The highlight of this year’s NAMM show was the ‘JAZZ JAM’ event that JodyJazz once again sponsored with Legere Reeds and Rovner Ligatures. Now
in its ninth year, the ‘JAZZ JAM’ has become one of the signature events on the NAMM schedule and one of the hottest tickets at the show. It has become a truly ‘must attend’ event for anyone interested in the saxophone or just a fan of real good music. And it’s no wonder when you consider some of the stellar Artists that previous events have featured. But the 2019 ‘JAZZ JAM’ will surely be difficult to top with the line up of All-Stars and Legends that graced the
stage.
Everyone gets equal billing at the ‘JAZZ JAM’ but there was no doubt that the performances of both the legendary Tom Scott and sax superstar Kirk Whalum were the most hotly anticipated. And the two of them did not disappoint!! Artists normally play a feature on their own and then will appear again in combination with other Artists. This is really what makes
the JAZZ JAM so great and unique. It provides a rare opportunity to see so many leading contemporary saxophonist all on stage performing together on the same tunes. It was an absolute treat to hear Tom Scott, Jeff Kashiwa, Kirk Whalum, Tom Scott, Don Braden and Darren Rahn all stretching out for a rousing performance of ‘Sugar’.
Other JodyJazz Artists performing at the Jazz Jam included Brian Miller, Derek Brown, Khari Allen Lee, Miles Osland, Arno Haas, Austin Gatus, Tim Price, Lorenzo Ferrero and of course Jody Espina.
Like last year we must acknowledge the incredible ‘house band’ which once again provided such stellar support throughout the night. Led by Howard Paul of Benedetto Guitars with Karl Latham on drums, Sam Mantooth on bass and keyboard player Ron Thompson, the band were in the groove all night long. We’re already looking forward to JAZZ JAM
2020!
As always Jody hosted regular performances throughout the day at our NAMM show booth featuring numerous Artists such as Don Braden and Brian Miller. When
Kirk Whalum joined in the watching crowd quickly swelled to such a degree that the NAMM show staff were concerned the blocked aisles would cause a safety issue!
It is of course not all fun and games at the NAMM show which is the busiest and most important Trade Show of the year. There is
also a lot of hard work across the four long days of the show as we meet with our dealers and distributors from all across the globe. Here’s Jody Espina with Darren Rahn and JodyJazz Artist Relations Manager Danielle Walker.
Developed specifically with the Contemporary Jazz, Smooth Jazz, Rock and Funk player in mind, the SUPER JET Series continues to be one of our most popular and successful series and
the brand new Baritone and Soprano models are continuing that trend.
The SUPER JET Baritone is the ultimate contemporary-sounding Baritone mouthpiece with a distinctive, powerful sound, which is not for the faint of heart!
Though it is super-powerful with plenty of edge and insane altissimo, there is still enough bottom in the sound to make it more versatile than most mouthpieces in the small chamber category. The new SUPER JET Baritone is available in 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10 tip openings.
Offering strong projection and a bright powerful tone, the new SUPER JET Soprano mouthpiece is ideal for the player looking for
more edge and the ability to cut through louder music. But characteristically, like the rest of the SUPER JET Series, there is still plenty of warmth in the sound allowing it to express the full tonal range of the soprano saxophone. The Soprano is available in 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10 tip openings.
The new SUPER JET Baritone and Soprano models are made at the JodyJazz factory in Savannah, GA utilizing five-axis CNC
technology and state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques. These Silver-Plated Brass mouthpieces are individually hand-crafted to the strictest quality standards and every single mouthpiece is fully gauged and play tested by experienced professionals before it leaves the factory.
The May 2019 issue of DownBeat Magazine features great reviews of both these new SUPER JET models.
Here are some of his quotes from the review:
On the SUPER JET Baritone
"The mouthpiece gave me access to a huge dynamic range and provided me with power and projection to spare. My sound was appropriately bright clear and explosively loud, while retaining the sweet-and-punchy bottom end I always strive for on playing
baritone."
"Next, I played a raucous Mardi Gras gig where the Super Jet supported me in the roles of melodist, soloist and quasi-tubist. The mouthpiece not only got me wailing in the spirit of the carnival-like celebration, but its free-blowing small chamber and step baffle kept me
going virtually fatigue-free all night. And I had outrageous fun up in the baritone’s altissimo range."
On the SUPER JET Soprano
"Intonation was excellent and articulation was comfortable throughout all ranges. The Super Jet’s thin tip-rail and side-rails assist in the mouthpiece’s ease of response at all dynamic levels. Tone and pitch inflections were readily available and easy to
achieve."
"This flexible and powerful mouthpiece should give soprano players everything they require to play lead on a Thad Jones big band chart or really let it rip with a funk/rock or Latin group. While the Super Jet–Soprano is designed for maximum projection, bright sound and
enhanced altissimo range, it also allows for softer dynamic levels without loss of response or control."
The new SUPER JET Baritones have an MSRP of $450.00 and the Sopranos have an MSRP of $350.00. Each mouthpiece ships with Ligature, Cap & Pouch.
Chedeville Now Available!
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We have had a tremendous response to our new range of Chedeville Classical Clarinet and Saxophone mouthpieces following their launch at the recent NAMM show. So tremendous was the response in fact that we entered in to an immediate backorder situation. We have been working hard to increase our production of these hand-finished mouthpieces and we are happy to
report that they are all now in stock in all tip openings and available to ship. All Chedeville mouthpieces are handcrafted at the JodyJazz Chedeville factory in Savannah Georgia and made with a mix of new world technology and old world craftsmanship to the highest standards of excellence. Each mouthpiece is packaged with pouch in an elegant and unique bamboo cannister.
Here is an overview of the models now available:
Chedeville Classical Clarinet Models
The Chedeville Elite Bb Clarinet Mouthpiece creates a warm beautiful clarinet tone with excellent control and intonation. The medium length classic
‘Chedeville facing curve’ produces a warm yet strong, full tone with playability that is unsurpassed. The Chedeville Elite Bb Clarinet Mouthpiece is available in a comprehensive selection of tip openings.
Chedeville Classical Saxophone Models
The Chedeville RC Series Classical Saxophone Mouthpieces feature a round chamber which creates a warm beautiful saxophone tone with excellent control and intonation. The medium length classic ‘Chedeville facing curve’ produces a warm yet strong, full tone with playability that is unsurpassed. The Chedeville RC Series Saxophone Mouthpieces will be available in Soprano, Alto, Tenor and
Baritone models, in a comprehensive selection of tip openings.
Please also visit the all new Chedeville website at https://chedeville.com/ The website is packed with great information on all you need to know about Chedeville including comprehensive product information, news, demonstration videos, Artist info and other resources. There is also a ‘Store Locator’ for the Chedeville products. We are also undertaking an extensive Social Media campaign so please follow Chedeville on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
The Chedeville range features a proprietary hard rubber formulation that is unquestionably the most accurate recreation of the original Chedeville rubber, which made those mouthpieces so highly coveted. It has the same amazing resonance and superlative sonic properties as the original "Golden era" mouthpieces of the 20's and 30's and we have designated it as
“Chedeville Hard Rubber’. All the mouthpieces in the range made from this proprietary hard rubber will bear the ‘CHR’ mark. So in future, if you don’t see the ‘CHR’ mark, it’s not genuine Chedeville Hard Rubber.
Chedeville Umbra Clarinet Barrel
The Chedeville Umbra Clarinet Barrels have been designed to give your clarinet sound more warmth, depth and body and also to provide better intonation and
less resistance. The Chedeville Umbra Barrels are made entirely from the same proprietary ‘Chedeville Rubber’ material that gives the beautiful warm sound to the Chedeville Clarinet and Saxophone mouthpieces. This is a more pure rod ebonite that recreates the great rod rubber of Pre-World War II legendary Chedeville mouthpieces. All the mouthpieces made from this proprietary hard rubber bear the ‘CHR’ mark, as do the new Chedeville Umbra Clarinet Barrels.
The conical interior taper of the Barrel enhances airflow and efficiency and the exact interior dimensions improve intonation as compared to the standard
issue Clarinet barrel. The ‘Chedeville Rubber’ can be machined to incredibly precise dimensions and will not wear out or change with moisture or extreme weather. Also clarinetists will appreciate that the Chedeville Umbra Barrel adds less weight to the overall playing experience when compared to the traditional barrel.
The Chedeville Umbra Clarinet Barrels were designed for the Buffett R13 clarinet but work extremely well with many different makes and models of clarinet.
They are available in 64mm, 65mm, 66mm, and 67mm lengths and have an MSRP of $199.00.
The new Chedeville Umbra Clarinet Barrels are manufactured at the JodyJazz/Chedeville factory in Savannah, Georgia using state of the art CNC machines and each one is expertly finished by hand.
Kaspar® CB1 Clarinet Barrel
In addition to its famous own Chedeville brand mouthpieces, the original pre-World War II Chedeville Company made mouthpieces for many companies at the time
and also produced the rod rubber blanks for many other mouthpiece makers. One of these, ‘Kaspar’ became very famous and these vintage Kaspar mouthpieces are now generally considered to be some of the best and most desired mouthpieces of the last century. With its acquisition of Chedeville, JodyJazz also acquired the rights to the legendary Kaspar brand.
The original Kaspar mouthpieces were designed and developed by Frank Kaspar. He developed a reputation as an original thinker and true innovator. In the spirit of that reputation, the new Kaspar CB1 Clarinet Barrels will honor the Kaspar tradition of innovation.
The new Kaspar CB1 Clarinet Barrels are designed to add power and projection to the clarinet sound while decreasing resistance. The unique hourglass shape of
the outside of the barrel was inspired by the interior shape which is the design element most influential in the sound projection of the barrel. The outside hourglass shape increases resonance by reducing the thickness of the material at the center of the barrel. A third design element is the material itself from which the barrel is made, which is Hard Anodized Aluminum. This gives the Kaspar CB1 Clarinet Barrels their powerful sound. The process of Hard Anodizing makes the Aluminum
next to Diamonds in hardness and also completely food grade safe. This hardness of material also adds to the barrel’s greater projection and because it’s Aluminum, it is also lighter than traditional barrels.
The Kaspar CB1 Clarinet Barrels are available in 63, 64, 65, 66 and 67mm lengths and have an MSRP of $159.00.
The new Kaspar CB1 Clarinet Barrels are manufactured at the JodyJazz/Chedeville factory in Savannah, Georgia using state of the art CNC machines and each one
is expertly finished by hand.
Both these new Clarinet Barrels will be launched at the 2019 ClarinetFest scheduled to take place July 24th – 28th in Knoxville, TN.
If you have ever spent any time looking at the mouthpiece product pages on the JodyJazz.com website, you will have noticed several strategically placed buttons that say “6?'s Need Help?”. So what is “6?’s”?
JodyJazz’s “6?’s” (or 6 Questions) is a unique tool that allows Jody to recommend to you the best possible mouthpiece to suit your needs. Whether you are a seasoned pro, an avid amateur or a relative beginner, choosing the right mouthpiece can be a somewhat overwhelming process. But Jody’s experience as a player,
teacher and mouthpiece maker can really help you find the JodyJazz mouthpiece that is right for you.
Jody developed “6?’s” to help him guide you through this confusing process. The best mouthpiece is the one that feels the most comfortable to you and allows you to achieve the sound that you desire with the least amount of effort. This means choosing the best mouthpiece and the right facing for
you.
Click on the “6?’s” button and you will find a series of 6 questions. Your answers to these 6 questions will help Jody recommend the best mouthpiece or mouthpieces for you to try. His goal always is to match you with the perfect mouthpiece. Jody gets to play his dream mouthpieces every day, and he wants to help you find
yours.
Click the Gold Button for JodyJazz 6?’s
Free Online Lessons at JodyJazz.com
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In addition to being the founder and President of JodyJazz Inc, Jody Espina is also an accomplished educator and performer. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 1983, Espina performed and taught music in Barcelona Spain and toured with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra before settling in New York City in 1985. In New York he enjoyed a very successful
career as a professional musician performing with a variety of major acts, in Broadway pit orchestras and recording various movie sound tracks. He was also teaching music regularly and became head of the Jazz Dept at the prestigious Hoff-Barthelson Music School.
Jody has published a number of online saxophone lessons on the JodyJazz.com website which you may access absolutely FREE. Check out his newest lesson "Improvising on Chord Changes - Step by Step" which was just added to the site.
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