Everything Saxophone Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

This week, Donna sits down with Paul Maslin, founder of PM Woodwind Repair and one of the most trusted names in the saxophone world. Paul's shop has been a go-to spot for pros and enthusiasts alike for over 30 years, and in this episode, he shares how he built a community around quality, craftsmanship, and love for the instrument.   ⬇️ You'll hear: 00:00 How he got into music and schools he went to 05:31 The reason behind PM Woodwinds's success 08:47 Paul's repair mentors 10:25 Time it takes to do repairs 14:09 How Selmer makes their bells 17:34 Why the neck is so important 20:03 Always have a backup neck  22:33 Simple repairs and how to fix the octave key  26:36 What he means by a bent or pulled-downed neck 31:24 You're the one that makes the sound 32:42 Another simple adjustment every sax player can do 35:43 The real problem is halfway between… 39:21 Are all cheap horns bad? 42:20 Best brand for entry level saxophones 45:06 What to look for when buying brand new horns 46:23 Pro-level brands he carry 47:16 What to consider or check when buying used horns 50:24 Lacquer vs. no lacquer 52:33 Offerings in his shop
56:46 - Horn differences
58:15 - Selmer Supreme - black limited edition horn
01:03:08 - Sad reality of good shops going out of business
01:05:15 - The difficulty of looking for repair people   Explore more about Paul Maslin and PM Woodwind Repair; their background and socials, all in one place ➡️ https://saxophonepodcast.com/saxophonist-how-pm-woodwinds-creates-a-saxophone-community-ep-255 Become a Patron today! 🎷

Love our content? Want even more behind-the-scenes access? By becoming a Patron, you'll get exclusive perks such as:

• A complete, always-updated listing of all our shows
• Bonus videos packed with behind-the-scenes content
• Searchable transcripts for every episode
• Early access to episodes: hear them before anyone else!

Your support keeps the show running and fuels our ability to bring you the best content possible. And the best part? You can join for as little as $2 a month!

💡 Be part of something bigger. Join us on Patreon today!

💡This episode is sponsored by the free Masterclass, How to Improvise With Confidence Feel stuck playing the same licks? What if you could stop overthinking, ditch the sheet music, and take confident, expressive solos - anywhere, anytime?   The free masterclass, How to Improvise With Confidence, has helped thousands of sax players break out of the rut and start playing with freedom.  

It's not about memorizing more theory. It's about unlocking the instincts and tools you already have so you can finally solo the way you hear it in your head.

If you've ever felt glued to the page… avoided solos because you didn't feel ready… or wondered why you still don't "get" chord changes, this might be your turning point.   Click HERE to watch the masterclass now while it's still available.

Meet The Moanin' Frogs, a dynamic saxophone sextet blending classical, jazz, ragtime, and pop with unmatched energy and creativity.   In this episode, they share their journey, the story behind their name, their new album One Giant Leap, and what makes chamber music so fun and expressive.   Below is a detailed timestamp to help you navigate the key highlights of our conversation with The Moanin' Frogs. ⬇️   00:00 Member's introduction 07:52 Lucas' Bass Sax dissertation in British Columbia 11:19 Moanin' Frogs' promotional video 16:44 Where their name came from 23:07 Their setup during the pandemic 25:03 The new album, One Giant Leap, and its concept behind it 29:02 Listen and reflect on 'Melancholy Blues' 30:57 Advice for timing: attacks and releases 33:35 How it worked out for them after being locked down for some time 38:03 When you're too serious, the music suffers 42:39 Everyone's role in the group 45:42 What it takes to be part of their group 49:51 Their early years 52:45 Listen and reflect on Johnny B. Good' 55:13 How Jeff Siegfried does guttural flutter tonguing  01:01:13 How does everything work for them despite being far from one another 01:07:27 Plans for summer camp 01:13:24 Future projects 01:16:31 Listen and reflect on 'Slava!' 01:21:22 Tips for learning circular breathing Tune in and discover why The Moanin' Frogs are leaping beyond boundaries in the saxophone world ➡️ https://saxophonepodcast.com/saxophone-sextet-the-moanin-frogs-making-saxophone-chamber-music-fun-and-unique-ep-254 Become a Patron today!

Love our content? Want even more behind-the-scenes access? By becoming a Patron, you'll get exclusive perks such as:

• A complete, always-updated listing of all our shows
• Bonus videos packed with behind-the-scenes content
• Searchable transcripts for every episode
• Early access to episodes: hear them before anyone else!

Your support keeps the show running and fuels our ability to bring you the best content possible. And the best part? You can join for as little as $2 a month!

💡 Be part of something bigger. Join us on Patreon today!

Today's podcast is brought to you by our friends at GigSalad.

Looking to book more gigs and grow your audience? Whether you're a solo artist or in a band, GigSalad makes it easy to connect with event planners across the U.S. and Canada for weddings, birthday parties, corporate events, and more.

With GigSalad's strong Google presence, you get better exposure to planners searching for your talent. The full-service platform lets you set availability and preferences to get only the leads you want, and makes messaging, quoting, and booking a breeze. Best of all? Clients pay upfront, so your money is guaranteed every time.

So head to GigSalad.com to create your free profile now and take the first step to booking more shows. That's GigSalad.com — and let them know the Everything Saxophone podcast sent you!

Click HERE for more info.

In this conversation, saxophonist Dan White reflects on his journey from a young student learning 50 tunes by ear to earning a music degree at Ohio State and touring professionally.   Here's a guided timestamp to check out the highlights of the episode — perfect if you want to jump straight to the parts that resonate most with you.   00:00 - His first instrument and how he got into playing saxophone 09:07 - Learning 50 tunes by ear 11:52 - What convinced him to do music as a career 15:46 - Eye opening music camp he went to 21:10 - Getting a music degree at Ohio state 25:13 - Question he asked himself that inspired his future 30:37 - Advice for those who don't like to record themselves 34:08 - Advice for dealing with negative comments 45:36 - Temptation of perfection 54:59 - What he considers as weakness in a player 58:51 - How he organizes his practicing 01:02:58 - What to do whenever you feel overwhelmed  01:11:13 - Importance of good relationship within the band 01:17:10 - His tonal concept, gear, and set-up 01:31:54 - Advice from Walter Blanding 01:34:49 - How and when did he start using P Mauriat Saxophone 01:41:19 - Upcoming projects   Explore more about Dan White—his background, music, and socials—all in one place: https://saxophonepodcast.com/saxophonist-dan-white-using-the-yes-mentality-to-embrace-challenges   Become a Patron today!   Love our content? Want even more behind-the-scenes access? By becoming a Patron, you'll get exclusive perks such as:

• A complete, always-updated listing of all our shows
• Bonus videos packed with behind-the-scenes content
• Searchable transcripts for every episode
• Early access to episodes—hear them before anyone else!

  Your support keeps the show running and fuels our ability to bring you the best content possible. And the best part? You can join for as little as $2 a month!    Be part of something bigger. Join us on Patreon today!   P. Mauriat is a proud sponsor of the Everything Saxophone Podcast. P. Mauriat saxophones are handmade start to finish in Taiwan by skilled artisans and their families. Each P. Mauriat saxophone features a hand hammered bell; hand-hammering creates a durable alloy that is both aesthetically and sonically beautiful.    P. Mauriat is the only saxophone manufacturer in the world that manufactures a true, full line saxophone choir: sopranino, soprano saxes with two necks or unibody construction, a curved soprano, alto and tenor saxophones with traditional French bores and drawn tone holes or alto and tenor saxophones with rolled tone holes and Germanic style bores, a tenor sax without a high F# key, Low A AND Low Bb baritone saxes, a professional bass saxophone, and entry level, intermediate, and pro lines all voiced SATB.    P. Mauriat also makes entry level, intermediate, and professional clarinets, intermediate and professional flutes, and entry level through pre-professional trumpets.  P. Mauriat is also fully product-supported, with an actual human being brand manager and an ever-growing parts pipeline.    Check out the new P. Mauriat Venus Alto and Tenor saxophones, made of a 95% copper alloy with silver key work and Black Pearl key touches. Great artists such as Kirk Whalum, Derek Brown, Roxy Coss, Adam Larson, Jason Marshall, Khari Allen Lee, Laura Dreyer, Dan White, and Terell Stafford have trusted their sound to P. Mauriat Musical Instruments.   Whether you're a beginning musician, an advancing student, or a working professional, P. Mauriat has an instrument that will fit both your musical tastes and your budget.   See your local dealer for details!

Michael Wilbur is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, song writer, producer and recording engineer.

His main instruments are tenor and bass saxophones.

He is in the bands, Moon Hooch and Thundersmack, and has his own solo projects under his name.

Michael is an avid plant-based athlete, music educator, environmentalist and animal rights activist.

The link to his full biography, along with more Resources for this episode, is on our website.

This episode was sponsored by:

OnKey App – links to OnKey on the App Store and Google Play: https://linkmix.co/11048548

Rovner Products

 

We talked about:

🎷A quote that's driven Michael's career to new levels of success

🎷How he's dealt with chronic asthma

🎷Why fitness is so important

🎷How Moon Hooch got started and how they came up with the name

🎷Michael's ideal practice routine

🎷Collaborating with Leo P 

🎷 and much more!

Did you know you can get a complete listing of all our shows, as well as Bonus videos and searchable transcripts?

All you need to do is become a Patron!

Patrons play a huge role in helping to defray the costs of storing each episode's video and audio, and producing and hosting the show.

And, with their small monthly donation of $2 or more, they help keep the great interviews coming. If you want to become a patron and support the show, head on over to our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/everythingsaxophone

Our special guest for this episode is Paul Winter, best known for his environmental work, and his concerts with the Paul Winter Consort.

From the early days of Paul Winter's college jazz sextet, which toured 23 countries of Latin America for the State Department and performed the first-ever jazz concert at the White House for the Kennedys in 1962, to his later ensemble, the Paul Winter Consort, his concert tours and recording expeditions have taken him to 52 countries and to wilderness areas on six continents, where he has traveled on rafts, dog sleds, mules, kayaks, tug-boats and Land Rovers. He has recorded over 50 albums, of which seven have been honored with Grammy Awards.

The link to his full biography, along with more Resources for this episode, is on our website.

In this episode, we talked about:

🎷 Jimmy Heath's influence on Paul

🎷 Whale sounds and Charlie Parker; what they have in common

🎷 What it was like attending Duke Ellington's funeral

🎷How he got involved with 'Winter Solstice'

🎷How adventures in SoundPlay started

🎷And MUCH more!

Did you know you can get a complete listing of all our shows, as well as Bonus videos and searchable transcripts?

All you need to do is become a Patron!

Patrons play a huge role in helping to defray the costs of storing each episode's video and audio, and producing and hosting the show.

And, with their small monthly donation of $2 or more, they help keep the great interviews coming. If you want to become a patron and support the show, head on over to our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/everythingsaxophone

Matthew Alec is a jazz and popular music saxophonist, founder and Executive Producer at Cleveland Time Records, and bandleader for the high-energy jazz fusion group Matthew Alec and The Soul Electric.

His debut album Cleveland Time featuring former Saturday Night Live Musical Director Tom "Bones" Malone was released in February of 2021.

The album charted for several weeks on the NACC Jazz Radio Chart, peaking at #13, and received international press from Jazziz Magazine, All About Jazz, JazzMonthly.com, SoulTracks.com, Broadway World, WBSS Media, Glide Magazine, and many others.

His hard bop blues composition "Blues for McCoy" from the album was a Semi-Finalist in the International Songwriting Competition and was one of All About Jazz's most "Popular Jazz Songs" for 2021.

His 2nd album Live at the Bop Stop! (which also features Malone) is due out in December of 2022.

The link to his full biography, along with more Resources for this episode, is on our website.

Matthew is proudly sponsored by DeJacques saxophone straps and Remic Microphones.

We talked about:

🎷 Matthew's practice routine

🎷 How Michael Brecker became his new hero

🎷 How he approaches working on altissimo & his altissimo fingerings for Urgent

🎷His approach when playing tribute or cover bands

🎷Advice from Joe Lovano

🎷And MUCH more!

Did you know you can get a complete listing of all our shows, as well as Bonus videos and searchable transcripts?

All you need to do is become a Patron!

Patrons play a huge role in helping to defray the costs of storing each episode's video and audio, and producing and hosting the show.

And, with their small monthly donation of $2 or more, they help keep the great interviews coming. If you want to become a patron and support the show, head on over to our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/everythingsaxophone

Donna Schwartz spoke with Classical & Jazz Saxophonist, Educator, Greg Banaszak.

Greg Banaszak is one of the most sought after orchestral saxophone soloists of his generation.

As one of the few saxophonists active in both the classical and jazz mediums, he includes a combination of concerto performances, solo and chamber music recitals, and jazz festival appearances.

He has presented recitals in such prestigious concert halls as Vienna's Bösendorfer Concert Hall, the Royal Palace in Warsaw, Poland, and New York's Lincoln Center's Bruno Walter Hall.

He has presented master classes at Austria's Musik Hochschule, the Cairo Conservatory, Oberlin Conservatory, and the Tanglewood Institute and has served as Orchestral saxophonist for the leading opera orchestras of Warsaw, Berlin, Paris, and Cleveland.

Banaszak was the first saxophone concerto soloist to appear with orchestras in India, the Middle East and Korea, including performances with the Symphony Orchestra India, the Cairo Symphony and the Taegu City Symphony.

Banaszak's critically acclaimed CDs, "The Music of Alan Hovhaness" "Duo Concertos for Alto Saxophone, Flute, and Orchestra", "Romances for Saxophone and Orchestra" and "Saxophone Concertos", are available on the Naxos and Centaur Records label.

Banaszak recently recorded "I'll Remember April…Bird with Strings Revisited", a CD of the renowned recording of Charlie Parker with Orchestra.

He serves on the faculties of the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Case Western Reserve University.

He is a Vandoren Performing Artist, Selmer Saxophone clinician, a Rovner Products and DeJacques consultant.

He has performed as a saxophonist for the Cleveland Orchestra.

He studied with such prominent masters as Vincent Abato and jazz legend Jackie McLean.

Banaszak's former students currently hold positions as both highly acclaimed performers and educators throughout the United States and abroad.

In 2021, Banaszak was recently honored with the "Distinguished Alumni of the Year" award from the Hartt School of Music /University of Hartford.

Banaszak takes great pride in educating the future generation of world-class saxophonists and young artists.

Hailed as a Saxophonist "Tour de Force" by the New York Times, Mr. Banaszak continues to perform worldwide.

The background music for the podcast was Greg performing Laura from the  "Bird with Strings" performance with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and Maestro Carl Topilow, Conductor, Live at Severance Hall, on February 9, 2007.

The link to his full biography, along with more Resources for this episode, is on our website.

We talked about:
🎷 The Charlie Parker Know the Legends Project & some incredible stories most people do not know
🎷 How Greg did the research for this monumental project   
🎷 How Art Tatum influenced Charlie Parker's approach to playing
🎷 Great stories about Former President Bill Clinton, Jackie MacLean and others 
🎷 Greg's own practicing routine, and how he keeps his jazz and classical chops in shape
🎷 And MUCH more!

Did you know you can get a complete listing of all our shows, as well as Bonus videos and searchable transcripts?

All you need to do is become a Patron!

Patrons play a huge role in helping to defray the costs of storing each episode's video and audio, and producing and hosting the show.

And, with their small monthly donation of $2 or more, they help keep the great interviews coming. If you want to become a patron and support the show, head on over to our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/everythingsaxophone

Marco Pignataro is a multi-talented saxophone player, composer, and educator originally from Bologna, Italy.

He is currently the Managing Director of Berklee Global Jazz Institute.

He has shared stages with artists such as Eddie Gomez, Joanne Brackeen, Danilo Pérez, George Garzone, and Terri Lyne Carrington, among many others.

Pignataro performs and tours internationally with several musical groups, including the Marco Pignataro Almas Antiguas Quartet and the Eddie Gomez Quintet.

He released 2 CD's recently -Awakenings, which is under consideration for a vocal Grammy, and Chant for Our Planet, a Tallberg Foundation supported project to address climate change.

The link to his full biography, along with more Resources for this episode, is on our website.

We talked about:

🎷 His newest project, Chant for Our Planet

🎷 His approach to composing; before the Awakenings project and afterwards   

🎷 Comprovisation; how that approach was used for his piece, On Irene's Path

🎷 Which process would be best for students to experience first when learning music 

🎷 How 1 person's observation from his website inspired a new album and play

🎷 And MUCH more!

You can catch a behind-the-scenes Bonus conversation from this episode, plus the searchable transcript of this video, tons of Bonus videos from our previous guests, and so much more when you become a Patron!

For as little as 2 a month, you can help keep this great show going!

Just go to www.patreon.com/everythingsaxophone to subscribe.

Odisei Music is a Spanish company based in Barcelona founded by Ramon Mañas (CEO).

Their story began 5 years ago when Ramon was studying music in Berlin.

At that time, he was sharing a small flat with 2 other musicians and began learning how to play the saxophone.

From that point, they have been obsessed with creating the smallest and lightest electronic saxophone in the world, to help saxophonists practice and play silently when and wherever they want without disturbing others.

That event generated what is today the main mission of Odisei Music.

The link to his full biography, along with more Resources for this episode, is on our website.

We talked about:

🎷 How his practicing struggles influenced the creation of the Travel Sax

🎷 The goal behind the Travel Sax

🎷 The many uses for the Travel Sax

🎷 We checked out the case and mouthpiece for the Travel Sax 

🎷 How to use Travel Sax as a performing tool

🎷 And MUCH more!

You can catch Donna's demo of the Travel Sax, plus a searchable transcript of this video, tons of Bonus video from our previous guests, and so much more when you become a Patron!

For as little as 2 a month, you can help keep this great show going!

Just go to www.patreon.com/everythingsaxophone to subscribe.

 

In this episode from the NAMM Show in June, Donna Schwartz spoke with musician and the founder of Victory Musical Instruments, parent company of The Growling Sax, Melvin Quinones.

Melvin Quinones is a Hispanic American entrepreneur, engineer, musician and the founder of Victory Musical Instruments, parent company of The Growling Sax.

With over 30+ years of professional music experience combined with 20 years of engineering background, he integrated many of the technologies and processes that have made the pioneers of the music industry successful with new technology, improved materials and ergonomics.

Melvin has over 30 years of experience as a saxophonist, keyboardist and record producer. Some of his relevant work includes 248th Army Band, Thalia, Tiziano Ferro, Frankie J, MDO, Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Objetivo Fama & Miss Universe 2005 among many others.

He also ran the My Sax Talk social network for 10 years.

He is also the founder of Dance like David LLC, a faith-focused foundation created to provide musician instruments and educational resources to communities with low financial resources.

The link to his full biography, along with more Resources for this episode, is on our website.

We talked about:

🎷 History of Victory Musical Instruments & Melvin's background

🎷 How the name Growling Sax was created

🎷 How the Growling Saxes are different than other brands 

🎷 How his background in engineering & moderating Sax Talk influenced the Growling Sax

🎷 Differences between Sterling Silver necks and other finishes 

🎷 And MUCH more!

If you want the searchable transcript for this episode, plus TONS of other bonus content from many of our 149 episodes, head on over to our PATREON SITE.

Not only will you be getting awesome content, but you will be helping support the show!