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This past Thursday I had the wonderful opportunity to meet one of my favorite composers, Stephen Dankner. I have corresponded with Steve since I began my doctoral studies in 2005, played some of his music (including his Sonata, Piano Quartet, Symphony), and have listened to several more of his works on CD and in live performance. It was great to finally meet him in person and converse for a few hours at his home in Massachusetts.

Steve’s Sonata was one of the first saxophone works I heard when I began my undergraduate degree at Fredonia (20 years ago already!), and I was completely blown away by it. Dr. Gwozdz, who would later become my teacher at Southern Miss, recorded the Sonata at Fredonia, and released it on CD. I remember sitting in my dorm room and listening to the Sonata repeatedly, following along with the score, completely captivated. Fast forward about nine years, and I’m now studying it with the person for whom it was written and performing it in recital. I sent Steve a copy of my program and a CD of the performance, exchanged a few emails, and did the same when I performed his Piano Quartet (which includes saxophone instead of viola) two years later.

Through a series of emails and conversations with Steve, we agreed to meet and discuss music, the saxophone, and anything else that came up. These conversations will serve as the basis for an article I will begin writing shortly about Steve and his music, specifically that for the saxophone. His admiration for our instrument is inspiring, and I hope to capture that in my prose. If you are not familiar with his music, please visit his website http://www.stephendankner.com/ and check it out. I hope that you will find it as enjoyable as I do.

I work hard.  I always have.

To say that I’m persistent is an understatement.  Anyone who knows me is aware that I put forth as much effort as possible, whether it be in the role of performer, teacher, or researcher.  I don’t like giving up on something.  Over the last few years, my mettle has been challenged by life situations and changing times.  The academic climate is not as stable as it once was; the demand for regular performances has dwindled; families grow and change; teaching responsibilities become more demanding.  I do my best to keep my head above water and to continue doing what I love — playing music.

I truly believe that hard work pays off.  The only question is: when?

It has only been over the last few months in which I may have an answer to that question.  I have had to accept (in a quite formal manner) that I am not getting any younger, and that some of the dreams and aspirations that I had when I was in my late teens and early twenties may have to remain exactly that: dreams.  Along the way I have accomplished many things (degrees, dissertation, articles, recording, performances) and I am proud of them.  I have realized and accepted that careers are made out of whatever opportunities I make for myself, and that I have complete control over them.  My musical life is whatever I want to make of it — whether it’s solely teaching, or performing, or researching, or a combination of these endeavors.

In a recent conversation with a colleague, I mentioned the evolutionary process of musicians and how we are always constantly evolving and staying current.  Just like in nature, if we refuse to adapt, eventually we will become obsolete and have no place in our world.  Over the past eight years, I have adapted, slowly (to be sure), but adapted nevertheless to my changing musical roles.  I am consciously embracing my adaptation to the musical world around me, and I will work to the best of my ability to be successful in it.  There will be some stumbling along the way, sure — but from each setback, there will be personal growth from which to learn and implement new strategies.

I will meet these challenges head on and do what I do best — work hard to play music for as many people as possible.

Well, it’s certainly been quite some time since I last posted.  I recently had the great opportunity to be interviewed for The Modern Saxophonist podcast by host Mark McArthur.  I had such a great time getting to know Mark and discussing some of the things I’ve done over the past few years, including writing my dissertation, performing, teaching, and living in New York.

If you aren’t familiar with his podcast, definitely check it out!  It’s available to download through iTunes, and you can follow it on both Facebook and Twitter.  I’m looking forward to continue connecting with Mark, as well as listening to all of the other great saxophonists he has as guests on his show.

Here’s the link to the most recent episodes of the podcast:

http://www.themodernsaxophonist.com/category/the-modern-saxophonist-podcast/

Time to keep practicing!

I’m fortunate to know some really cool people in the saxophone world.  One of them is Joe Giardullo, owner of Sopranoplanet.com.  Joe doesn’t live far from me, and over the past few years I’ve gotten to know him and his mouthpiece work very well.  If you play soprano saxophone and have issues with your mouthpiece, Joe is the guy to talk to.

He recently contacted me about trying out a new mouthpiece design that he is working on.  I’m very excited to try out his prototype and see what it sounds like.  I’ll post my thoughts after I get to try out his new mouthpiece.

One of the things I really enjoy is having the opportunity to speak with audience members following a performance.  On March 25th, I had the wonderful opportunity to perform at the Hudson River Music Hall in Hudson Falls, NY.  Even though it was Good Friday, a few interested people attended the performance.  Afterwards, I had the good fortune of speaking with them.  Their impressions of the concert were very positive and I heard many encouraging words and statements of support. I’d like to share some of them below.

“I’ve never heard a saxophone sound like that before.”

“That [Massenet’s “Meditation”] was absolutely beautiful.”

“I’ve never heard Mozart played on saxophone before, but it sounded wonderful!”

“Wow.” [following a rapid ascent I played into the altissimo register]

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Hudson Falls and I hope to perform their again soon.

I’m very excited to announce a new collaboration between myself and composer Jamie Leigh Sampson, this time for a new concerto for alto saxophone and chamber orchestra!

Like Jamie’s first piece for me, With No Name, this one will also utilize extended techniques such as multiphonics and quarter-tones.  The orchestration for this new concerto is modeled after Jacques Ibert’s Concertino from 1935 (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, violin, viola, cello, bass), with one player on a part.  A consortium of saxophonists will also be a part of this wonderful opportunity from a great composer.

I will post updates as they follow.

It seems fitting to make my first blog post of 2016 describing the projects that I am undertaking during the coming year.  I am very excited to be participating in all of them, and I know that I will grow as a musician because of them.

1) I’ll be making my recital debut at the Hudson Falls Performing Arts Center on March 24th.  I had the opportunity to hear my friends in the Decho Ensemble at this venue last summer, and after inquiring with the hall about performance opportunities, have set up a recital performance for myself.  I will be joined by my pianist and BMCC colleague, Dr. Howard Meltzer.

2) I’ll be making my first commercially available recording this summer.  I was extremely fortunate to receive a recording assistance grant from Co-Op Press, and I will be recording works by Sy Brandon, Brandon Nelson, Jamie Leigh Sampson, Andrew Martin Smith, James Willey, and Michael Bies.  I am very excited to record these works and work with such great composers!

3) I will be performing as part of the 10th International Saxophone Festival in Szczecin, Poland in June.  I will be giving a recital of works by Andrew Martin Smith, Jamie Leigh Sampson, and Alojyz Thomys, in addition to performing Roman Palester’s Concertino with orchestra, and teaching in the masterclass.

4) I will continue my recital performances at BMCC each semester, in addition to performing jazz in the Hudson Valley.

5) I will be performing with the Hudson Valley Saxophone Orchestra at the 38th Navy Band Symposium in a tribute to the Rascher Saxophone Ensemble.  I’m very excited to be performing with my wonderful colleagues in the group.

I’m sure other projects will arise during this time and I will document them here.

Happy New Year!

Something that I’ve been asked by students on many occasions, and a topic that frequently comes up in conversation with colleagues, is the old debate of vintage vs. new instruments. Before I continue, let me just say that I am not an expert on musical instrument acoustics. I leave those kinds of debates to those who are more knowledgeable in that area. That being said, I have played on a few modern saxophones, and I do notice a difference between them and their vintage counterparts.

Just to clarify, I perform on vintage Buescher and Conn saxophones: a curved soprano from the early 1920s, an alto from the early 1930s, and a tenor from the mid-1930s.  I love the sound that I get on each of these instruments, and their mechanisms are logical and easy to play on (for me).  For me, these instruments work best and I achieve the desired musical results that I am looking for.

However, there are many saxophonists who prefer modern instruments, and that is absolutely fine.  If a modern mechanism and enhancements help those players achieve their desired musical results, then by all means they should play on those instruments.  I’ve tried several of these instruments, and for my personal tastes, I didn’t find them acceptable.  But that is just my opinion.

There is no “best” saxophone out there — there is, however, a “best” saxophone for you.  So much depends upon the player’s desires and wishes.  I encourage those that are interested in purchasing an instrument to play-test as many different saxophones as possible.  Only through playing experiences and trial and error can one find an instrument that truly works for them.

Having goals or projects in mind is a wonderful way to stay focused and develop as a person/musician.  The musical projects and goals that I wish to undertake this year are ambitious; however, the benefits are worth the effort.  I’ll list each below and provide a brief description.

1. Learn circular breathing — This is a technique I haven’t had the opportunity to study and implement until now.  Gregory Wanamaker’s new saxophone sonata, of Light & Shadows, utilizes this technique in the second movement, which has a perpetual motion idea.
2. Re-learn Ferling’s 48 etudes, as well as Rascher’s 24 Intermezzi — I haven’t studied them or performed them to a great extent since I was an undergraduate student at SUNY Fredonia.  The musical and technical benefits of these studies cannot be overemphasized, as they are standard developmental literature for saxophonists.
3. Perform multiple recitals — I’d like to perform the same set of repertoire a few times and really attempt to promote the music by younger composers.  The works of Andrew Martin Smith, Jamie Leigh Sampson, Brandon Nelson, Marek Jasinski, and Gregory Wanamaker will be balanced with older works by Karel Husa, G.F. Handel, Robert Muczynski, and Roman Palester.
4. Produce a recording of new works for the saxophone — Over the past few years, I’ve had the wonderful fortune to collaborate with some composers and foster the creation of new music for the saxophone.  It’s a goal of mine to now professionally record these works so that there may be available for other saxophonists and new music connoisseurs.
5. Form a strong saxophone/piano duo with a collaborative pianist — I’ve collaborated with several pianists over the years and had some wonderful performances with them.  I know and teach with some very talented pianists, so I’m hoping to form a strong chamber music duo with one of them.

What is necessary in order to achieve a focused, warm, tone quality?

I see this question (or a variation of it) just about every day on various Internet message boards and social media posts.  I also see the numerous responses to this question – some are insightful, others are just plain ridiculous.  What I try to teach my students is that a tonal concept ultimately comes from within the individual player.  The equipment we use is only the set of physical tools that helps one to create their tonal concept as best as they can.

So this begs the question: what should a saxophone sound like?

There is no single answer to this question.  It depends upon the personal preferences of the individual player.  For myself, I like the darker sounds associated with one group of saxophonists.  When I was much younger, I listened to these players over and over again and got that type of tone inside my head (or inner ear).  I have striven to emulate this tone as best as I could, which necessitated purchasing a certain type of mouthpiece to help me achieve that type of sound.  Once I had my new mouthpiece, I worked diligently to sound as best as I could on it.  After some time, I noticed a dramatic improvement in my tone quality; however, I also noticed that I didn’t quite sound like the players I was listening to.  I sounded similar, but not exactly like them.  There is another crucial element to determining one’s tone quality, and that is the construction of the player’s oral cavity.  Since each person has their own unique physical characteristics, these would undoubtedly have an influence on that person’s tone quality.  This, as well as the inner tonal concept, are the two most influential parameters of a player’s tone quality.  Even if two players use the same exact mouthpiece, ligature, reed type/strength, and instrument, they will sound different from one another.  There will understandably be similarities, but each individual will sound slightly different due to their differing oral cavities and inner tonal concepts.

There is no “magic” mouthpiece or trick.  A good tone comes from within.  It comes from your physical being, your tonal preferences, a great deal of hard work, and a mouthpiece that helps you to best achieve the sound you’re searching for.