[Mike1955]

I haven't played the saxophone in approximately 2 months and before that even longer, and so I picked it up and pressed record to see what would happen. Those saxophone voices....When I 'decided' to pick it up I ran through the chromatic scale a few times to see if this 2 month or longer old reed was any good. Since I haven't played I haven't purchased any so I used an old one.

I picked up my horn, because the voices told me to, I pressed record, I played, I pressed stop, and put it back down on it's stand for God knows how long. At least until the voices begin again... I really don't have the zeal to play it. I listened to the play back and ya know, I liked it better while I was blowing the dust out of it.
Upon hearing the playback it reminds me of why I don't play it much anymore. Damn voices!

But making music doesn't always have to be intelligent or spectacular. It could just be for a few moments that can make ya smile and say, yeah, that's cool. It doesn't have to mean anything at all.
Sometimes in my saxophone's telepathic way it says..."Come on...Just blow a few notes"... It always says as I pass it going into the room and leaving the room..."Hey, I'm here...If ya don't want to play me....
Go f uck yourself...You're nothing special anyway"............lol
These Chinese models can be so tempermental at times...Well, I don't hear the voices as much as I used to... But tonight I did...

From time to time I post non-saxophone pieces. My Simba saxophone's justification in it's insistence on making me play it again is that I do go on a saxophone forum....Simba has a point!

I Don't Hear the Voices as Much as I Used To...
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=1176814&songID=11162200

 

[milandro]

well, you should listen to the voices and play way more than you do because it is definitely worth it, you are a seriously good player! The sound is great and most of the " arabesques " that you are playing in this piece would fit very well into a piece like Curtis Fuller " Arabia".

 

[Wade Cornell]

The feeling is very nostalgic. Although you start in an atonal vein this changes to a minor Middle-eastern mode complete with 1/4 tones that may not have been meant that way, but as false fingerings. The explanation and music both seem sad and resigned.

Amazing that you can play that well with layoffs of a couple months at a time. Chops sound good and tone excellent as usual.

Not sure if you are teasing us or yourself with the sax. I like the "mentally challenged" reference in the title and again feel that you are being rather cruel to that wonderful hunk of Chinese engineering. A Simba derelict in need of a dust off indeed.

Cheers

 

[Mike1955]

Hey, thanks milandro and Wade for having a listen...

Your friendly Simba products endorser!

 

[milandro]

I can see how Simba sales are gonna pick up and how any horn played by a good player can play well! Well done!

 

[Dr. Bob]

Hi Mike,

Very enjoyable! I got a mental image of night, fog, a bit of grit, and a lonely, wet city street. I'm not 100% sure it lifted my spirits on this rainy day, but I marvel at your saxophonic mastery. Makes me think that maybe I should take a two month hiatus from my practice... Nah! LOL. Thanks for sharing your gift.

Bob aka jazzwombat

 

[Mike1955]

Hi Mike,

Very enjoyable! I got a mental image of night, fog, a bit of grit, and a lonely, wet city street. I'm not 100% sure it lifted my spirits on this rainy day, but I marvel at your saxophonic mastery. Makes me think that maybe I should take a two month hiatus from my practice... Nah! LOL. Thanks for sharing your gift.

Bob aka jazzwombat

Hi Bob,
Thank you!
Mastery? That's simply not warranted. Not even remotely close. But I appreciate your kindness.

Ya know, there's something to be said about putting an instrument down for long periods of time. When we do decide to pick it up
it's a much different perspective. We're not feeding off the previous days, weeks, etc. But what serious musician wants to do that?

I appreciate it my friend! Still loving the FZ website you sent me!

 

[Mike1955]

I can see how Simba sales are gonna pick up and how any horn played by a good player can play well! Well done!

Am I the only Simba products enthusiast in this forum? Thanks again milandro!

 

[milandro]

I have to say that Simba saxophones are not exactly high in the esteem of many and thrill perhaps only very few, at any rate, feast your eyes on these threads one way or other related to Simba saxophones. In my view if you can play like that on a Simba you would be seriously dangerous on something better.
http://www.saxontheweb.net/Resource...a&sa=Site+Search&siteurl=www.saxontheweb.net/

 

[Mike1955]

I have to say that Simba saxophones are not exactly high in the esteem of many and thrill perhaps only very few, at any rate, feast your eyes on these threads one way or other related to Simba saxophones. In my view if you can play like that on a Simba you would be seriously dangerous on something better.
http://www.saxontheweb.net/Resource...a&sa=Site+Search&siteurl=www.saxontheweb.net/

Yeah, I've read a few of these things about them and, on occasion, I've read them here.
Maybe I was lucky to get one where so far, after 8 years, I've had no difficulties in it's ability to play decently. But in all fairness I have a leak and as a result my low Bb is very difficult to ring out.
I'm not going to recommend this product, obviously because of what's available out there. I had sold a Conn I owed because I stopped playing for 10 years or so, or something like that.
Later on I went to Ebay to buy something inexpensive and new just to have around the house when I got the urge to putz around with it. I found this Simba tenor. I was amazed how it handled and how resilient it is. I don't really take care of it the way I should and it's still been so reliable. I never bothered to upgrade the mouthpiece/ligature so I still use the same stock mouthpiece. Those peripheral things never concerned me.
Back in the day I was too concerned with developing my embouchere and I did physical exercises with my mouth which I was taught. The guy that taught me was a student of Bob Berg. I did all sorts of ridiculous things to strengthen the muscles around my mouth which in all actuality helped me a lot. I was playing at a studio session in the Village in NYC one day and the guy that taught me had such a great sound and mine was pretty weak. When we finished I asked how he got that sound and we got together a few times. I never got to where he was at but I was more than satisfied in regards to how I used to sound. Even though I haven't done those physical exercises with my mouth in many years I still retain the sound I obtained through those techniques.

I was told back then that saxophones/mouthpieces/ligatures can help to embellish a sound but the essentiality of one's tone will always come out no matter what horn we're playing. I never went the long tone route. I never did it once actually. But there is a lot of truth in it's practice. Possibly long tones with embouchere techniques can really create a great tone. My tone is good, not great. It's good enough for me.

In all honesty milandro. If I was playing something better I'd still have the sound I'm getting from my Simba. The sound produced on my old Conn and my Simba are more or less the same. I found some old recordings I did with the Conn and I don't notice any difference as far as tone goes.

 

[PowerOfSoul]

Fabulous Mike... one of my favorite tracks from you. So enjoyable to listen to. You get a beautiful sound from that instrument. Thanks for sharing this.

Howard

 

[Dr. Bob]

Hi Mike,

FYI: Regarding your reply to Milandro, there's plenty of good scientific evidence to back up what you're saying: It's the player, not the sax. I think you can find a link in the "tone production" section of sotw to an article published in Science in 2008 that showed how pro sax players have developed their vocal chamber such that it acts as a resonator. In contrast, amateurs had not. My understanding (limited as it is) is building this resonator is what long tone practice and overtones is supposed to develop.

bob aka jazzwombat

 

[Mike1955]

Fabulous Mike... one of my favorite tracks from you. So enjoyable to listen to. You get a beautiful sound from that instrument. Thanks for sharing this.

Howard

Very kind of you Howard! Thank you!

 

[Mike1955]

Hi Mike,

FYI: Regarding your reply to Milandro, there's plenty of good scientific evidence to back up what you're saying: It's the player, not the sax. I think you can find a link in the "tone production" section of sotw to an article published in Science in 2008 that showed how pro sax players have developed their vocal chamber such that it acts as a resonator. In contrast, amateurs had not. My understanding (limited as it is) is building this resonator is what long tone practice and overtones is supposed to develop.

bob aka jazzwombat

Hiya Bob,
Yeah, it's all scientific and based on muscular enhancement. No.... steroids isn't an option....lol...
You read all the time when someone hears someone very good, ask... "What's your setup" That's such an irrelevant inquiry.
It's as if someone may discover the fountain of how to obtain a good sound by purchasing the same setup as the individual they just heard.

It's about education.

Hey Bob, I've been experimenting with guitar since last Christmas. My wife's Christmas present to me. Bless her heart!
I'm eyeing a jazz hollow body electric/acoustic like the one in the picture.
It's such a great instrument. I'm afraid the sax has taken a back seat to the guitar.

Solo Guitar
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=1176814&songID=11170275

 

[jaker]

That piece is right up my alley. I love it. Sometimes I'm not so sure that alto is the way to go for me...

 

[Mike1955]

That piece is right up my alley. I love it. Sometimes I'm not so sure that alto is the way to go for me...

I appreciate it, thank you!
I started on alto myself. Tenor seemed more my speed. They're both great instruments. But then again, I love all instruments....

 

[FawltyTenor]

Mike - thank you for sharing.

I love your beautiful tenor sound, and appreciate you sharing your melodious talents with us. I swear this could be the soundtrack of a film du noir classic. You know those sequences with the narration providing the setup for the story which starts at the end, and is then told in flashback...(e.g. Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity, etc).

I also love the way you avoid a lot of the obvious cliche phrases... just when I think you're going to zig... you.. ... ...veer off into another direction.

Btw, I didn't think there was anything atonal about this whatsoever. Pure melody. A serious Sonny Rollins flavor at times...with a touch of Hawk, but it's you all over...

ps: Mike - some of your ornamentation reminded me of Ruyo Noda's Improvsation 1....

 

[mascio]

hey Mike, way cool. i enjoyed very much your playing, but i always do.
peace, mascio

 

[dubrosa22]

Really nice, thanks.

 

[Mike1955]

Mike - thank you for sharing.

I love your beautiful tenor sound, and appreciate you sharing your melodious talents with us. I swear this could be the soundtrack of a film du noir classic. You know those sequences with the narration providing the setup for the story which starts at the end, and is then told in flashback...(e.g. Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity, etc).

I also love the way you avoid a lot of the obvious cliche phrases... just when I think you're going to zig... you.. ... ...veer off into another direction.

Btw, I didn't think there was anything atonal about this whatsoever. Pure melody. A serious Sonny Rollins flavor at times...with a touch of Hawk, but it's you all over...

ps: Mike - some of your ornamentation reminded me of Ruyo Noda's Improvsation 1....

Always appreciative Shawn...Thank you! I simply work from a no pressure operation. Miles Davis once said it takes an awfully long time to be able to play like yourself.
Forums, such as this, allow me to put it all out there good or bad. It's just one of life's advantages, ya know?

You're a fine musician Shawn. I've read your passion regarding your love for jazz and the greats who have inspired you. You know your history. I too love the history of jazz music!
It's a beautiful music in which we all strive for that element of individuality.

The essential element is, is that everyone is an individual as soon as we pick up an instrument. We approach it our own way regardless what we transcribe or try to learn from other musicians.
There is something to be said as well as learned from everyone. Becoming pigeon holed by others is easy to fall victim to by compromising ears. It's actually unfair to all those who have spent countless hours striving to make their instrument do as much for them as their desire will permit. If you take 100 sax players who have studied Charlie Parker and have them each take a turn on rhythm changes, you will get 100 different approaches to rhythm changes. Listening is a delicate science.

Thanks again!