Paul Cohen Eric Nestler

ST
Saxophone Today Front Cover
NovDec 2014
Saxophone Today
Paul Cohen
Eric Nestler
Saxophone Today Writers
Thomas Erdmann
Steve Goodson
Feature Interviews
Paul Cohen
Eric Nestler
Demise Of The Last
USA Made
Saxophone
Billy Kerr
64
Frank Bongiorno
New Saxophone CDs
Crash Trio, Gemini Rising, Duologue
61
Skip Spratt
Odd Man Out
Sax Duet Play-Along
36
David Gibson
Saxophone Literature
Of David
Biedenbender
Greg Banaszak
Bennie Krueger
And His Orchestra
1922
Learning From The Pros
A Lesson Wth
Jeff Hackworth
39
Saxophone Today Front Cover—1
Saxophone Today Writers—3
The Editor’s Thoughts—4
Saxophone Products And News—6
Paul Cohen Interview By Thomas Erdmann—16
Demise Of The Last U.S. Manufactured Saxophone—26
Saxophone Literature Of David Biedenbender—28
Bennie Krueger And His Orchestra 1922—31
Learning From The Pros: Jeff Hackworth—36
Saxophone Today Reviews By David Demsey—39
Steve Mauk’s “One-Step” Fix To That First Sound—41
Improving Your Saxophone By Curt Altarac—43
Sell “Traditional” Music Products On Amazon—46
Creative Alternate Fingerings For Middle C-Sharp—48
Skip Spratt The Freelance Saxophonist—50
Eric Nestler Interview By Thomas Erdman—52
Comparing And Contrasting Two Gigs—58
Buescher True-Tone Saxophone Catalog—60
Odd Man Out 7/8, 6/8 Time Slight Swing Feel Duet—61
CD Reviews By Frank Bongiorno & Billy Kerr—64
50
58
Andrew Clark
Comparing Two Gigs
Big City
James Montgomery
2
31
Andrew Allen
Saxophone Today Articles
67
New Saxophone CDs
Simple Truth, Over
Time, Straight Ahead
Library Of Congress ISSN 2373-597X
28
26
16 & 50
Nov/Dec 2014
48
Skip Spratt
David Pope
The
Freelance Saxophonist
Beyond Boundaries
Middle C-Sharp
Alternate Fingerings
www.saxophonetoday.com
David Demsey
Music For Saxophone
Saxophone Secrets
15 Jazz Etudes
41
Steven Mauk
Saxophone Teaching
Techniques
“One-Step” Fix
43
Curt Altarac
Improving Your
Saxophone
Tone, Intonation, Beauty
46
David Babich
Selling “Traditional”
Music Products
On Amazon
November/December 2014
To Purchase This Back Issue of Saxophone Today Click Here
W
The Editor’s Thoughts
ith this issue of Saxophone Today I proudly say that as a family (subscribers,
advertisers, and ST writers), we have completed our
first year of publication. I thank everyone for your
support and enthusiasm, and I look forward to 2015 with added
saxophone glee. And speaking of glee...
In my article this issue “Bennie Krueger And His Band
1922, on page 31, the video of Bennie and Rudy Wiedoeft suggests an interesting thought. Rudy mentions the saxophone
laugh that Bennie uses, and then they both proceed to play a
laughing saxophone duet. I know it was used widely in Vaudeville acts but my question is: Did Bennie Krueger invent the
laughing saxophone technique? If any saxophone history buffs
out there knows the answer please email me at the email address below.
There are a few amusing videos online showing off various attempts at producing the
laughing saxophone sound. Two short attempts start with Jefferson Yap, Jay Moody,
and then the master of this techique Rudy Wiedoeft playing Saxophone Phun.
By the way, one of our most contemporary authorities of Rudy Wiedoeft is the great
saxophonist and historian Ted Hegvik. And to prove it take a listen at Ted playing SaxO-Trix by Rudy Wiedoeft, on a C-Melody saxophone. Ted’s expertise on the history of
Rudy Wiedoeft is evidenced here in a lecture then performance of Rudy’s “Swan Song”
Valse Sonia and Saxophobia.
As I speak, there is a Rudy Wiedoeft Renaissance with saxophonist of all ages taking
place worldwide (most particularly in Europe) and it is just wonderful to see and hear
online. Saxophonist Floor Wittink plays a marvelous version of Sax-o-Doodle. The echo
in her concert hall mimics the duo saxophone sound technique in this tune that would
impress even Rudy. Kudos to Floor! And check out Saxophobia, arranged by Chia-Chia
Wu for a saxophone ensemble in China.
Interestingly, Jewish Klezmer clarinet playing often utilizes a “clarinet laugh” technique as demonstrated by Oleg Lapidus. Oleg demonstrates more detail in Klezmer
Clarinet Lesson Khosn Kale Mazltov.
Changing subjects slightly, I first heard the Dave Brubeck Quartet live in Omaha,
Nebraska in 1964 (Joe Morello drums, Eugene Wright bass, Dave Brubeck piano, and
of course my hero Paul Desmond on alto saxophone). That concert probably changed
by entire life. This was just after I had memorized Paul’s tune Take Five, including his
solo, and played it on the back porch at marathon practice sessions after school while
my Mother Loraine cooked supper. She had purchased the original LP for me to enjoy
and enjoy I did. This was also shortly after my parents had bought me a brand new
Conn Artist alto saxophone in a beautiful black case. I was in heaven.
The version of Take Five, that is the original one and the one I memorized, is still in
my memory, every note. Here’s that version. Taking Take Five to a different place is
demonstrated by youth street jazz ensemble in China, which I’m sure Paul Desmond
would have enjoyed.
Questions, Suggestions, Ideas please email us at
[email protected]. §
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COVER PHOTOS
Paul Cohen
Photo by Anna Lockhart
Eric Nestler
Photo courtesy Eric Nestler
Publisher & Editor
David J. Gibson
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Saxophone Today
3
S
axophonist Dr. Paul Cohen is truly the definition of
a Renaissance man. In an era where specialization is
the key to becoming recognized as a great professional, Cohen has created and sustained a career demonstrating
one need not be bound by the conscripts of common thinking. The number of precisely detailed areas of musicianship
and academic knowledge in which Cohen is a recognized
master goes beyond belief of what one can achieve.
As a historian Cohen has a vast archive of music and
material related to the saxophone as well as an extensive
collection of more than 150 rare and vintage saxophones.
He has explored in detail their construction, uses and societal context. Some are extremely rare, others are modern
performance instruments. Not just the big four (soprano,
alto, tenor, bari), but also a B-flat sopranissimo (soprillo),
F mezzo-sopranos, two F Conn-O-Saxes, B-flat basses, Eflat contrabasses, as well as a number of saxophone-derived
instruments such as a c. 1900 octavin, sarrusophone, Lorree
sax-oboe, taragto and a rothophone, to list just a few. As a
musicologist he has discovered, published and performed a
wide variety of lost and previously unknown compositions
by a range of composers from Dahl to Loeffler, Grainger to
Sousa, and many more.
As a pedagogue Cohen not only teaches privately, but
is on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music, the Aaron
Copland School of Music at Queens College, Mason Gross
School of the Arts at Rutgers University, and New York
University. This doesn’t include the summer where he leads
the Saxophone Institute at the New York Summer Music
4
Festival, is a part of the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival, and Rutgers Summer Music program.
As a performer Cohen has soloed over 100 times with
orchestras throughout the world including the San Francisco, Richmond, Charleston, and New Jersey symphonies, and
the Bergen Philharmonic, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra,
Oberlin Chamber Orchestra, Juilliard Orchestra, New Amsterdam Symphony, and New York Virtuosi, to again list
just a few.
As an orchestra member countless symphonies have
called upon Cohen to play the saxophone parts including
the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, Cleveland Orchestra, Santa Fe Opera, Oregon Symphony and
Greenwich Symphony.
As a superlative recording artist his voluminous recordings in all styles, genres and different instrumental settings include the three famous Frederick Fennell Cleveland
Symphonic Winds albums, a Paul Winter Consort album,
solo saxophone work on the Music of John Martin album,
and many solo recordings.
As a scholar his over 100 published books and music
publications attest to a man relentlessly inquisitive with a
thorough knowledge of the saxophone’s history and importance in the musical world. A frequent guest lecturer,
clinician, and artist-in-residence, Cohen also performs
commercial, jazz and pop music, having given workshops on
improvisation, as well as having appeared with artists like
Peter Allan, Sammy Davis Jr., and Sarah Vaughn. For a
man just beginning his 60s, there is no telling how
November/December 2014
photo by Anna Lockhart
Paul Cohen
Paul Cohen Interview By Thomas Erdmann