NEW DV HR TENOR MOUTHPIECE
We are excited to introduce the new DV HR Tenor mouthpiece, adding to the popular DV HR Alto model launched earlier this year. The DV HR series models are the first hard rubber mouthpieces to feature the JodyJazz
company’s patented DV design. The DV HR Tenor uses the patented DV secondary window to add mid and low harmonics, resulting in a more authoritative tone than normal tenor sax mouthpieces provide. The long straight, somewhat high baffle gives the mouthpiece it’s fantastic projection and cutting power along with excellent altissimo.
"The DV HR Tenor is a fun and exciting mouthpiece from the moment you play it. It will give you an effortless response that delivers shimmering highs and booming lows. You will be able to scream, cry and soothe with this versatile mouthpiece. Tenor sax players need a mouthpiece that lets
them play a live gig with enough volume and highs to be heard, but to also be able to play beautifully and sweetly. The DV HR Tenor is that mouthpiece! It is made to be your ‘one mouthpiece’. Play one note and we think you will be instantly convinced,” says Jody.
Like the Alto model, the DV HR Tenor also features JodyJazz’s newest bite plate technology which enables a bite plate to be embedded into the beak of a hard rubber mouthpiece. The plate features the iconic ‘Phi’ symbol logo in gold, a characteristic of the classic DV series, creating a very
attractive visual appeal.
The DV HR Tenor also features a stylized gold-plated brass ring on the shank of the mouthpiece. The distinctive profile of the ring was also created using the golden mean proportions. The brass ring adds more mass on the shank of the mouthpiece which results in increased stability, more body
in the sound and increased harmonics.
The DV HR Tenor is made at the JodyJazz Factory in Savannah, Georgia. Like all JodyJazz mouthpieces, the tip rail, side rails, baffle and table are all expertly finished by hand and each mouthpiece is individually play tested to maintain the highest consistency and
quality. The new DV HR Tenor is available in 6, 7, 7*, 8* & 9* tip openings.
NEW HAND-HAMMERED HH TENOR GOLD PLATE
We are now making the Hand-Hammered HH Tenor mouthpiece (patent pending) available again but in regular Gold finish. Originally launched in 2022, the JodyJazz HH Tenor model was the world’s first hand-hammered saxophone
mouthpiece. Only available initially as a limited edition run of 300 pieces in Rose Gold finish, the mouthpieces very quickly all sold out. Owing to the success and popularity of the design, we are now offering the HH Tenor as a standard offering in our line, but in regular Gold plate.
Hand-hammering is the ancient art of working brass and bronze alloys to manipulate their sonic characteristics, which cymbal makers have been using for centuries. Hand-hammered cymbals are renowned and much prized for their dark, complex, rich, and warm overtones. To apply hand-hammering to
metal mouthpieces, we sought out the expertise of Paul Francis, one of the world’s foremost experts in the art of hand-hammering cymbals. Hammering the bell brass mouthpiece blanks results in mouthpieces with uniquely warm and complex tonal characteristics. To enhance the unique tonal characteristics and response of the hammered brass, we also developed an all-new internal design and facing curve.
The new Hand-Hammered HH Tenor mouthpieces in regular Gold finish are now available. They are offered in 6*, 7* and 8* tip openings.
To accompany the new Hand-Hammered HH Tenor we are also offering a matching Hand-Hammered POWER RING in regular Gold plate. The original Hand-Hammered HH Tenor in Rose Gold together with the Rose Gold Hand-Hammered
POWER RING made for one of the most stunning looking setups that we have ever offered. The new Hand-Hammered HH Tenor in Gold with matching Gold Hand-Hammered POWER RING is no different. It is a superb looking setup.
In addition to fitting the new Hand-Hammered Tenors, the Hand Hammered POWER RINGs also fit the same models as the standard HRT1 POWER RING including the HR* Tenors, HR* CUSTOM DARK Tenors, JET Tenors, GIANT Tenors and new DV HR Tenors. The POWER RING provides
both a significant improvement in performance and greatly enhanced visual appeal. You will love the simplicity, beauty, and effectiveness of the POWER RING Ligature. The Hand-Hammered POWER RING Ligature in Rose Gold is still available too.
We are proud to introduce the new Chedeville Kanter Cinema Bb Clarinet mouthpiece model designed in collaboration with legendary Hollywood studio musician and famed mouthpiece maker James Kanter. The Chedeville Kanter Cinema Clarinet mouthpiece has a beautiful,
warm sound while being very flexible and will work very well for a variety of settings.
Following a long and successful career in the Hollywood studios, where he played clarinet on literally thousands of movie soundtracks, James Kanter became further internationally renown for his unique clarinet mouthpiece designs. "This is a sublime mouthpiece," says Jim Kanter. “The mouthpiece is designed by me and then perfected in the immaculate, incredibly accurate equipment that Chedeville uses. So far everyone who’s tested it agrees that this is a sublime mouthpiece. It’s a mouthpiece that stands in the middle of tip openings and facing designs. It’s a
mouthpiece that will work very, very well for a variety of things. "The idea that my name will be associated with Chedeville means a great deal to me because Chedeville is a very famous, well established, and richly respected brand name for clarinet mouthpieces. When Jody Espina bought Chedeville, I badgered him for
about a year to make me blanks. Now they supply me with what is, without a doubt, the best mouthpiece making material I’ve ever had in the almost 50 years I’ve been making mouthpieces."
"Jim is on the top as far as what he does, his knowledge of curves, his accuracy in what he makes," says
Jody. "Jim uses the word 'sublime', to describe the Kanter Cinema mouthpiece, and that’s exactly the perfect word. When you play something that is just so good, it’s hard to describe, but it’s sublime. I am finding that this one mouthpiece, the Kanter Cinema, appeals to more players than any other mouthpiece I have come across. I feel this is a great point in my mouthpiece career to learn from Jim Kanter. Jim has been really gracious with me in imparting his knowledge, helping us
learn more. I’m really proud and very grateful to Jim for doing this project with us.”
The new Chedeville Kanter Cinema Clarinet mouthpieces are manufactured from beginning to end at the JodyJazz/Chedeville factory in Savannah, Georgia. The company starts with its proprietary Chedeville hard rubber and then crafts the mouthpieces using state of
the art CNC machines. Finally, the crucial and indispensable hand work is performed by expert mouthpiece craftsmen. In order to achieve Jim Kanter’s vision of a more subtle and understated look, the engravings on the mouthpiece have been left unpainted.
JODY INDUCTED INTO SAVANNAH JAZZ HALL OF FAME
Jody Espina, Founder and President of JodyJazz Inc, has been inducted into the Savannah Jazz Hall of Fame. Recognized for his significant contributions to the Jazz landscape in Savannah, Espina became the 47th
inductee into the Hall of Fame taking his place alongside such Jazz giants as Joe King Oliver, Johnny Mercer, Ben Tucker, James Moody, and more. Jody was welcomed into the Savannah Jazz Hall of Fame by Paula Fogarty, Executive Director of the Savannah Jazz organization, in front of an audience of JodyJazz employees.
The official induction took place during the recent Savannah Jazz Festival where Espina was congratulated on stage and formally inducted in to the Savannah Jazz Hall of Fame by the
honorable Mayor Van Johnson, Mayor of the City of Savannah.
A 1983 Magna Cum Laude graduate of the Berklee College of Music, Jody Espina performed and taught music in Barcelona, then toured the United States with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
before settling in New York City in 1985. For the next 23 years, Espina pursued a successful career performing, recording, teaching music, in Broadway shows, recording movie soundtracks, and as the head of the Jazz Department for the Hoff-Barthelson Music School. He founded JodyJazz Inc. in New York City in 2000 and moved it to Savannah in 2008 where he now employs 24 people. JodyJazz is now considered one of the world’s premier manufacturers of saxophone and clarinet mouthpieces for Jazz, and
the business continues to grow with the recent acquisitions of the Chedeville and E. Rousseau brands of classical mouthpieces. A world-class saxophonist, Jody still tours the world today as a performer and clinician while running his successful mouthpiece making business in Savannah GA. Espina is a regular performer in Savannah at many venues, and also performs with the Savannah Jazz
Orchestra. As a member of the Savannah Jazz Hall of Fame, Jody will now be featured in the new Savannah Jazz History & Hall of Fame Exhibit located in the Savannah History Museum.
ROUSSEAU WELCOMES THREE NEW ENDORSER ARTISTS
We are excited to welcome leading Artists and Educators, Dr. Sarah Hetrick, Dr. Nathan Mertens and Mia Gazley to the Rousseau family of Endorser Artists. Each of these Artists represent excellence both as performers and educators and we could not be any more proud to have them
representing Rousseau mouthpieces.
Dr. Sarah Hetrick is currently the Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the University of Arkansas. She maintains a vibrant performing career as a solo and chamber musician, sharing
expertise at institutions such as the University of Iowa, Duquesne University, and the University of Texas. As a fervent advocate for new music, Hetrick has commissioned over twenty works for saxophone, collaborating with composers including Viet Cuong, Susanna Hancock, and Kimberly Osberg. Sarah oversees the Elise Hall Competition for Emerging Saxophonists, directing its commission, operations, and overall development. About her Rousseau mouthpieces Dr. Hetrick says, "My Rousseau Classic NC4 Alto mouthpiece provides the flexibility necessary for approaching any repertoire for the saxophone. The superb intonation, response and overall control allow me to consistently demonstrate and push the bounds of my artistry.” Renowned US
saxophonist, Nathan Mertens, is currently the Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the University of Colorado Boulder. Widely acclaimed as a soloist and chamber musician, Nathan has performed internationally in countries such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Bolivia, and the United Kingdom, and the United States at prestigious events such as the World Saxophone Congress and the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference. As an advocate of new music, Mertens has commissioned and
premiered works by esteemed composers such as Lucy Armstrong, Akiro Ito, and Zach Browning. Dr. Mertens plays on both the Rousseau ER50 Classic Alto and the Classic NC4 Alto about which he says, "I play on Rousseau mouthpieces because they have that special sparkle! The free blowing mouthpiece allows me to navigate all types of music with ease and gives me the articulation, intonation, and
sound that I want. Couldn't be happier!" Mia Gazley is a saxophonist and educator from British Columbia, Canada. Mia performs extensively with various groups in the Vancouver area, including the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, the Chilliwack Metropolitan Orchestra, the Vancouver Jazz Legacy Orchestra, as well as multiple other ensembles. She is a
founding member of the nationally acclaimed Azura Quartet, in which she holds the baritone saxophone chair. Ms. Gazley plays Rousseau on all four horns, Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone and remarked, "The warmth, clarity, and shimmer to the tone is what I’ve come to respect and love about the Rousseau mouthpieces. They help me to find my best sound every time I pick up my saxophone and
make me excited to continue to strive for musicality and excellence with every practice session and performance.”
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