*BRAND NEW NEFFMUSIC BOOK* Super excited to have finally finished this book. I have been working on this over a couple of years and am ecstatic about the content and it’s potential for students of jazz improvisation. Working on this material has radically changed my own playing and given me a new tool to use that’s sounds amazing over a blues and dominant chords. Check out the description and sound clips at the link below.-Steve “Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues” is an exciting new improvisational concept I have been working on over the last year.  This book is a 444 p ..read more

Today, I am reviewing another tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by a young mouthpiece maker, refacer and saxophone player from Russia named Kirill Poudavoff.  Kirill is a great young tenor sax player that is in his fourth semester at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Kirill sent me four examples of his tenor saxophone mouthpieces made of plastic after I asked if I could perhaps try out his mouthpiece work.  I have already reviewed the KPoudavoff Double Ring 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece and the KPoudavoff Florida 7* tenor mouthpiece.  Today, I will be reviewing the KPoudavoff Zi ..read more

Today, I am reviewing another great tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by a young mouthpiece maker, refacer and great saxophone player from Russia named Kirill Poudavoff.  Kirill is a great young tenor sax player that is in his fourth semester at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Kirill sent me four examples of his tenor saxophone mouthpieces made of plastic after I asked if I could perhaps try out his mouthpiece work.  I have already reviewed the KPoudavoff Double Ring 7* model.  Today, I will be reviewing the KPoudavoff Florida 7* tenor saxophone mouthpiece which is a copy of a ..read more

Today I am reviewing another great tenor saxophone mouthpiece made by Phil Engleman at Phil-Tone mouthpieces.  I have reviewed quite a few Phil-Tone sax mouthpieces on the site already and am always interested when Phil announces a new Phil-Tone saxophone mouthpiece model. A couple of months ago he announced that he had a new Phil-Tone tenor sax mouthpiece model called the Rift model.  I reviewed the Rift alto saxophone mouthpiece about 8 1/2 years ago and absolutely loved that mouthpiece so was excited to hear the news about the Rift tenor saxophone mouthpiece co ..read more

Today, I am reviewing the Avel Sound Concept (ASC) Mistral model alto saxophone mouthpiece made by Max Even at Avel Sound Concept Mouthpieces.  These are really reasonable priced, quality hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpieces that play incredibly well.  The hard rubber ASC Mistral alto sax mouthpiece I am reviewing today has a 6* tip opening (.078). Avel Sound Concept (ASC)-Mistral Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece Here is how the Avel Sound Concept website describes the new ASC Mistral hard rubber alto saxophone mouthpiece: The Mistral is a strong wind that blows from Southern France ..read more

Here is another masterful solo by the great tenor saxophone player from Italy, Max Ionata.  I absolutely love this short rendition from Youtube of Max soloing on the changes to “All the Things You Are”.  This solo is so full of great jazz vocabulary perfectly crafted into a beautifully melodic solo over this classic jazz standard. Max Ionata and his SYOS Max Ionata Signature Model Tenor Mouthpiece (check out the review) If you are a saxophone player, and you don’t know about Max Ionata, you are in for a real treat.  Max Ionata is a swingin’ tenor saxophone player and is one of ..read more