I think one of the most important aspects of playing an instrument is the way you perceive your sound. This perception is very personal and subjective — it isn’t the sort of thing that can be judged by anyone other than the player himself. Aside from playing and listening to myself play, the best way I know of examining this perception is to ponder upon my influences, what I want to sound like, my role in groups I play with, and the affect my gear has on my sound. That being said, the best way for me to think about these aspects is to write about them. As someone once said, “to write is to understand”.
Alto Sax
Setup:
Selmer Super Action 80, Serie III
Jody Jazz DV 6
Jody Jazz Ring Ligature
Rico Jazz Select Unfiled, 3M
Influences & Sound Concept:
The first saxophone player that ever blew me away was David Sanborn. His tone is unbelievably powerful and unique but I’m not sure if I ever wanted to sound just like him. LeRoi Moore of the Dave Matthews Band is my biggest influence. For lack of a better term I play in “Rock” or “Acoustic Rock” type groups. I love listening to jazz but in reality I seldom have a chance to play in something like a jazz combo. LeRoi’s playing proves that a saxophone can have it’s own unique role to play in a “band” (Drums + Electric Bass + Electric Guitar + Acoustic Guitar + Vocalist) instead of just being a member of a horn section playing accent figures, or only playing the occasional gut bucket solo.
“The Sound” is my Achilles heel. I don’t have that one player who is the supreme epitome of what I want to sound like. I favor the tone of a tenor sax players like LeRoi Moore, Jeff Coffin, and Chris Potter but this poses a few problems. (1) I play alto, and have never been able to feel comfortable on a tenor. (2) These players’ tone qualities are thick and dark. The darker the sound becomes, the less it is able to cut through a band. For the situations I play in now I need to cut through and have lots of power when I need it. The best way I can describe what I’m after is this: try to imagine what Cannonball Adderley’s tone, power, and bluesy qualities would sound like if he was jamming with Jimi Hendrix’s Trio while covering #41 by Dave Matthews Band. Hard to picture? Tell me about it.
For now I have arrived at the Jody Jazz DV. No other piece has been able to deliver power like this one. Ironically it was made to produce a brighter, more contemporary tone which is opposite of what I find myself wishing to emulate. I have tried to circumvent this by using darker playing reeds. I recently acquired a used Jody Jazz Ring Ligature from the SoTW Forums. If anyone ever tries to tell you that ligatures don’t matter throw this at them! As soon as I put the ligature on my altissimo was popping like never before and harmonics were off the chart. Virtually any reed plays and plays well right out of the box. I plan to experiment with some other mouthpieces in the coming months but I have a feeling I’m not going to find anything better than what I’m currently using. I l0ve how I sound on my modern day Meyer 5M when I’m playing alone, but in a full band setting the projection just isn’t there. For now I’m happy where I am. Now if I could just find the time to practice as much as I should!
Soprano Sax
Setup:
Cannonball Stone Series, “The Raven”
Jody Jazz DV 6
Rovner Dark ligature
Rico Jazz Select Filed, 3H