Complete Approach to Sound for the Modern Saxophonist

Ben Britton, saxophonist/educator/blogger, recently sent me a copy of his Complete Approach to Sound for the Modern Saxophonist book. I was quite impressed with just how thorough the book really was. This is a book that I have started using with my own students at Portland State University. Ben includes a ton of crucial sound production exercises, many that I use with my own students. I really like that Ben focuses on airstream, embouchure, articulation, long tones, overtone exercises, and warm-up exercises, and doesn't really even get into finger technique.

See below for the book's topics from the table of contents:

Ben Britton

 Introduction to Air Support, Breathing In, Blowing Hot Air, Up Against the Wall, Introduction to Embouchure , Mouthpiece Test, Mouthpiece Bends, Introduction to Air Stream, Focus, Low vs. High, Focusing the Vocal Tract, Bending Up, Airstream Focus vs. Embouchure, Other Contributing Factors Long Tones on the Mouthpiece,  Air Attacks, Low Note Bends, Air Support at Soft Dynamics, Whispering Hot Air, Soft Long Tones, Putting it to Practice, Embouchure Pressure, Sound and Feeling, Wrong Embouchure, Embouchure and Articulation, Interval Jumps, Embouchure Flexibility and Timbre, Roll In, Roll Out, Subtone vs. Full Tone, Looking Forward, Lower Lip, Tongue Bends, Techniques for Executing New or Difficult Overtones, Guiding Principles for Overtone Practice, Types of Overtone Exercises, Long Overtone Variations, Overtones and Altissimo, Multiphonics, Multiphonics with Tongue Bends, Level I- Long Overtones, Level I: Overtone Flexibility, Level II Long Overtones,  Level II: Overtone Flexibility, Bugle Calls, Scales Using Multiple Partials, Scales Using a Single Partial, Slurring Up, Articulation Techniques, The Lightest Articulation Possible, Moving Beyond Low Bb, Legato Tongued Scales, Staccato Low Bb, High Register Staccato,  Staccato Scales, Real Music, An Approach to Daily Practice, Regularly Recording Yourself, Why Warm Up?, Importance of Long Tones, Warm-up Outline,  Descending Long Tones, Part 2: Long Overtones, Part 3: Overtone Flexibility, Part 4: Articulation, Customize Your Warm-Up

Here is a page from the book on techniques for executing new or difficult overtones:

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Ben includes audio files of himself playing many of the exercises, often with examples of both the correct and incorrect methods of performance. Here are a few excerpts from the book with audio examples.

A few endorsements for the book :

 “Ben’s book covers some of the important concepts of playing saxophone in a well articulated, clear style which can serve both beginners and more advanced players well."-- Dave Liebman

"This is a terrific book on an often neglected yet integral part of saxophone playing. I recommend Ben's book to every serious saxophonist." --Walt Weiskopf

 Nice work Ben!

Mulligan/Giuffre Fake Books

These older Sketch-orks books have all of the harmony parts, for your West Coast Swing action.

Yeah baby!


Mulligan/Giuffre Fake Books

Kenny Wheeler Songbook

A longtime Scandinavian reader sent me a PDF of some Kenny Wheeler charts. I played through a lot of these tunes with John Stowell a few weeks ago, some very nice tunes in there.

Kenny Wheeler Songbook

Paul Contos' World of Fourths- etudes & exercises

 Last week I attended the Jazz Education Network convention in Atlanta. I presented a panel on Jazz blogging with Earl MacDonald and George Colligan and saw a lot of great clinics and concerts. It was quite educational and entertaining. I plan to post more details about some of the things (mouthpieces, software, books, bands, ect) that I saw at the JEN convention, so stay tuned.

Paul Contos

One of the coolest things about the trip for me was being able to reconnect with my first saxophone teacher Paul Contos, who I hadn't seen in years. I started studying with Paul in seventh grade and studied with him all the up until my freshman year of college, seven years total. He got me started on the Omnibook immediately. We were talking about that last week and Paul said that his strategy was just not to tell his students that it was hard! I started with Bloomdido and eventually learned every note in that book.

  Paul is responsible for inspiring a multitude of  young musicians to become great Jazz musicians. He recently took over the job of education director for the Monterey Jazz Festival's educational program, which is a huge job because it includes the year round Monterey schools programs, the summer camp, the National Next Gen honor Jazz band, and the Next Gen yearly competition. Paul also runs the San Francisco Jazz Festival's educational program, which includes an honor band as well. Paul also takes the Next Gen band to Japan or across the US and Canada each year. I recently found a Facebook group called Paul Contos Changed My Life, which just shows how big of an impact he has had as an educator.

 Paul and I had a chance to catch up and then we both went over to Rafael Navarro's both to try out his pieces, which we had both been hearing a lot about recently. Paul tried the soprano pieces and I played a few alto pieces. We were both hugely impressed with the work that Rafy was doing. The soprano piece that Paul tried seemed like a big step up from the Selmer S80 E that he had been using for years. The core was fat and it put out a ton of sound. I'm planning a full review of the alto pieces that I tried and have asked Rafy to do an interview for this blog. I'll also be adding a banner ad for Navarro mouthpieces very soon. It is worth noting that  I only post ads for products that I personally use or recommend to my own students.

Dave Leibman

 Paul is so well know as an educator that I think people often overlook the fact that he a burning and unique player as well. He got swept up in the NY tenor wave back in the late 70's and early 80's, but instead of gravitating to Brecker or Grossman, like many saxophonists, he was more drawn to Liebman. Paul has always been very serious about soprano and flute, making Leibman all the more compelling. Paul mentioned that Leibman was the 'underdog' compared to his contemporaries.

  The last time I saw Leib was in the late 90's at the Blue Note. I have got to say that I was a bit disappointed. He played a lot of tenor and I wasn't digging his sound or time concepts. The high point of the night for me was his bamboo flute playing. The last performance I saw at JEN last week was the Miami big band with Leibman and it just blew me away. The big band was truly impressive, tighter than any band that I remember playing with at Berklee,  but Dave sounded incredible. He played only soprano and his sound was gorgeous. His harmonic and rhythmic concept was killing....so killing.  It made a huge impression on me, making me want to get a better idea of what he was doing. As soon as I got home I ordered the Aebersold published Leibman book How to Approach Standards Chromatically- techniques of superimposition.

  Paul just emailed me some exercises and etudes that he had written for his students. Paul has always had a very cool approach to utilizing fourths in his playing, something which I never  incorporated into my playing much so I was happy to get these new exercises.  Playing through these etudes made me make a mental note to hit Paul up for another lesson the next time I'm in the Bay Area. I am sure you will enjoy this stuff.

Here is Paul's explanations for his exercises:

"World of Fourths - first is a Preparatory sheet, to get people into maneuvering around the horn in that way, especially if they've been so 'scale-oriented'...and/or just comfortable w/chord-like maj. & min. 3rd diatonic intervals...breaks them out of that.

Next is World of Fourths part. A, which shows a pattern that can be used on at least 5 or 6 chords...(same can be used on: D7sus; A-7;F maj7; Bb maj7#11; C6/9; others)

Next up in an exercise of a chorus of "All The Things" using the World of Fourths concept, moving thru the changes, w/logical transitions & many 1/2step resolutions, as relates to the how things lay nicely on the horn. 

Next is an Ex. of a chorus on "Cherokee" - just straight-ahead at first, to help students get into making some smooth linear movements thru the changes, then the last 'A' section starts utilizing some of the Fourth concept thru the changes…It's also the 1st Alto part of a quartet version of that chorus of Cherokee…w/Super-sax type harmony"

World of Fourths PDFs

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Jazz Education Network Conference 2013

 The Jazz Education Network is and organization that rose out of the ashes of IAJE, the International Association of Jazz Educators, when it went down in flames a few years ago. I don't know the real story as far as the reasons for the flame out of IAJE, but I've heard people say that hookers and piles of blow had something to do with it. It's always hookers and blow, isn't it?

This year I'm planning to go to the JEN conference in Atlanta. I have been invited to take part in a panel discussion on Jazz blogging with Earl MacDonald and George Colligan, both of whom have great Jazz blogs. The panel is titled 'Blogging with a Purpose- Educating and Building the Jazz Audience Base' and is with be happening on Saturday, Jan.5th at 1:00pm, at the Learning Center- Atrium Tower, Lower Level 1.

 I am looking forward to seeing old friends, checking out new gear and educational materials, seeing some interesting workshops and getting into some soul food. If you happen to be attending the JEN conference this year please stop by and say hello, or email me at: casavaldez@comcast.net if you want to meet for coffee.

The Pedagogy of Jazz Improvisation- Charlie Banacos

Charlie Banacos is once of the most influential Jazz teachers of the 20th century. When I was in school in Boston he was legendary, and had a two year waiting list to study with him. Anders Bostrom, my housemate in Boston, studied with him and I would hear the types of things that Charlie had assigned each week. Everything that Anders was working on was more more advanced than anything that I was getting at Berklee.

 For years I have just heard the results of his teaching in the playing of the students that spent time studying with him, but never really had a clear understanding of his pedagogy. Charlie also taught correspondence lessons to students all across the country, and there must be many of his written lessons floating around out there. I have never run across any myself, though not for a lack of trying. I will not even make an attempt to write about the profound effect that this educator had on his students. My good friend and pianist Kerry Politzer studied with Charlie for seven years and if you even mention his name around her she gets visibly upset, reminded of the great loss of his passing. Charlie inspired a such high level of devotion in his students that many of them speak about him more as a father figure or spiritual teacher than a Jazz educator. The influential players/educators who studied with Banacos reads like a who's who of Jazz: Gary Dial (for over 40 years), Randy & Michael Brecker, Mike Stern, Bill Frisell, Joey Calderazzo, Danilo Perez, Jeff Berlin, Kenny Werner, George Garzone and Bill Pierce, and many more.

Regular CV blog reader Stephan van Briel recently sent me a link to a former Bancacos student's (Lefteris Kordis) New England Conservatory doctorate dissertation. The dissertation details much of Charlie's teaching methods and concepts, something that I have been curious about for many years. There is some great material in there that is worthy of serious study for any Jazz educator or student.

From a letter from the Banacos family:

"As we approach what would have been Charlie's 66th birthday next month, his family would like to express their deep gratitude and appreciation to a number of individuals who have kept his legacy alive. There is a newly published dissertation by Lefteris Kordis at the New England Conservatory of Music on Charlie's pedagogy (appropriately named "Top Speed and in All Keys: Charlie Banacos's Pedagogy of Jazz Improvisation"). Lefteris' tireless research - including helpful interviews from dozens of students - resulted in an exciting and wonderfully comprehensive assessment of Charlie's teaching methods.  "

Charlie's daughter Barbara still offers correspondence courses, faithfully following Charlie's teaching methods.
 Top Speed in all Keys- Pedagogy of Charlie Banacos

Charlie Banacos: Recollections of a Legend (All About Jazz)
Charlie Banacos: The Zen Master of Improvisation
Charlie Banacos Wiki page

Rhythm Changes Matrix- keys of Bb & G (A sections)

Rhythm changes takes a lot of work to master and it seems to me like the only way to play stuff that is really interesting is to devote some time learning different harmonic approaches to the changes. There are many typical sets of reharms that are commonly used and when a soloist starts to go into one of them a good rhythm section will usually follow along. You will end up discovering a few sets of changes that you will favor.

  I asked a student of mine to take some of the sets of changes from Jamey Aebersold's Rhythm Changes Vol.47 and put them into Sibelius. He got most of the A sections, the B sections will be posted soon. I suck at Sibelius, so only two keys were done, which are the key of Bb and the key of G.

Rhythm Changes Variations in Bb & G

Richie Beirach compositions & reharms

Regular blog reader Stephan van Briels sent me some nice compositions & reharms by Richie Beirach. Beirach worked with Stan Getz and Chet Baker, his musical partnership with Dave Liebman spanned 30 years and he has recorded 37 albums as a lead. Richie may not be a household name, but his influence on many of today's Jazz pianists is not insignificant. Beirach has a unique harmonic approach and is known for his extensive use of poly-chords.

Richie Beirach compositions & reharms


Richie Beirach's web site
Richie Beirach's published compositions (Advance Music)

Slonimsky exercises for saxophone

Slonimsky's Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns is the gift that just keeps giving. There is so much great material in this book that can be adapted for Jazz improvisation. It is arguable that there would have never been a Giant Steps or Countdown if it were not for this great book. There is still so much to be learned from the TOSAMP and just about everything in it sounds super hip. Markos has extracted some lines from the TOSAMP and created some nice exercises for saxophone (or other instruments). Thanks Markos!

Slonimsky Exercises

Lee Konitz transcriptions/Downbeat article

More great stuff from Mark Sowlakis,  four nice Konitz transcriptions (w/ an analysis of Billie's Bounce) and some scans of a Downbeat feature from 1980. Thanks Markos!

Lee Konitz solo transcriptions and DB article

Triad Pair exercises

Regular Casa Valdez contributor Mark Sowlakis put together this sheet of Triad Pair exercises.

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Woodwind Proficiencies

I took over the Jazz saxophone professor position at Portland State University a few weeks ago, so I had to design an entire teaching curriculum for undergrads and graduate students in a hurry. One of the components of the curriculum I devised was a graded series of proficiencies. Something that impressed me about Berklee's program was the woodwind department's proficiencies. It wasn't anything revolutionary, just very thorough and well thought out. By the time a Berklee performance woodwind major gets out of school they (at the very least) have a solid gasp on the fundamentals of musicianship (scales, arpeggios,intervals, ect).

I wrote Bill Pierce, the woodwind department chair, to see if I could get a copy of the the woodwind proficiencies and he was kind enough to direct me to the department's web page where they have posted complete documents detailing the different levels. Berklee is on a semester system, so there are eight levels for the four year program. PSU is on a trimester system, so I had to split those eight levels into twelve. I also added a few things to the requirements that I thought were important to know.

These proficiencies would be a good way to to approach practicing the fundamentals for any woodwind student, or for any teachers wishing to be a bit more organized in their teaching practice.

link to a compressed file containing the proficiencies

Break the Mold- podcast and concert series

When I was down in L.A. earlier this year playing at the Blue Whale I met a saxophonist named Alex Sadnik, who runs Break the Mold, what several musicians tell me is the best continuing Jazz concert series in the L.A. area. Alex books highly interesting forward thinking L.A. musicians for his series and has also started interviewing many of these musicians for a podcast series of the same name. So far he has interviewed 33 different players for the series. If you were ever interested about what the real Jazz scene is like for the guys in the trenches playing creative music then you should check out these podcasts. Alex is an intelligent interviewer and he has chosen some great interviewees. I hope to play at Alex's concert series next time I am down south.



 Break the Mold Podcast
Break the Mold concert series FB page

Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane's Musical Journey

    I don't have kids, but if I did have kids I would be reading them Gary Golio's new book Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane's Musical Journey. As soon as I saw this book I new I had to have it, even without kids. The illustrations are stunning and fairly psychedelic. The story is about Coltrane's triumph over drug and alcohol addiction and his spiritual journey to create music that would bring happiness and healing to listeners. Golio is also an addiction counselor for teens, so I would guess that he wanted to present young inner city kids with a model for overcoming addiction through art and spirituality. Trane's drug problems are not a major theme in this book for youngsters, but it is worth mentioning.

Here is an excerpt from the afterward:

"Music and religion were the twin forces that shaped John Coltrane's early years. Both of his grandfathers were Methodist ministers, and each of his parents was a skilled musician.

In North Carolina during the 1930s, the church was the center of black community life. At a time when discrimination was widespread, the church offered comfort, hope, and guidance. One way it did this was through music...

Perhaps more than any other jazz musician, John Coltrane let his religious feelings guide and inspire his work. Of his recovery from drug use, he wrote, 'During the year 1957, I experienced, by the grace of God, a spiritual awakening which was to lead me to a richer, fuller, more productive life. At that time, in gratitude, I humbly asked to be given the means and privilege to make others happy through music.'

It was his commitment to sobriety for the last ten years of his life that allowed him to pursue his vision and to create some of the most enduring music in the field of jazz."

Gary Golio

Here is what Gary had to say about his book:

   " Sometimes, when you've lost almost everything as a child, a lifeline appears that restores your faith and re-ignites your spirit. For John Coltrane, that lifeline was the saxophone, and the musical dreams it inspired. Spirit Seeker - John Coltrane's Musical Journey (Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) captures John's struggle from lost boy to musical leader, from darkness to light. In words and images that reflect the depth of John's joy as well as his yearning for inner peace, Spirit Seeker tells the story of how art and spirituality shaped one man's talents and gave him the courage to share those gifts with the world. It's a uniquely American tale that touches on race, jazz, religion and redemption (from addiction), the power of Art, and how John's early difficulties fueled his unique vision of the Divine (A Love Supreme). Like my previous books on Jimi Hendrix (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, NY Times bestseller) and Bob Dylan (Little, Brown), Spirit Seeker is meant to introduce a new generation of listeners to a great musical creator and his story."

 I love this book and if you do have kids that you are planning to introduce to Trane's A Love Supreme at some point then you do need to buy this book.

Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane's Musical Journey

ReedGeek Universal Reed Tool

  A few weeks ago Mark Sowlakis, my buddy and regular contributor to this blog, called me and told me about the great results that he and other sax players he knew had been having with a new reed adjusting tool called the ReedGeek. Mark said that he had gone from being able to play just three to four reeds in a box of ten to playing six or seven out of a box. That sounded like a pretty big claim, but I do trust Markos so I figured I would give it a try. I send Mauro at ReedGeek a message and he agreed to send me a few ReedGeek tools in exchange for a banner add on this site.

 I usually only can play three or four reeds, if I'm lucky, out of a box of ten. These odds are roughly the same as playing online Bingo. I do have a tendency to enjoy gambling, but if there is any way I can avoid wasting so much bread on little shards of cane then I will jump at the chance to improve my odds. The idea of the tool does make a lot of sense because a warped reed table is one of the most common reed problems and the ReekGeek is a simple solution to warping. Even if a reed starts out playing great, often it will die due to a convex or concave table warp. I learned this from Ray Reed's great book The Saxophone Reed: The Advanced Art of Adjusting Single Reeds. The ReekGeek tool is a perfect way to flatten the reed table without removing too much material, as often happens when using a reed knife for this delicate operation. The tool also is great for adjusting side rails.

I gave up trying to get results with a reed knife years ago, since I usually would end up just killing every reed I would touch with it. So far with the ReekGeek tool I have gotten many reeds to play that would have been destined for the reed boneyard. I have had particularly good luck with tenor reeds that were just too hard and stuffy. I was able to remove a small amount of material from the back of the reed in order to make the entire reed a bit softer. This adjustment strategy for me in the past was done with a tool made by Vandoren, which was small piece of glass mounted with sandpaper. This almost never worked because it was just too hard to manipulate the reed on the sandpaper and I would always end up sanding too much off the bottom of the reed.

 So I am not yet getting six or seven playable reeds out of a box of ten from using the ReedGeek tool, but it has definitely proven itself to be a valuable new tool for reed adjustment and it has saved many reeds that were effectively DOA. I plan to experiment more with the rail adjustment feature in the future and I'm sure that in a short amount of time the ReekGeek with save more than enough reeds to pay for it's cost.

 Here is what the ReekGeek site says about the tool:

The ReedGeek “Universal”® Reed Tool enhances reed performance by rapidly and accurately flattening reed tables. Within 10 minutes of training to use the tool, players will notice a dramatic improvement in efficiency (ease of sound production), sonic quality and responsiveness in their reeds. Users of the tool will find more “good” reeds in a box and the reeds will perform longer and more consistently over their lifetime.

More than flattening…

The blade at the tip of the tool has a gentle radius that can be used for precision scraping, including balancing the tip, adjusting the heart or other fine adjustments. The radius allows single-point contact for scraping very precise areas of the reed quickly. On each side of the scraper blade, there is a blade designed especially to adjust or modify the rails of the reed. These blades quickly define the desired rail profile.

Getting the best from your mouthpiece…

Most commercial reeds will have or develop lateral warpage of the reed table either from the factory or when the reed comes in contact with moisture. In this defective state, the reed will not seal correctly along the critical area of the mouthpiece. This area extends along the mouthpieces side rails to just below where the mouthpiece window and table meet. When the ReedGeek is properly used in daily reed maintenance and reed preparation, the reed and mouthpiece will perform much more cohesively as a unit. This unit will have the reed positioned snugly against the mouthpieces’ table, side and tip rails creating a temporary vacuum.It is this vacuum and subsequent release (pop) that maximizes the vibration and response of both the reed and mouthpiece, contributing to improved tone quality, articulation, and control.

The ‘Geek can also be used to balance both the rails of the reed and the tip by using the rail blades and the scraper radius. The two main reasons for poorly performing reeds are: 1. Reed Warpage and 2. Imbalances at the tip and side-rails. As you know the ReedGeek is very effective in dealing with the warpage on the bottom of the reed. Again, always address the area of the reed that corresponds with the area of the mouthpiece where the window and table meet.

ReedGeek Website