Bill Plake Podcast, Part 2 Ep 158 - Helping Musicians Feel & Perform Better

Susanne Alt, a versatile artist from Amsterdam, excels in saxophone, composition, DJing, and production. Born in 1978 in Würzburg, Germany, Alt showed early promise, winning the Siemens Prize for young talent in classical saxophone during her formative years at the Meistersinger-Konservatorium Nuremberg.

Alt's musical journey continued as she pursued jazz saxophone studies in the Netherlands, honing her skills at conservatories in Hilversum and Amsterdam. Her dedication led her to further education at the Universität der Künste Berlin, where she graduated with honors in 2003.

Since 1999, Alt has been captivating audiences with her saxophone performances, both as a solo artist and collaborating with DJs in Amsterdam's nightlife. Her venture into production began in 2004 with the release of "Nocturne" on her label, Venus Tunes, marking the start of a prolific career in music production.

In recent years, Alt has expanded her artistic horizons, delving into DJing and live performances characterized by her soulful, deep, and funky sound. Notable endeavors include "Venus Tunes Live," an all-female ensemble blending live instrumentation with DJing, and collaborations with renowned artists across various genres.

We talked about:

• Jam sessions and playing with great musicians

• How to not overplay

• Her career as a DJ and House Music suggestions

• Call and response in performance

• Susanne’s insights into finding your own voice

• Her new album and the influence of Roy Hargrove on her and on jazz music

• And more!

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

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The EMEO, the pioneering digital practice horn for saxophonists, has expanded its offerings to include mouthpieces crafted from FDA-approved dental material and solid silver. Mouthpieces showcased at the NAMM Show 2024 are currently accessible for alto and tenor saxophones, as well as clarinets.

We talked about:

• How EMEO is using FDA-approved dental material
• Why their solid silver mouthpiece is very interesting acoustically
• How to get more info on the EMEO mouthpieces

You can find their links on our site.

This episode was proudly sponsored by Rovner Products, creators of fine ligatures for saxophone and clarinet for almost 50 years.

If you perform in Rock, Blues, Marching Band, Military ensembles, and are tired of getting drowned out by all the other instruments, you need to try Rovner’s latest offering, the LGX Ligature. Pure power without losing the quality of your tone. Just go to www.rovnerproducts.com for more info and to purchase.

Want to support the show?

Become a Patron, and for as little as a $2 donation each month, you get searchable transcripts for the episodes, Bonus videos with extra tips and content, a full Podcast directory, and the ability to suggest future guests.

Go to our Patreon site for more info.

We truly appreciate our supporters, who help keep the podcast running!

Founded by Lars Hueseler and a group of enthusiasts in late 2007, Forestone emerged determined to revolutionize the reed industry by overcoming the limitations of traditional cane and plastic reeds. 

Led by Kazunori, a former manager at Japan's leading woodwind distributor Kawai, they devised a groundbreaking material formula: a blend of bamboo and PP. This innovative combination delivered the rich tones of wood with unmatched consistency through injection molding.

Forestone was the first to utilize natural fibers combined with synthetic materials, pioneering a revolutionary approach to reed manufacturing.

You can catch their full Bio, and the link to their website on our site.

We talked about:

• What makes Forestone Reeds unique
• Different Forestone Reed Models
• Tips for trying Forestone Reeds

This episode was proudly sponsored by Rovner Products, creators of fine ligatures for saxophone and clarinet for almost 50 years.

If you perform in Rock, Blues, Marching Band, Military ensembles, and are tired of getting drowned out by all the other instruments, you need to try Rovner’s latest offering, the LGX Ligature. Pure power without losing the quality of your tone. Just go to www.rovnerproducts.com for more info and to purchase.

Level up your sax experience!

Unlock the benefits of becoming a Patron, gaining early access to all all NAMM Show 2024 episodes. Plus Everything Saxophone Podcast videos, searchable transcripts, and an array of bonus content unavailable anywhere else.

Head on over to our Patreon Site and support the show.

JodyJazz crafts top-tier saxophone mouthpieces with patented designs and innovative manufacturing techniques. Favored by renowned saxophonists worldwide, each piece is meticulously hand-crafted in the USA, meeting the highest standards.

Founder Jody Espina, a distinguished saxophonist, recognized the crucial role mouthpiece design plays in sound and technique. His commitment to catering to students and professionals alike led to the development of exceptional mouthpieces, embodying his philosophy: "A mouthpiece for every player."

And speaking of exceptional mouthpieces, he showcased another amazing mouthpiece, the New DV HR Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece, during the NAMM Show 2024. Also, Jody was exceptionally funny during this interview. Watch the video to see Jody playing 2 saxes at once!

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

In this episode, we talked about:

• The New DV HR Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
• What to look for when looking for your perfect mouthpiece
• Importance of the facing curve & why people like certain tip openings
• Special tip for how much mouthpiece to take in
• Hand Hammered Tenor Sax Mouthpiece
• The history of the Chedeville Mouthpieces & the New Jim Cantor Model
• and much more! 

This episode was proudly sponsored by Rovner Products, creators of fine ligatures for saxophone and clarinet for almost 50 years.

If you perform in Rock, Blues, Marching Band, Military ensembles, and are tired of getting drowned out by all the other instruments, you need to try Rovner’s latest offering, the LGX Ligature. Pure power without losing the quality of your tone. Just go to www.rovnerproducts.com for more info and to purchase.

Level up your sax experience!

Experience the thriving energy of The NAMM Show 2024 at its peak, where I seized countless interviews with various saxophone companies, and I’m thrilled to share the exclusive content.

Unlock the benefits of becoming a Patron, gaining early access to all all NAMM Show 2024 episodes. Plus Everything Saxophone Podcast videos, searchable transcripts, and an array of bonus content unavailable anywhere else.

Head on over to our Patreon Site and support the show.

Marca's New Cane & Synthetic Unic Reeds blend the sonic richness of traditional cane with the durability of synthetic fibers, featuring a pioneering composition of 95% cane and 5% synthetic material, offering a potential 6-month lifespan while preserving stability and humidity control, and treated like conventional cane reeds, available for saxophones and clarinets—truly a unique innovation that left me unable to resist remarking on its exceptional nature!

For over 60 years, Marca has perfected the art of reed-making, blending traditional expertise with modern innovation. With a commitment to quality ingrained in every step of the process, from the careful selection and aging of the finest French cane to the skilled craftsmanship and rigorous testing by renowned professionals, Marca reeds have become the preferred choice of discerning wind musicians globally. Whether for student or professional use, Marca's reeds stand as a testament to excellence, offering unparalleled performance at a competitive price, ensuring that musicians everywhere can experience the unmatched quality crafted by the most exacting hands.

We talked about:

• The new Marca Reeds, Unic model
• How the Unic reeds are produced
• When the reeds will be available

You can catch their Bio, and all of their links on our site.

This episode was proudly sponsored by Rovner Products, creators of fine ligatures for saxophone and clarinet for almost 50 years.

If you perform in Rock, Blues, Marching Band, Military ensembles, and are tired of getting drowned out by all the other instruments, you need to try Rovner's latest offering, the LGX Ligature. Pure power without losing the quality of your tone. Just go to www.rovnerproducts.com for more info and to purchase.

Level up your sax experience!

Experience the thriving energy of The NAMM Show 2024 at its peak, where I seized countless interviews with various saxophone companies, and I'm thrilled to share the exclusive content.

Unlock the benefits of becoming a Patreon, gaining early access to all all NAMM Show 2024 episodes. Plus Everything Saxophone Podcast videos, searchable transcripts, and an array of bonus content unavailable anywhere else.

Head on over to our Patreon Site and support the show.

Saxophonist Educator and Composer, Dr. Woody Witt, is a Professor of Music at Houston Community College and is the Instructor of Saxophone at the University of Houston Moores School of Music. 

He got his Masters degree in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas, where he taught saxophone and jazz methods.

As a jazz artist, Woody has had the opportunity to perform and record with Randy Brecker, Billy Hart, David Kikoski, and Tim Hagans among countless others.

In Fall 2023, Witt released his first book/video project of standards based jazz etudes, Stream of Consciousness, inspired by techniques he uses for himself and his students.

Woody has been a performing artist for Eastman Saxophones since 2018, and was integral in the design and testing of the Eastman Saxophones Rue St George and the new 52nd Street 852 model with Bob Mintzer and Ryan Richmond.

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

In this episode, we talked about:

• How Woody got into music
• Improvisation tip
• Importance of melody audience connection
• Effects of social media on music
• The process of writing a dissertation Sonny Stitt
• And more!

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

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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.

Sylvain Carton, originally from France, is a multi-instrumentalist (woodwinds, guitars) and composer currently residing in Los Angeles. He has recorded and performed for numerous groups, including Aly and Aj, Beats Antique, Tenacious D, and Lord Huron, among others.

Sylvain is a composer and producer, crafting music for films, commercials, documentaries, and various other mediums. His big band compositions have earned him a prestigious "Subito" grant from the American Composer's Forum.

In addition to performing and composing, Sylvain is a Vandoren Performing Artist and Artistic Advisor.

Founded in 1905, Vandoren has emerged as a leading manufacturer of reeds, mouthpieces, and accessories for clarinets and saxophones. With a strong commitment to quality and innovation, Vandoren now exports 90% of its products to over 100 countries worldwide.

We talked about:

• Vandoren Profile Series of Classical mouthpieces
• The New TP4 and BP3 mouthpieces
• Difference between T75 and T75+
• Extra tip from Donna

You can catch their Bio, and all of their links on our site.

This episode was proudly sponsored by Rovner Products, creators of fine ligatures for saxophone and clarinet for almost 50 years.

If you perform in Rock, Blues, Marching Band, Military ensembles, and are tired of getting drowned out by all the other instruments, you need to try Rovner's latest offering, the LGX Ligature. Pure power without losing the quality of your tone. Just go to www.rovnerproducts.com for more info and to purchase.

Level up your sax experience!

Experience the thriving energy of The NAMM Show 2024 at its peak, where I seized countless interviews with various saxophone companies, and I'm thrilled to share the exclusive content.

Unlock the benefits of becoming a Patreon, gaining early access to all all NAMM Show 2024 episodes. Plus Everything Saxophone Podcast videos, searchable transcripts, and an array of bonus content unavailable anywhere else.

Head on over to our Patreon Site and support the show.

At 22 years old, Austin Gatus has had many accomplishments in his young career. 

Austin has performed with Dave Koz locally here in Los Angeles, as well as on the Dave Koz Jazz Cruises to Europe and Alaska. He sat in with the Average White Band a couple of times on a recent tour, and was a featured artist with Kenny G with the Orange County Symphony and San Diego Symphony. In a recent appearance, Austin joined Harry Style’s band as part of the horn section headlining Coachella

Austin, a cancer survivor, performs at charity events helping to fight kids’ cancer, having performed for the Starlight Foundation and Rady’s Children’s Hospital.

Austin does additional work in film & theatre composition. He was recognized as the winner of the 2021 Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards in the “Musical Theatre Composition” category presented by Tony Award winner, Idina Menzel

Austin is endorsed by JodyJazz and Rovner Products

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

We talked about:

• Performing with Harry Styles at Coachella 2022
• The new adventure Austin has been on since our last episode with him
• Austin's new music coming out soon

This episode was proudly sponsored by Rovner Products, creators of fine ligatures for saxophone and clarinet for almost 50 years.

If you perform in Rock, Blues, Marching Band, Military ensembles, and are tired of getting drowned out by all the other instruments, you need to try Rovner’s latest offering, the LGX Ligature. Pure power without losing the quality of your tone. Just go to www.rovnerproducts.com for more info and to purchase.

Level up your sax experience!

Experience the thriving energy of The NAMM Show 2024 at its peak, where I seized countless interviews with various saxophone companies, and I’m thrilled to share the exclusive content.

Unlock the benefits of becoming a Patreon, gaining early access to all NAMM Show 2024 episodes. Plus Everything Saxophone Podcast videos, searchable transcripts, and an array of bonus content unavailable anywhere else.

Head on over to our Patreon Site and support the show.

Emerging from their lively Kent base in the UK, TJ saxophones had their beginnings in the early 1990s. Over the years, these instruments have transformed into a globally respected brand, celebrated for their excellence in Student, Step-up, and Professional horns.

Learn more about these amazing saxophones in this episode from the NAMM Show 2024, featuring my conversation with Sandro Massullo. 

We talked about:

🎷 The New Intermediate Saxophone Models, EVO
🎷 New Intermediate EVO Tenor Sax
🎷 New Intermediate EVO Alto Sax

You can catch their Bio, and all of their links on our site.

The new Intermediate EVO Models that were featured in this episode will be COMING SOON. You're getting a First Look at them here!

This episode was proudly sponsored by Rovner Products, creators of fine ligatures for saxophone and clarinet for almost 50 years.

If you perform in Rock, Blues, Marching Band, Military ensembles, and are tired of getting drowned out by all the other instruments, you need to try Rovner's latest offering, the LGX Ligature. Pure power without losing the quality of your tone. Just go to www.rovnerproducts.com for more info and to purchase.

The NAMM Show 2024 was back to its full capacity and better than ever. I was able to capture tons of interviews with many saxophone companies that I am super excited to share.

If you want access to those videos, sign up now by clicking HERE.

Pianist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, and conductor - whatever it is Gordon Goodwin touches, it’s all about his love of music.

Gordon was born in Wichita, Kansas, and Goodwin’s parents moved to Southern California when Goodwin was four.

He completed his formal music education at Cal State University-Northridge, and began working as a live performer at Disneyland.

In 1999, Gordon founded the Big Phat Band for what he thought would be a single performance at his alma mater Cal State at Northridge. Since then, the Big Phat Band has recorded 10 albums, and in the process received 25 Grammy® nominations. Goodwin won a Grammy® for ‘Best Instrumental Arrangement’ for “Incredits” for the film The Incredibles and has been honored with 3 Emmy awards for his work on the Steven Spielberg-produced shows Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain.

His work has been featured/utilized in more than 80 film & TV productions spanning the gamut of pop culture: amplifying the likes of National Treasure, Star Trek: Nemesis, Snakes on a Plane, Get Smart, Remember the Titans, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Majestic (starring Jim Carrey), The Lion King, The Incredibles and Ratatouille.

Gordon has won four Grammy® Awards and three Daytime Emmy Awards and has received twenty-five Grammy® nominations for his compositions and arrangements.

He has been nominated for 3 Grammy awards this year (2024):

• Best Jazz Vocal Album: Patti Austin Featuring Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band - For Ella 2.

• Best Instrumental Composition: Quartet San Francisco Featuring Gordon Goodwin's 18-pc Big Phat Band - Cutey and The Dragon.

• Best Arrangement, Instruments, and Vocals: Patti Austin ft. Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band - April in Paris

Gordon is also the host of the popular long-running radio program, “Phat Tracks with Gordon Goodwin,” airing for 5 years on KJAZZ

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

We talked about:

• How his 1st piano teacher had him composing music at the age of 5
• The impact of writing music for animated productions on his writing for Big Band
• The advice about orchestration that changed his approach forever
• Phil Woods’ impression of Gordon’s saxophone playing
• Gordon’s advice for self-taught musicians
• The one word multi-instrumentalist James Morrison taught him not to use
• Working at Disney with Eric Marienthal and Sal Lovano
• The pure genius of Patti Austin that contributed to the most recent Grammy nominations
• Podcast supporter questions answered!
• And more!

Wanna support the show?

Become a Patron, and for as little as a $2 donation each month, you get searchable transcripts for the episodes, Bonus videos with extra tips and content, a full Podcast directory, and the ability to suggest future guests.

Go to our Patreon site for more info.

We truly appreciate our supporters, who help keep the podcast running!