Saxquest is thrilled to host a FREE clinic/performance at the shop this Saturday with multi-Grammy award winning saxophonist, Frank Catalano (Saturday Nov. 8 from 2-PM). Frank is a super high energy jazz tenor saxophonist based out of Chicago and is a Yamaha endorsing artist. We’re billing this as Frank’s St. Louis CD Release Party! His new record “Love Supreme Collective” has topped the iTunes Charts for several weeks. “Love Supreme Collective” is an homage to John Coltrane and features Jimmy Chamberlin (Smashing Pumpkins), Percy Jones (Brand X), Chris Poland (Megadeath), and Adam Benjamin (Kneebody). Frank’s Savoy/Columbia recording “Bang!” debuted at #12 on the Billboard Jazz Charts. Frank’s recording, “Mighty Burner” was on the Billboard Charts for 20 straight weeks.

Now 37, Catalano came on the scene as a teenager and had performed with Miles Davis, Randy Brecker, Charles Earland, Elvin Jones, Stan Getz, Betty Carter, Von Freeman, Tito Puente, Tony Bennett, Les Claypool and Louis Bellson all while still in high school! This led to his signing to Delmark Records at age 18 and a string of critically acclaimed recordings. Catalano has been heard by millions of people all over the world thanks in part to 3 Grammy-winning and 11 Grammy-nominated recordings with artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Destiny’s Child, and John Legend.

This performance/clinic is supported by both D’Addario/Rico and Yamaha. We’re excited to celebrate our 1 year anniversary as a Yamaha dealer this Fall! We’ve enjoyed dealing in Yamaha’s high-end woodwinds this past year and continue to stock a good selection of Yamaha instruments here in the store. We’re also happy to share with you the new D’Addario Jazz Select mouthpiece. One of the best straight ahead jazz mouthpieces on the market today. As a Yamaha and D’Addario Artist, Catalano will also be happy to talk more about these instruments and accessories while he’s here.

Frank will be backed by St. Louis musicians Adam Maness on piano, Ben Wheeler on bass and Tony Barbata on drums. Remember our enthusiasm to continue hosting these events is entirely dependent on your interest!! I hope to see you out this Saturday. Please tell everyone you know.

Also mark your calendar:
Thursday Nov 13 7:30PM-9PM – TIA FULLER
Saturday Nov 22 – 2PM-4PM – JEFF COFFIN & the Mu’tet (unplugged)

Please come out and join us at the Saxquest shop this Saturday (Oct 18) from 2-4PM. We’re thrilled to present a concert featuring the Saxquest Jazz Orchestra with music from Gerry Mulligan, Shorty Rogers, Dave Pell, Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Marty Paich and others. The 50’s were a unique time in jazz music, especially for the “little big band” ensembles of six to ten musicians. The writing was often intricate and polyphonic, like a hip big band, but looser and more improvisational, with the feel of a smaller group. This concert will be a special tribute to the “Cool Jazz” era and we’re delighted to have the opportunity to share this music with you. In the woodwind section you’ll hear, Ben Reece, Derick Tramel and Mark Overton; on brass will be Bill Simpson, Charlie Brown and John Siddle; and an all star rhythm section with Adam Maness, Ben Wheeler and Tony Barbata. As always, Saxquest events are free and open to the public!

We are excited to be hosting another clarinet event with Julie DeRoche, Clarinet Professor at DePaul University and Chair of Performance Studies. Ms. DeRoche will be at Saxquest for an afternoon masterclass on September 20th from 2-4pm. Please invite your students, friends and colleagues to this great event!

Julie DeRoche received her degree in Clarinet Performance at Northwestern University where she was a student of Robert Marcellus and Clark Brody. After graduation she remained in Chicago to develop a significant career as a clarinetist and educator, performing and touring regularly with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Chamber Musicians as well as many other organizations. Julie currently is Professor of Clarinet and Chair of Performance Studies at the DePaul University School of Music in Chicago. In addition, she has served as conference director, treasurer, and president of the International Clarinet Association, has worked closely with the Leblanc Division of Conn-Selmer, Inc., and has performed and given master classes throughout Europe and the United States.

Saxquest is thrilled to invite you all to a Conn-Selmer sponsored clarinet event this Saturday, August 30 from 2-4pm at the Saxquest shop. All the way from England, Julian Bliss is acclaimed by critics worldwide and recognized as one of the world’s finest solo clarinettists. Don’t miss out on this very rare opportunity to hear Mr. Bliss up close and personal in the informal Saxquest setting. This is an EXTREMELY RARE opportunity and one we’ve been working towards for a couple years now! In addition to sponsoring the event, Conn-Selmer will be present and we will have several Bliss clarinets to try as well as the new Selmer Privilege and Presence clarinets to play test and drool over!! Please join us for this FREE event THIS Saturday, June 30!

Julian Bliss explores the creative scope and remarkable versatility of his instrument. He has achieved distinction as concerto soloist, chamber musician, jazz artist, masterclass leader, eloquent public speaker and tireless musical explorer, introducing many young listeners to new and rarely performed works for clarinet and connecting directly with audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Reviewers have consistently praised the expressive insights and tonal beauty of his music-making, evident in everything from Mozart and avant-garde commissions to the works of Benny Goodman and Bernard Herrmann.

Julian Bliss was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire (UK) in 1989. He began playing clarinet at the age of four with an instrument specially designed for young children. He made his first television appearance the following year and, at the age of six, was invited to play at Buckingham Palace for Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Julian became a pupil at the Purcell School in London in 1997; three years later he moved to the United States to study at Indiana University and gained the institution’s Postgraduate Artist’s Diploma at the age of 12. He returned to Buckingham Palace on the eve of his 13th birthday to perform the Golden Jubilee Concert for Queen Elizabeth II, reaching a huge global television audience in over 70 countries.

Julian began with the first in an intensive series of lessons with Sabine Meyer in 2002. He spent his early teens commuting between St Albans and his teacher’s home in Lübeck, Germany. His rapid rise as a professional performer, propelled in 2003 by the best-selling success of his first recording for EMI Classics’ Debut series, caught the imaginations of critics and public alike. Teacher and pupil joined forces in 2006 to record Franz Krommer’s concertos for two clarinets and orchestra for EMI Classics; they have since collaborated many times as chamber music partners. Milestones in Julian’s early career include recitals and chamber music performances at the prestigious Gstaad, Mecklenburgh, Rheingau and Verbier festivals, and critically acclaimed debuts at London’s Wigmore Hall and New York’s Lincoln Center.

In recent years Julian has explored the clarinet’s rich chamber music repertoire in company with, among others, Elena Bashkirova, Joshua Bell, Hélène Grimaud, Steven Isserlis, Steven Kovacevich, Misha Maisky, Julian Rachlin and Simon Trpčeski. He has also developed a flourishing duo partnership with New York-based pianist Bradley Moore. Their first recording together, an album of Julian’s arrangements of Prokofiev’s Flute Sonata and Glinka’s Viola Sonata, will be released on Signum Classics in June 2014; meanwhile, they will mark the 150th anniversary of Richard Strauss’s birth in 2014 with performances of Julian’s arrangement of the composer’s Violin Sonata. Julian has recently established a chamber music partnership with the soprano Ailish Tynan and pianist Christopher Glynn. Their debut disc, complete with works by Schubert and Schumann will be released in the autumn of 2014.

Julian founded the Julian Bliss Septet with a mission to explore jazz. The group was invited to launch Wigmore Hall’s Lates @36 series and appeared at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London in June 2012. Their debut album for Signum, Benny Goodman –The King of Swing, was released in 2013.

Julian’s concerto credits include performances with many of the world’s leading orchestras, from the London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra to the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo. In May 2014 he recorded the clarinet concertos by Mozart and Nielsen with the Royal Northern Sinfonia for release on Signum Classics in September 2014. He returns to both works during the 2014/15 season, performing Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto with the Royal Northern Sinfonia and Fundação Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo and Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with the Orchestre Chambre de Paris. Future plans include the world premiere of a specially commissioned concerto for clarinet and orchestra by jazz legend Wayne Shorter, the creation of a new chamber ensemble, and the development of a pioneering collaboration with jazz pianist and composer Julian Joseph, cellist Matthew Barley and accordionist Miloš Milivojević.

Julian Bliss is passionate about music education, a commitment reflected in his position as Patron of the Mayor of London’s Fund for Young Musicians and extensive appearances as guest lecturer in schools and colleges across the United States. His influence on the next generation of performers also radiates from his work with musical instrument manufacturers Conn-Selmer, a relationship which led to the design and worldwide launch of the Leblanc Bliss range of affordable clarinets. Over 30,000 Bliss instruments have been sold since 2009, endorsed by praise from teachers and students and admired for their richness of tone. He continues to work on the development of new clarinets for Conn-Selmer and demonstrate Bliss instruments in lectures and workshop sessions. His contributions to the music profession were recognised when he was appointed as an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Diana Haskell & Tim Zavadil in recital TOGETHER – this Saturday only at Saxquest.

Saxquest is thrilled to invite you all to a Buffet Crampon sponsored clarinet event this Saturday, June 21 from 2-4pm at the Saxquest shop. Buffet artists, Diana Haskell and Tim Zavadil, in recital together. YES, that’s right! Come hear, up close and personal, half of the St. Louis Symphony’s clarinet section! Ms. Haskell and Mr. Zavadil will be performing music by Bach, Bouffil, Schuller, Sierra and Vadja. Saxquest’s Clarinet Specialist, Audrey Denny, will also be performing a piece with Ms. Haskell and Mr. Zavadil. This is an EXTREMELY RARE performance opportunity as the stage is set for an incredible show! In addition to sponsoring the event, Buffet Crampon will be present with a wide array of high end professional clarinets to play test and drool over!! Please join us for this FREE event THIS Saturday, June 21!

Saxquest will be hosting a mouthpiece clinic at the Saxquest shop Saturday, MAY 31 (2pm-4PM) with world renown woodwind mouthpiece artisan, Mike Lomax. I’d like to take this opportunity to personally invite you (and if you have them, your students). This is a rare chance to meet and talk with a true woodwind mouthpiece expert. If you’ve ever been curious about what makes a clarinet or saxophone mouthpiece work, you don’t want to miss this special FREE event.

This workshop is designed for the student and professional alike and will be geared more towards the clarinet but also applicable to the saxophone. Mr. Lomax will be discussing how mouthpiece design affects your sound, intonation, response, and other elements of playing. He will touch on what to look for when choosing a mouthpiece to ensure the best fit for your playing along with clarinet care basics and much much more. Mr. Lomax will also have mouthpieces for trial as well as the HUMIDIPRO woodwind case for trial and purchase.

Mike Lomax of Lomax Classic Mouthpieces brings fifty years of woodwind repair experience and professional playing and twenty years of mouthpiece design expertise to this workshop for the student or professional woodwind artist. He was principal clarinet with the Springfield Missouri Symphony for twenty-two years, a former member of the U.S. Navy Band, Washington, D.C. and is the owner of LOMAX CLASSIC, which specializes in handcrafted clarinet mouthpieces, accessories, and the HUMIDIPRO woodwind case. If you haven’t had a chance to check out this new case, I can assure you that ITS AMAZING!!!

As most of you know Saxquest has made a serious commitment over the past couple years towards serving the clarinet community in additional to the saxophone community here in the St. Louis area and neighboring states of Missouri and Illinois. This clinic further supports our mission. We’ve hired classically trained clarinetist, Audrey Denny, as a clarinet specialist in our repair shop. She’s been doing great things and has an exquisite touch with regards to tuning and properly setting up a clarinet to the most exacting and discriminating of professional standards. We’re also always committed to stocking a large number of hand-selected professional clarinets in the shop.

Please be part of this cause and join us this Saturday. I’m looking forward to a most educational and interesting clinic and hope to see you there!!!