Originally Posted by
swingaleg:
“can't stop watching Andrea's version of this.........it's fantastic
If her talent has been blossoming over 4 or 5 years this seems like a huge jump forward.............
When you watch the video it almost looks like Joan is looking at her thinking 'My God'.......
”
Yep!
I think her days with the Sant Andreu band may be drawing to a close.
Lots of gigs for the Motis-Chamorro group coming up in the clubs in Spain and a trip to France. Interestingly Rita Payes is listed on every date.
Eva Fernández seems to branching out too, with her own quartet, with dates around Barcelona in March.
http://tallerdemusics.com/en/managem...eva-fernandez/.
.Anyway back to the video you kindly linked. I play tenor sax (badly) and I'm always fascinated by professional players instruments. (I'll add the "how to play the saxophone" instructions at the end of this post, nicked from a saxophone message board).
Scott Hamilton in this appears to be playing a Selmer SBA tenor. These pre-date the legendary Selmer Mk Vl, which started production in !947. So it must be the best part of seventy years old. No doubt with several complete changes of pads, springs and corks.
How To Play The Saxophone.
Originally posted by a professional sax player.
(the quality of reeds are an eternal problem for players).
First things first: If you're a white guy, you'll need a stupid hat,
the more stupid the better and preferably a beret. Sunglasses are optional,
but all the really, really good players wear them, especially indoors. You'll
also need some "gig shirts"-Hawaiians are good, but in a pinch anything with
a loud floral pattern is acceptable, as are T-shirts from various jazz clubs
and festivals. The good thing about the latter is that you can get them
mail order so you don't have to go to all the trouble of actually seeing and
hearing live music. And sandals are an absolute must, even in winter.
Once you've assembled the proper attire you can begin practicing. One
of the most important things about playing is being able to convey emotion to the
audience. This you do through various facial expressions. The two emotions
you'll need to convey are (1) rapture / ecstasy and (2) soul-wrenching
pain and sadness (i.e., the blues). You may find it useful in the beginning to
borrow a page from the method acting school. So, for example, to convey
rapture, try thinking of something nice-like puppy dogs or making love to Uma
Thurman while Phil Barone feeds you Armour hot dogs with truffle sauce.
To convey the "blues" try thinking of something really appalling - like
ulcerative colitis or Alec Baldwin. You should practice your facial expressions in
front of a mirror at least two hours per day. You may feel a tad stupid at
first, but you'll never get the chicks if you don't jump around on stage like a
monkey with your face screwed up like there's a rabid wolverine devouring
your pancreas. And, bottom line, getting chicks is really what music's all
about.
Next, you'll need the correct ligature. Some people think that the
ligature is just a stupid old piece of metal that holds the reed on the
mouthpiece. Well, those people are idiots. Besides your beret, the ligature is the
single most important piece of musical equipment you will ever buy. Mine, for
example, is 40% platinum and 60% titanium; one screw is rubidium and the
other plutonium. It makes me sound exactly like Booker Ervin would if Booker
Ervin wasn't (1) dead and/or (2) living on Mars. You may have to spend years
and years and thousands of dollars finding the proper ligature, but in the end it
definitely will be worth it.
Now reeds. Optimally, you'll want to move to Cuba, grow and cure your
own cane, and carve your own reeds by hand. If you're just a "weekend
warrior" however, you can get by with store-bought reeds. First, buy ten boxes
of reeds -100 in all. Next, open all the boxes and throw away 60 reeds. Those
were unplayable. Take the remaining reeds and soak them in a mixture of
27.8% rubbing alcohol and 72.2% pituitary gland extract for a period of 17 weeks.
Throw away 20 more reeds. Those were stuffy. Take the remaining 20 reeds and sand
each one for exactly 13 seconds with #1200 grade 3M sandpaper. Throw away 14
reeds. Those squeaked. Take the remaining 6 reeds and soak them for another 17
weeks, this time however in a mixture of 27.8% pituitary gland extract
and 72.2% rubbing alcohol. Sun dry the 6 remaining reeds for 3 weeks, optimally
at an equatorial latitude, and throw away 3 more just on general principles.
You now have 3 reeds that will last you several months if you play each
one only 20 minutes a day in strict rotation.
Now, you say you just bought a horn. Although you didn't say what kind
it is I'd sell it immediately and get a different one. The best one to get
would be a Selmer Mark VI made at 4:27 PM on June 14, 1963, serial number
635543. If you can't get that one though, generally speaking the older and more
expensive the better. The following brands are good: Selmer Paris Mark VI. The
following brands suck: any other Selmer, Yamaha, Conn, Beuscher, Yanigasawa,
Cannonball, LA, Jupiter, Elkhart, King, Martin, Keilworth, Boosey and
Hawkes, Couf, Silvertone, and Holton. On no account should you play the horn
before you buy it: go strictly on reputation and price.
You will also need some accoutrements: a flight case capable of
withstanding atmospheric pressure of dP = - Dg dz where D and g are, respectively,
the density of air and the acceleration due to gravity at the altitude of
the air and dz is a horizontal layer of air having unit surface area and
infinitesimal thickness; a metronome; a tuner; a combination alto-tenor-baritone sax
stand with pegs for an oboe, bass clarinet, flute, English horn and bassoon;
Band in a Box; every Jamie Abersold play-along record ever created; a
reed cutter; swabs, cleaners, pad savers, pad dope, pad clamps; a Sennheiser
Digital 1092 Wireless Microphone; an effects rig with digital delay and
parametric EQ; and a 200 watt (per channel, minimum) amplifier and 18" monitor. It
will be helpful if you listen to lots of sax players.
Unfortunately, listening solely to players you like is absolutely the
worst thing you can do. To really understand the music and its traditions you
have to go back to the beginning and listen to every bit of music ever recorded.
I'd start with madrigals and work forward. Once you get to the 20th century,
pay particular attention to players like Jimmy Dorsey, Sidney Bechet,
and Al Gallodoro who are the foundations of the modern jazz saxophone. In no
time at all, or by 2034-whichever comes first-you'll be able to understand! the
unique be-bop stylings of players like Ace Cannon, Boots Randolph, and Sam Butera.
Finally, to play the sax itself, blow in the small end and move your
fingers around……..
