The New Zealand Saxophone Blog

Marcel Mule discusses vibrato and the Bolero

2011-10-04T04:22:00.000+13:00

YouTube video

ClaSax Festival, Melbourne, Australia

2011-05-18T10:14:00.001+12:00

http://www.clasax.org/ (click for more info and details)

New Zealand saxophonist Simon Brew featured at the upcoming ClaSax festival, Melbourne!

NZSM saxclass concert

2011-03-22T21:39:00.000+13:00

Te Kōkī, the New Zealand School of Music present the third of our five Friday at 5 concerts for 2011.
"If you like an instrument that sings, play the saxophone. At its best it's like the human voice" – Stan Getz
“They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art.” – Charlie Parker
This concert celebrates the saxophone from the perspective of both classical and jazz music.
Originally invented as an orchestral instrument, the saxophone is now most commonly associated with jazz. The NZSM Saxophone Quartet will perform works that illustrate how 'classical' music continues to explore the unique sounds represented by the saxophone family. Then the saxophone section of the Wellington Jazz Band (supported by members of the rhythm section) will show how these timbres are utilised in quite a different way within a jazz context.
The Friday at 5 series are concerts in which the NZSM comes 'downtown' sharing with Wellington audiences music which reaches out and connects us to our past, future, other cultures and to each other. The concerts all feature the extraordinary talent of NZSM staff, students and friends.
The remaining Friday at 5 concerts in 2011 are on September 9 and October 7.

more: here

Auckland Philharmonia Concert

2011-02-02T22:45:00.000+13:00

The APO are putting on a concert filled with gorgeous works including saxophone(s).

piano soloist Ewa Kupiec

Milhaud La Création du Monde

Bernstein On the waterfront: Symphonic Suite

Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, op. 43

Gershwin An American in Paris

The Rachmaninov is the only work which doesn't use saxophone in this programme. Gershwin's American in Paris uses 3, and exploits the jazzy side of the saxophone, while Milhaud's glorious creation puts saxophone forward as a soloist for nearly the entire work.

More details and tickets are available from the APO website: here

wheb and where:

Thursday 24th February, 8PM

Auckland Town Hall

2011-02-02T09:26:00.003+13:00

NEW SAXOPHONE WORKS

The Auckland Fringe festival is getting a treat this year. Clarinetist, saxophonist and composer Yvette Audain will be performing new works she has written.

Programme:

Grooves Unspoken for saxophone and piano

Hazine (Treasure) for solo saxophone

Meditations Upon Nasreddin Hoca for saxophone and piano

Hold Fast for solo clarinet

An Irksome Vengeance for clarinet and cello

bulletproof petals for saxophone quartet

A Charleston Kick With Steel Caps for saxophone quartet

With guest performers: Hong Yul Yang (piano), Katherine Hebley (cello),

Donald Nicholls, Zyia-Li Teh and Andrew Uren (saxophones).

Yvette Audain’s music has been performed throughout New Zealand as well as in

Australia, Japan and the USA, and her performance experience encompasses classical

(Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra; New Zealand Opera), jazz (Brett’s New

Internationals; the Frank E. Evans Band), folk (Doris; seisiuns and folk festivals

throughout New Zealand), concert band (the Royal New Zealand Navy Band; Auckland

Wind Orchestra), and free improvisation (Vitamin S).

Audain also composes and arranges for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. She was

part of their 2010 Graduate Composers’ Workshop (dir. Kenneth Young) with her work

Eulogy (text by Olivia Macassey; narrated by Stuart Devenie). This work will receive its

premiere in an APO concert in 2011.

For more information on Yvette Audain’s music, please visit:

www.yvetteaudain.com

If you are in Auckland go along!

And if your there, write a little review for us.

Good luck Yvette and make sure you snap a pic for us!

Simon

Online audio samples of extended saxophone techniques

2011-01-14T12:43:00.000+13:00

http://www.baerenreiter.com/materialien/weiss_netti/saxophon/

Link to new book from Bärenreiter (Weiss and Netti), with audio samples of extended techniques including slaptongue, and fingerings/samples of multiphonics for saxophone.

Simon Brew premieres new saxophone sonata

2010-08-14T21:08:00.002+12:00

http://www.grachtenfestival.nl

Simon Brew & Andrey Nesterenko (winners of the Grachtenfestival Conservatorium Concours) premiere the new tenor saxophone sonata by Michael Jamieson, at the Grachtenfestival in Amsterdam next week. Openbare Bibliotech, Oosterdokskade 143, Amsterdam (2pm)

Simon also plays 2 more concerts in the Grachtenfestival this year. One tomorrow (15th August) in the Vondelpark, Amsterdam, and one on Tuesday evening (17th August) with the Four Baritones at the Museum Werf 't Kromhout, Kruithuisstraat, Amsterdam (8pm)

Video from the CMNZ contest

2010-08-06T21:22:00.000+12:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97WWCYml-Hs
The saxophone quartet Sw!tch. Winners of the KBB Award.

Great playing guys! Keep up the good work!

Youtube Orchestral saxophone

2010-08-02T09:22:00.000+12:00

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=3DF9894A23C0A36F

I've made a playlist (and will continue to update, as I find interesting things to add) of some classic orchestral saxophone repertoire.

Sometimes, its not always easy to find, but there are some really exciting excerpts online- of some of the great players (including ex-professor of Paris Conservatoire, Daniel Deffayet)

Saxophone Quartet Sw!ch in Chamber Music NZ Chamber music Contest

2010-08-01T22:48:00.000+12:00

The Chamber Music Contest is a national institution that has helped encourage young musicians on to successful careers in music. Many of the country's leading performers - including Michael Houstoun and several members of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra - took part in this competition in the days when it was known as the Westpac School Music Contest. This year the New Zealand Community Trust Chamber Music Contest celebrates its 45th anniversary, and is the longest-running youth music competition in New Zealand.

listen to the recordings from the competition here (link to Radio NZ)

CSM Showcase Concert

2010-07-27T09:20:00.000+12:00

Christchurch School of Music Showcase Concert, featuring CSM saxophone ensemble

Date & time:

Saturday, 21 August 2010 - 6:30pm - 9:00pm

Location:

Christchurch Town Hall Auditorium

NYO 2010

2010-07-27T09:15:00.000+12:00

Congratulations Reuben Chin, alto saxophonist with the 2010 National Youth Orchestra!

read more here

World class saxophone-piano Duo concerts

2010-07-02T21:08:00.000+12:00

Dutch Saxophonist Niels Bijl, and New Zealand pianist Diedre Irons will perform 3 concerts this month as part of a Chamber Music NZ tour. (Mills Reef, Tauranga, Sunday 11th, 7:30PM / Montana Brancott Winery, Blenheim, Friday 16th, 6:00PM / Mahurangi College, Warkworth, Sunday 18th, 3:00PM). Included in the programme will be the piece "AXE" by New Zealand saxophonist/composer Michael Jamieson.
These will be excellent concerts, and its not very often that such a high standard of saxophone recital is heard in New Zealand, so take the opportunity, if you're in the neighbourhood, to go and listen to these fantastic musicians!

The programme is below, and more can be read on Chamber Music New Zealand website: http://www.chambermusic.co.nz/artists/14-niels-bijl-and-diedre-irons/

www.nielsbijl.nl

Glazunov

Chant du Ménestrel Op 71

Michael Jamieson

AXE (2008)

Smirnov

Evening Song Opus 56

Schubert

Arpeggione Sonata

Schumann

Adagio and Allegro Opus 70

Ravel

Pavane pour une infante défunte

Fauré

Après un rêve; Nocturne

Massenet

Meditation

Paquito D'Rivera

Contradanza

Congratulations Simon and Andre!

2010-06-11T23:55:00.001+12:00

New Zealand saxophonist Simon Brew, (soprano player of the Hanumi Saxophone Quartet), and his duo RuneaS Duo (with pianist Andrey Nesterenko) have just won the prestigious Dutch Grachtenfestival Conservatorium Concours.

RuneaS Duo were selected by the jury as the winners in this year's competition, beating students selected by each of the conservatories of the Netherlands. The Duo will perform in the open-air concert during the festival, as well as in a special concert at the new Amsterdam Public Library. Simon will perform another concert during the festival with "The Four Baritones" saxophone quartet, with Niels Bijl, Lars Niederstrasser, and fellow Kiwi Michael Jamieson.

The competition has proved to be a great stepping stone to establishing a professional music career in the Netherlands.

http://www.grachtenfestival.nl/gf/2009/index.vm?mainpage=home

Mouthpieces

2010-05-30T06:00:00.000+12:00

Ok,

I know most of you know already, have a preference of your own, or are well beyond this stage. But, I'm often asked what the best mouthpiece is to buy.

Of course, when someone asks this question, they are normally not very experienced or are perhaps asking with regard to their beginner students.

People might say there is not really a right or wrong answer to this, but there is: If you are asking this question, its for the benefit of your beginner students and in that case, its a Yamaha 4C, no question. Or, you are a professional (advancing student) and don't have the possibility of trying 30 different mouthpieces before spending a fortune on one, that might or might not be that great in the end- in this case, I say Vandoren AL3 (TL3 for tenor, BL3 baritone etc.) (not AL4!).

Why not a Selmer?

Well, the answer is, you can find a great Selmer, but you can also find a dud. You can send your student to the shop to buy a Yamaha 4C, and they will get the right thing every time. There is simply too much variation in the sound, response and QUALITY of Selmer to trust an unexperienced player to be able to tell the difference between a good/great/useless mouthpiece. (Trust me, I've been to the factory and have seen them being made-by 6 people- more than 100 per day...)

For the pro/advancing student, of course you can make up your own mind- but it is very helpful to have a reference. This has traditionally been the Selmer C* but the point of having a reference is that it must be consistent, and this is simply not the case with Selmer. Which is not to say that you can't find a great mouthpiece from Selmer, but you might have to be prepared to search, spend a lot of money, and quite frankly- throw some away (for the love of saxophone, don't sell them to your students!). Also, if you don't have the luxury of trying before you buy, which is very often the case in NZ, I would recommend only to buy a mouthpiece from the people producing consitent products (Yamaha/Vandoren).

Its simply too much money (and has such an influence on the quality of sound and ultimate enjoyment of playing) to throw away on something that you don't know is the best value for what you have to spend.

NZSM Saxophone Orchestra perform Lauba

2010-05-24T19:09:00.000+12:00

Wednesday 26 May, 12.15pm, St Andrew’s on The Terrace, 30 The Terrace

Part of the St Andrews The Terrace lunchtime series. This concert features the Saxophone Orchestra of the NZSM, conducted by Justus Rozemond, and the NZSM Saxophone Quartet, lead by Reuben Chin. The programme features a New Zealand premiere of 'Mutations-Couleurs' by Christian Lauba, and a colourful selection of original works and arrangements for saxophone orchestra and saxophone quartet. The players are students, staff and colleagues of the NZSM.

Free Admission

more: http://www.nzsm.ac.nz/events/

Facebook

2010-05-05T04:33:00.000+12:00

The New Zealand Saxophone Blog is now on Facebook.

You can follow us there as well as post things you'd like to see/share/hear on the wall:

Facebook-New Zealand Saxophone Blog

Etudes and useful blog

2010-05-04T11:05:00.000+12:00

Australian saxophonist Adrian Tully has created a new blog with interesting links, including downloadable etudes written to tackle the problems specific to the major works for saxophone (Glazunov, Larsson, Debussy etc.)

Check out his website: www.adriantully.com and the blog

Saxcess play in Taupo

2010-05-03T05:53:00.000+12:00

http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2010/may/taupo/saxcess

New Zealand composers in good company

2010-04-22T00:52:00.001+12:00

The new music ensemble Νέος ήχος will perform a tribute concert to the legendary living composer Sofia Gubaidulina. Alongside will be formidable solo and chamber works by composers Iannis Xenakis and Franco Donatoni.

The ensembles focus is on the creation and performance of new music, and included will be music from Dutch composers Jord Homan, and Jan Bijkerk, and the substantial saxophone quartet "Ground Rules" by New Zealand composer Michael Vinten.

The concert will take place in Tetem II, in the recently rebuilt Roombeek neighbourhood, in Enschede, The Netherlands.

Performers include: Hanumi Saxophone Quartet, Ruud Roelofsen, Jevgenijs Pastuhovs, Renske Beguin

New Music for saxophone quartet!

2010-04-18T23:22:00.000+12:00

Composers Dylan Lardelli and Ken Young, will be writing new saxophone quartet works, following successful applications in the latest Creative NZ funding round.

New works have been commissioned by Saxcess (Young) and Hanumi Saxophone Quartet (Lardelli), which will add welcome additions to the steadily growing repertoire for saxophones by New Zealand composers.

Dylan Lardelli

Ken Young

more here (link to Creative NZ website)

National Youth Orchestra to do Symphonic Dances

2010-02-02T03:25:00.004+13:00

The NZSO National Youth Orchestra is calling for 2010 applications now. Included in the programme is Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances.

The piece of course requires saxophone (the most gorgeous saxophone solo in any orchestral work. IMHO), so practice those long-tones, "attack and release", and get your application in.

apply here:

Top Dutch saxophonist to tour with Chamber Music NZ

2010-02-02T02:52:00.002+13:00

Niels Bijl, alto saxophonist with the world-famous Aurelia Saxophone Quartet, will be in New Zealand again this year, following a highly successful visit nearly 2 years ago. This time, in addition to masterclasses, he will be touring with the exceptional pianist Diedre Irons for Chamber Music New Zealand.

Concerts include Tauranga (July 11th), Blenheim (July 16th), and Warkworth (18th July). Niels will also perform a lunch concert in Christchurch, and concerts/masterclasses in Australia.

Niels has been exploring the oft-neglected tenor saxophone, in combination with piano and has already recorded 2 CDs with this combination. He met Irons on his last visit to New Zealand, a stunning concert in Victoria University's Hunter Council Chamber evidence of the instant musical chemistry between theses performers.

more information on Niels' website:
www.nielsbijl.nl

New New Zealand music for saxophone now available through Longboat Music.

2010-02-02T02:17:00.006+13:00

New New Zealand music for saxophone now available through Longboat Music.

Michael Jamieson now has music available to buy through Longboat Music.

Currently available:

nga manu (bird-song suite) for 2 soprano saxophones

AXE for tenor saxophone and piano

Uluru for baritone saxophone and soundtrack

http://michaeljamieson.com/music-store/

Highly recommended

2009-07-20T04:26:00.004+12:00

New reeds (well, out now for a while in Europe) available for saxophone and clarinet from Rico. Yes, I know we all associate the name with the blue box of rico royals which you got in the school band, however, don't be fooled, the new Rico Grand Concert, and Reserve reeds are well worth investigating.

They are around about the same price as the blue-box Vandorens (although in the case of the Reserve, you only get 5 reeds). All three (Rico Reserve, Grand Concert, and the Vandorens) are great reeds, but they all have their own characteristics too.

I found the Reserves a little bit heavy for tenor (my preference here is for Vandoren), but for alto and soprano I can't go past the Ricos.

Grand Concerts have a slightly lighter, crisper feel, with great response. They perhaps lack the smooth sound that you (can) find with a great vandoren, however, the important thing is really to give them a fair trail. Remember, you will always be more used to what you're playing at the moment (or the longest), so it might take a while to adjust. Also, don't just the reed on its sound, but on its response and intonation! Which in the case of the Grand Concert is excellent. The tone-colour that you're used to will come as you adapt.

As for the Reserves they are in my opinion simply the best reeds money can buy. They have a much thicker heavier feel than the Grand Concerts, so they can take some getting used to. For tenor, I found them a little too heavy, although this is also to do with the mouthpiece and instrument, and of course myself. With the alto and soprano however, I can't get over how reliable, and comfortable they are. Any orchestral saxophonist will know the terrors of waiting for ages while your instrument cools down and reed dries out, only to have to come in instantly with those gorgeous (and well-known) solos. With the Reserve reed, you can relax! Great reeds, and they come with humidity regulating packs (similar to those used in the cigar industry) which really make a difference in the lifespan of your reed. This and the fact that a pack of 5 reeds will give you at least 3 (much greater percentage than the normal blue-box) concert playable reeds, make the expense well worth it.

more here:

Slap tongue video

2009-07-20T04:09:00.003+12:00

This is an excellent explanation of slap-tongue technique by some great young players (from Ellipsos Saxophone Quartet). I met these guys in Slovenia, and later had quartet master-classes with them in Strasbourg.

see the video here:

Great opportunity for saxophonists!

2009-05-13T18:54:00.003+12:00

Ever wished to own your own piece of New Zealand music? Or know someone who’d love to commission a work for solo saxophone?
SOUNZ, the Centre for New Zealand Music, has launched a new commissioning project called SOUNZtender.

“Five great composers, five new works!” says Lloyd Williams, Chair of the Board of SOUNZ. "We are delighted to be able to offer SOUNZtender, a unique project that allows music lovers to tender for their own special piece of music created by one of New Zealand’s leading composers."

Five award-winning New Zealand composers – Eve de Castro-Robinson, Chris Gendall, Ross Harris, John Psathas and Gillian Whitehead – have each agreed to write a new work for the highest bidder in SOUNZtender.

The successful bidders will then have the opportunity to discuss the content of the piece with the composer, name the work and suggest the
instrument or voice for which the work will be composed. They will receive a performance and recording by a leading New Zealand performer, exclusive rights to performances for a year, and a presentation copy of the score signed by the composer.

“We don’t believe this has ever been done in New Zealand before," Mr Williams continues. "Through SOUNZtender anyone can bid for these works and use this as a chance to mark a special event or to honour an exceptional person or organisation with music written especially for them. We are looking forward to this immensely. Bidders will be supporting New Zealand music and adding to the New Zealand music repertoire while at the same time working with composers to create a piece specifically for them.”

Bidding opens at noon on Thursday 14 May, 2009 and progress can be tracked on the SOUNZ website, http://sounz.org.nz . Proceeds will be donated to SOUNZ to support the work it does in promoting and providing New Zealand music. The winning bids and the amount raised will be announced by Hon Chris Finlayson, NZ Minister for the Arts, Culture and Heritage after the bidding closes on 31 May 2009.

more:

3rd in Selmer Concours

2009-03-24T21:25:00.003+13:00

Hanumi Saxophone Quartet was placed 3rd in the recent inaugural Selmer saxophone quartet concours. First place went to Berlage Saxophone Quartet from Amsterdam, and second to Intersaxion from Utrecht. Hanumi are pround to have done so well after being together for only a year. They performed Scarlatti (Sonata k.87), as well as music from New Zealand composers Ross Harris and Gareth Farr. Hanumi performed as part of the winners concert on the Friday night along with the other winners and Aurelia Saxophone Quartet who made up the part of the jury. Listen to Scarlatti (from the competition) on www.myspace.com/hanumi

Altissimo fingering charts

2009-01-25T23:55:00.002+13:00

Here are some fingering suggestions from my teacher Johan van der Linden.
more

Recommended New Zealand music for saxophone

2009-01-25T23:47:00.003+13:00

This will hopefully become an extensive list, but for now is based on a few personal favourites. There is a lot more NZ music out there and for complete lists- and availability of scores, you can check out SOUNZ on the web...
more

Breaking in reeds

2009-01-24T07:29:00.002+13:00

Breaking-in reeds is probably the most important thing, and the thing which students most often neglect. Don't play your brand new reed for the whole rehearsal or concert- you've just killed it!...
more...

Upcoming happenings in the Capital

2009-01-23T04:55:00.004+13:00

"Saxcess is playing for the Wellington Jazz Club this Sunday, at the Loaded Hog, 5pm, featuring guest soloist Matthias Zippel, recently of the Berlin Sax Quartet. Premiering new work by NZ composer Jared Marshall called Scooter Commuter, and other standard goodies such as Phil Woods, Mike Mower and some spectacular arrangements by Anton Wuts."

Ron Weatherburn

2009-01-17T09:02:00.001+13:00

The New Zealand Saxophone Quartet performing on live television in 1968!

Welcome to the NZ saxophone blog

2009-01-17T06:37:00.003+13:00

Hello and welcome to our new blog. My name is Michael Jamieson, and together with fellow saxophonist Simon Brew, I'm starting this blog to initiate some contact and discussion between sax players and teachers throughout New Zealand, and especially the students out in "the sticks" playing sax (as I was once was myself). Now we are both based in Europe, but are still highly involved and enthusiastic about the saxophone (and music in general) scene back home.

Our goal here is to share information and create a network of musicians, so when you aren't listed here as a teacher/ repairer etc., and would like to be, please drop us a line. I'm also keen to hear from international performers who might be stopping by in NZ, and would like to be put in touch with teachers and students here.

Let us hear your stories, new equipment, questions, CD/concert reviews... anything to do with saxophone in New Zealand. (see contact below)

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Michael and Simon