Who couldn’t use just a little more power? That’s exactly what the new JodyJazz POWER RING™ delivers in a beautiful and elegant design. The POWER RING™ Ligatures have been a huge hit and much in demand
since the launch of the first few models last year. With recent additions, we now offer a full complement of POWER RING™ Ligature models to fit every JodyJazz mouthpiece in the range. Now that the POWER RING™ Ligatures have been available in the market for a while, we are compiling a list of other mouthpieces that the various POWER RING™ models will fit. As an
example we can report that the ‘HRA1 Minus’ model fits a number of other Hard Rubber Alto mouthpieces including, Selmer C* 1S80 & S90, Vandoren AL3 & V16, Meyer Alto Hard Rubber and Rousseau Alto Hard Rubber. The New POWER RING Ligatures have greater thickness and heft and feature a concave inner design which reduces the touch points on the reed thereby maximizing
reed vibration. Furthermore there are no moving or added parts, further increasing the efficiency of vibration. The design of the new POWER RING Ligatures allow the most freedom and vibration of the reed of any Ligatures current on the market. The amount of harmonics present are increased, allowing the fullest saxophone sound containing high, mid and low frequencies. The POWER RING simply slides over the reed and becomes very secure as it is pushed tightly over the reed. They are widely
available now from all JodyJazz Dealers.
Jody's Great New Recording |
One of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, the historic and picturesque city of Savannah, Georgia is well known for its famous squares, antebellum architecture, horse-drawn carriages and beautiful oak trees covered
with Spanish moss. But few people realize that it also home to two of the most well-known and highly regarded musical instrument manufacturers in the entire music products industry. In addition to JodyJazz saxophone mouthpieces, Savannah is also the home of Benedetto Guitars, the world's foremost maker of custom archtop jazz guitars. An important reason why both these companies continue to be leaders in their respective fields is because both their Presidents are world-class musicians who maintain a regular
performance and recording schedule in addition to their executive duties. Howard Paul, President and CEO of Benedetto Guitars is a virtuoso Jazz Guitarist with an extensive list of credits as both sideman and leader and Jody Espina of JodyJazz of course needs no introduction here.
After many years playing together all
over Savannah and the low country in various groups and settings, Jody and Howard were finally able to get in to the studio to record a selection of their favorite tunes. Under the name ‘The Presidents’ (naturally!) they assembled a group of gifted musicians including bass-player extraordinaire Mark Peterson and the great New York drummer Karl Latham, both of whom they had performed with regularly in the past. As an added special guest the brilliant drummer/percussionist Andrés Forero,
most well-known for his current gig with the Broadway mega hit ‘Hamilton’, also contributes his unique talents playing percussion on the recording.
Available now, ‘The Presidents’ offers Jody and Howard’s inspired, always swinging and highly unique take on various Straight-Ahead and American Songbook standards. Way more than just some fancy showcase for
JodyJazz mouthpieces and Benedetto Guitars, it’s a chance to hear two world-class musicians in their prime, beautifully recorded and surrounded and supported by some of the most accomplished musicians in the country.
‘The Presidents’ is available on iTunes and CDBaby
Where in the World is Jody? |
There is no chance of Jody losing his “Million Miler” status any time soon after yet another year travelling the globe performing clinics, workshops and concerts and generally promoting JodyJazz mouthpieces. Since the beginning of
the year, Jody’s travels included clinic tours in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Japan and also a short trip to Brazil to meet with several of our dealers. In June Jody completed his first tour of Southeast Asia including presentations in a variety of High Schools, Music Schools, Community Jazz Bands and Music Stores. Jody also took the
opportunity to sit in and host at several Jam sessions with local Jazz Musicians. The first two legs of the tour, in Singapore and Indonesia, were organized by one of the leading retailers in the region and top woodwind and brass specialists, MusicGear Pte Ltd. In Singapore he conducted a workshop with the City Swing Community Jazz Big Band, made presentations to both the middle schoolers and high schoolers of the United World College International School, held a Masterclass at the B28 Jazz Club
and wrapped it all up on the last evening sitting in with JodyJazz Artist and Singapore resident Greg Lyons at the BluJazz Jazz pub. Then it was on to Indonesia with clinics and performances in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Yogyakarta. In Jakarta Espina performed at the state of the art 'iCanStudioLive' live auditorium with new JodyJazz
Endorser Artist 'Ricad Hutapea', one of the top Jazz Saxophonists in Indonesia. After that he presented a clinic to the D'Jazz Music School and then sat in with the School Student Band. The next day in Bandung Espina conducted a workshop for, and performed with, the Bandung Community Jazz Band where he was joined again by Ricad Hutapea. In Surabaya Espina performed a more intimate Masterclass, which included a personalized mouthpiece fitting session, for the saxophone students of the Jazz
Centrum music school and then performed a concert with the Jazz Centrum Owner and great saxophonist Yason Gunawa. The final stop in Indonesia was in Yogyakarta for a clinic and performance with the local Jazz Community band where Jody was presented with his portrait which was painted live by the artist Kijoko Wasis, while Kijoko was blindfolded and hooded.
The final leg in Thailand was organized by Sax Society Co.,Ltd the premier saxophone store in Thailand, which also operates the only dedicated saxophone schools in the country. Society Co.,Ltd is owned and operated by 'KOH Mr. Saxman' Thailand's most celebrated saxophonist and one of the most famous musicians in all of
Asia. Despite not touching down in Bangkok, Thailand until late in the evening, Espina made it to the famous ‘Saxophone Pub’ for a
late-night concert performance sitting in with KOH Mr. Saxman and his band. The major event in Bangkok was an afternoon clinic at the Saxsociety store which was attended by sax players from all over the country with some even traveling from outside Thailand just to attend the event. The clinic was followed by a performance again with KOH Mr. Saxman and his band at 'JazzSushi', a restaurant and jazz club adjoining the store. On his last day in Bangkok and for his final event of the tour,
Espina was the featured performer at the Jazz Club in the upscale VIE Hotel.
Taking in three countries and
visiting 6 cities over a two week period, Jody Espina's first clinic tour of Southeast Asia certainly proved a spectacular success. Espina was able to personally connect for the first time with hundreds of saxophone players in this part of the world. Such was his popularity that he is already looking at plans to return again next year.
In October Jody was invited to Japan by MAC Corporation, JodyJazz's longtime distributor in Japan, in
order to perform a series of masterclasses for Shimamura Music. With 160 locations across Japan, Shimamura Music is that country's largest musical instruments retailer. Selling everything from acoustic pianos to electronics to guitars & drums to band & orchestra instruments, each store includes a music school, practice studios and rehearsal rooms often used for local community music events. Jody has now performed several master-class tours in Japan and each time he has been overwhelmed
by the warmth and appreciation with which he is greeted. The tour of the Shimamura Music schools was no exception and Jody was once again impressed by the level of concentration and attentiveness exhibited by the Japanese students. Launched in January of this year, the New SUPER JET Altos have been spectacularly popular. Developed specifically with the Smooth Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Rock and Funk player in mind the SUPER JET Alto is a very contemporary sounding
mouthpiece with many characteristics we have not offered in our range up until this time. It’s going to give you more power, more edge and more altissimo. But as with all JodyJazz mouthpieces, it is beautifully free-blowing with enough bottom in the sound to make it more versatile than many mouthpieces in this category of small chamber pieces. The SUPER JET also features a shorter facing curve for insane altissimo. The SUPER JET is a Silver-Plated Brass Mouthpiece and anyone who likes plenty of
volume and cutting power will love it. The SUPER JET Altos have already become the favorite Alto mouthpiece for many JodyJazz Artists including Andy Snitzer (SUPER JET Alto 9), Darren Rahn (SUPER JET Alto 8), Mike Burton (SUPER
JET Alto 8), Brian Miller (SUPER JET Alto 8), Bob Magnuson (SUPER JET Alto 8) and Miles Osland (SUPER JET Alto 7) to name but a few. The May 2017 issue of DownBeat Magazine featured a spectacular review of the SUPER JET Altos. Effusive in his praise the reviewer offered many accolades including the following quotes:
“I found the SUPER JET to be comfortable, responsive and free-blowing. The lower notes on the altos were warm and rich sounding, even at low volumes. Articulation was crisp and intonation well-centered and accurate throughout all registers. The higher notes and altissimo range
were incredibly responsive and impressively powerful. Both altos that I paired with the Super Jet projected very well without needing an unusually strong air flow — it was as if a gate had been opened and I had suddenly reached a new level of freedom to wail.”
"The mouthpiece blended nicely in the saxophone section and gave me all the power I could want. As a soloist in a moderately loud ensemble, it was liberating to not have to worry about being heard without a microphone. Its “wow” factor has implications that go far beyond mainstream jazz, though. In a funk, fusion or r&b setting, this mouthpiece has the potential to sound great while
really “letting it rip” in all registers of the alto."
"I would recommend the SUPER JET Alto saxophone mouthpiece to smooth-jazz players and saxophonists looking
for a strong sound with great response."
With so many players loving the SUPER JET Altos, we have been inundated with inquires asking if there will be a Tenor model any time soon. Well, we
can now confirm the SUPER JET Tenors are coming! Keep a look out for more news in January!
The hugely popular Savannah Jazz Festival takes place every year at the end of September in downtown Savannah. The festival annually attracts an audience of several thousand who flock to see an engaging mixture of major international
superstars, to local legends, to rising stars, to the top regional college Jazz ensembles. Now in its 36th year, the week-long festival is set in various venues throughout the city and culminates with three nights in historic Forsyth Park where the beautiful Savannah weather invariable provides for a memorable time watching and listening to the stars, under the stars. With particularly spectacular weather gracing the outdoor concerts, this year's festival was no exception.
For the past few years schedule clashes with various trade-shows and events had prevented Jody from taking part in the festival. But the Calendar fell kindly this year allowing Jody to participate in the festival....and participate he did!
The Monday of the festival featured the Premiere of the recently completed film documentary on the legendary bass-player, singer, composer and entrepreneur Ben Tucker. Tragically killed in a freak automobile accident in 2013, Ben Tucker was one of Savannah's most adored and revered residents. A close friend and mentor, Jody was honored to play in the Ben Tucker Tribute band which performed prior to
the screening.
By Friday the festival had moved to the outdoor stage at Forsyth park and featured a rousing set from top "sax player to the stars" and JodyJazz Artist Andy Snitzer and his group, sponsored by JodyJazz. Andy invited Jody to sit in on a couple of
tunes and with Andy on Tenor and Jody on Alto the two not only had a lot of fun together on stage, but also made some seriously good music.
Playing a mixture of Andy's own compositions and R&B classics like Rufus & Chaka Khan's 'Tell Me Something Good', Andy and his group soon got the audience up off its feet. Friday night's headliner was the legendary jazz singer, former Count Basie Band member and Grammy Award winner Carmen Bradford who performed with the Savannah Jazz Orchestra. Featuring the cream of Savannah and the low country area's Jazz
musicians, the Savannah Jazz Orchestra performed impeccably behind the acclaimed singer. Featured on several songs, Jody's Alto solos received standing ovations from the ecstatic crowd. Jody again played double-duty on the Saturday night performing first with the Savannah Jazz Hall of Fame Band and then with his new group 'The Presidents' that he co-leads with Howard Paul of Benedetto Guitars. (See details above in this
newsletter for details on how to buy their new recording). Featuring Mark Peterson on acoustic bass and Karl Latham on drums, the group was joined on stage by drum and percussion virtuoso Andrés Forero who also guests on the recording. The Savannah Jazz Festival performance also served as a debut for Piano player Ron Thompson. The band grow more assured with every performance and their unique and inspired interpretations of jazz standards such “Caravan” and “The Girl from Ipanema” (dubbed “The
Woman from Ipanema” by the band) earned them raucous applause from the excited capacity crowd. Breaking all records for audience attendance the 2017 Savannah Jazz Festival was a resounding success. Here's hoping the trade-show calendar falls kindly again in 2018 allowing Jody to perform at the Jazz festival next
year.
Music China Bigger and Better |
The annual Music China Trade Show in Shanghai is now unquestionably one of the most important events on the Music Products industry calendar. Now in its 16th year, the Music China Shanghai show seems to grow exponentially year after year and with
China now the second-largest consumer market in the world, there's no sign of that growth slowing down any time soon. The show has already surpassed the Frankfurt Musikmesse to become the largest and most important international trade fair for the music products industry and in terms of worldwide influence it is second only to the massive Winter NAMM show in Anaheim. The explosive growth of the show has also been fueled by China's ever growing embrace of western music styles and more
particularly western style school music programs. The Chinese government has made a significant commitment to the expansion of music education in schools and all over the country traditional concert band programs are being extended to also include jazz band and even drum corps and marching band. The 2017 Music China show saw record attendance once again with close to 100,000 visitors from more than 80 countries. Expanding in to yet more exhibition halls in the massive Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC), there
over 2,000 exhibiting manufacturers offering an extensive range of musical instruments for every style of music from western Rock and Jazz, to Orchestral and Classical, to Traditional Chinese. JodyJazz doubled its show space for the 2017 and we unveiled an all new custom display booth complete with Chinese graphics.
Partnering with P. Mauriat Music, our Distributor for China, we brought JodyJazz Artists Darren Rahn and Arno Haas to perform at the show.
Darren and Arno joined Jody for several performances on the JodyJazz booth which each time ensured the booth was completely
surrounded by large groups of appreciative listeners. Darren and Arno also performed with Jody with a full band for two concerts on the outdoor stage right
in the center of the Expo Center. These concerts drew huge crowds who did not hide their great appreciation for the music, greeting the end of each tune with rapturous applause. As always at Music China we get the chance to meet up with old friends and also to make some new ones.
Introduced to us by our great friend in Thailand Mr KOH, we were delighted to meet the very impressive saxophone duo "SAXPACKGIRL"; two really great young sax-players who go by the name Kwang and Pang. Tenor player Kwang is using the DV Tenor 7* and Alto player Pang is using the SUPER JET Alto 7 with the MA1 POWER RING Ligature. Founded in 2015 "SAXPACKGIRL" have a devoted following on Facebook and YouTube and released their first official recording earlier this year. We are delighted to welcome
Kwang and Pang to the JodyJazz family of Artists. We were also happy to meet up with Baritone specialist and new JodyJazz Artist Tim Stocker who
fortunately was on Tour in China at the same time as the show. Originally from Australia Tim spent over 6 years in New York City honing his craft and then moved to Singapore where he was welcomed into the local Jazz community as a performer, educator and event organizer. Tim plays the DV Baritone 8 with the MB1 POWER RING Ligature. |
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