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SyoSphere
Starting in 2017, I began practicing. I had to buy a new saxophone, in fact. After I left the Navy, I had no desire to play anymore. The only saxophone I had was a worn-out alto made by Yanagisawa. I don’t even think it was one of their top models. It had been 10 years…
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Joshua Redman
A few nights ago, I had the opportunity to hear the Joshua Redman group. I saw him in New Orleans about 29 years ago. It was astonishing! He was even better this time. His new group includes a vocalist, Gabrielle Cavassa. She is an excellent vocalist, and quite beautiful. The rest of the group was…
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My Favorite Mouthpieces
For a couple of months I have been struggling to figure out which of my latest two mouthpiece I like best. I can’t do it. The first one was made by Stephen Kammerer of SK Mouthpieces. He is a mouthpiece repair guy in New York who does fantastic work. So who better to make a…
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My Old Flame
What a great tune! My Old Flame was written by Arthur Johnston & Sam Coslow in 1934. I don’t know who all have recorded it, but I do know that it was performed by Mae West in the film, Belle of The Nineties. Since then, I am sure many jazz artists have recorded or performed…
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The Life of a Wannabe Sax Player
So, today, I began practicing again. I played for several hours (maybe 4). I started the day doing some recording work for Harry Rios. He is a cruise ship musician. He plays piano, and he is a band leader. It took me only a short time to record the part he needed. It was just…
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My Current Slump
We’re nearly 14 days into the new year, and I have already lost my drive for a little bit. I last practiced about a week ago. It shouldn’t last long, but I hate it when it happens. As I’ve said before in previous posts, I am not as driven now as I was when I…
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A New Music Year 2024
I’m not quite sure what I am doing with this blog. I rarely have time to write. I spend most of my time in the practice room at home. Then, when I get good and frustrated there, I go out and ride my motorcycle. If writing did what riding the bike does for me, I…
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Practicing Autumn Leaves
Sometimes, I have a recorder going but fail to have a camera on. This was one of those instances. I was having an exceptionally good day of practice. The song is called Autumn Leaves. I don’t always play it well, but I seemed to have it more under my fingers on this particular day. “Autumn…
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The Sounds of Practice
I have been increasing my practice hours. Sometimes, I feel I am getting better. Sometimes, I think I have not improved at all. Sometimes, I feel like quitting, yet I keep trying. I can’t stop. What can I say? I enjoy it. I have been learning about some of the jam sessions that happen around…
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Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
I haven’t been able to play my saxophone for a very long time because of neck pain. So, I decided to try to practice even though it hurts like hell. I thought I’d start with something easy (sort of). This is my version of Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, by Joe Zawinul. I still use Garage Band,…
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Adult Jazz Combo Class
For the past month or so, I have been participating in an adult jazz combo class. It is put on by the Charleston Jazz Academy and designed for people who used to play in the school band, choir, or even orchestra and want to get back into music. All of us are at different levels…
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Getting Back On Track
How High The Moon I had not practiced since about the middle of March. That month I went to Rhode Island to witness my daughter’s graduation from the Navy’s Officer Candidate School. It was 4 days away from my own bed. It brought me great physical pain. I normally sleep on a 10 inch memory…
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Stella By Starlite
starlite This is a song called Stella By Starlite. It is a beautiful song with an excellent chord progression. When I was in the Navy and had to play this tune, I always tried to fake my way through. It was not working well. This recording is not a great performance. However, it is the…