Have you all checked out Melissa Aldana yet? If you haven't you should do yourself a favor and check out one of the most exciting young tenor players on the scene today. This is one of my favorite videos of her playing with her trio. Check out other videos of her and her fantastic bands. There are plenty of them! Her sound is so unique and refreshing, if this is the standard that younger players coming out of school are setting, we are in for some good years ahead in the jazz world! Check … [Read more...]
Melissa Aldana: A Rare Talent on The Saxophone
A Josh Dion Performance And A Few Thoughts….
A performance that transcends genres and makes you genuinely happy and satisfied is a rare thing. Josh Dion is a new name to me and clearly I have been living under a rock for too long having not checked him out. A tremendous drummer and vocalist, this performance had me captivated from beginning to end and leaving me wanting to go out and find every second of music Josh has ever recorded. This guy clearly has some amazing jazz chops and I think that, currently, jazz is fighting an … [Read more...]
A Micro-Lesson on Triad Pairs
Hey everyone! Wanted to share something from the practice room today. A quick little lesson on some preparatory exercises to get into triad pairs. This is an awesome concept that you can take as far as you want, but here I'm explaining just a little bit about what triad pairs are and why they are so effective. Shoot me any questions you might have about getting started with this awesome device for improvisation! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMmKSJ0Z3Xg … [Read more...]
Learning Another Instrument Is Guaranteed To Make You Better At Yours
You should learn another instrument. It’s not only important to have at least some skill on different instruments, one of the most fun things to do at the end of the day is to jump on an instrument you know you suck at and just have some no pressure, no expectation, time making music for the hell of it. You might even discover an instrument that you love almost as much as your main outlet for musical expression. Of course, as a saxophonist, I’m required to be somewhat of a … [Read more...]
Choosing The Right Teacher
Teachers are some of the most important people in our lives. They can make or break our hopes and dreams. They can support us or discourage us, point us in the right direction, or lead us down the wrong path. Some teachers we get stuck with like many of the teachers we had in school, but when it comes to choosing a teacher for your instrument, technology has made it so that we can choose almost anyone we want. Whether it’s hopping in your car or on a train to go and see a desirable teacher, or … [Read more...]
I Wish Dave King Was My Dad
If you don't know about Dave King's "Rational Funk," I'm here to tell you that life is about to get a whole lot better for you. Dave is the amazing drummer of The Bad Plus and many other projects. He is also one of the funniest dudes on earth and if you don't laugh at this stuff I'm convinced you're more machine than man. This is one of the best episodes yet. If you're looking for an actual lesson on odd time signatures, well......I don't know what to tell you. But if you're looking for … [Read more...]
Branford Marsalis on Classical Music and Hip-Hop
I read a great article with Branford Marsalis this past week and it lived up to the strong opinions I have come to expect from him. Branford has never been afraid to say exactly what he is thinking and I have, over the years, come to respect that about him. Whether it's the state of jazz or classical music, or his opinion on what is going on in the greater music world, he doesn't pull any punches. And whether you agree or disagree with his point of view, you gotta respect the guy for saying … [Read more...]
5 Ways To Become A Better Musician RIGHT NOW!
Are you stuck in a rut when it comes to improving consistently and quickly as a musician? Not to worry, it happens to everyone at some point in their musical lives. Whether it be that you never feel like you're using your practice time to it's full potential or you don't know exactly what to practice, I hope these five tips will help you in your journey to reaching your full potential. We all have the potential to become great musicians, but we need to harness that potential into a clear course … [Read more...]
A Note From A Donny McCaslin Fan
I am one of the biggest Donny McCaslin fan boys out there. In my opinion, he is one of the best modern saxophone players out there and I can’t get enough of his playing. I also have had the opportunity, through my studies, to interact and learn from him. He is a great guy who taught me concepts that I still work on to this day. Lessons that seemed simple on the outside but require a tremendous amount of work when you get into them. Let me tell you why I want you to go out and listen to Donny … [Read more...]
Inspiration: The Mark Turner Quartet
I just had the pleasure of seeing Mark Turner, Jason Palmer, Joe Martin, and Marcus Gilmore at the University of New Hampshire on recently. I hadn't seen Mark play for years and it was amazing to hear him. A few thoughts about the show which was comprised completely of Mark's original material. 1) This guy knows how to write for a chord-less band. It struck me how involved the melodies were. The majority of them had 32 or 64 bars of written material at the beginning, some … [Read more...]
