn. … Extremely responsive, the HR* lets you tongue fast and accurately through uptempo passages without choking up in the throat. "

"... 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.

"JodyJazz mouthpieces clearly reflect attention to detail and finish with superb craftsmanship throughout. All the critical elements are present—accurate intonation, flexibility, centered sound, comfort, appearance and versatility. The brain behind JodyJazz Mouthpieces is Jody Espina, a working musician in the New York City area who creates rubber and metal mouthpieces for soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones. With years of research and testing behind him, his goal is for each piece to play like it was custom-tweaked for the individual player’s needs..."

"I have to admit that I have an addition. No, not to drugs or alcohol. I have an addiction to saxophone mouthpieces. Be they stock, custom, silver, gold, hard rubber, vintage, new-you name the mouthpiece, I have either owned it or tried it. But I know I'm not alone. If you're reading this, chances are you have the addiction too..."