Thanks to my friend Tomoji Hirakata at the NYC Yamaha Atelier for servicing my instrument a few weeks ago when I was in NYC. It plays terrific! I am honored to be affiliated with such a wonderful company :)
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The Flute View Magazine reviewed our Interactions CD in their May 2014 edition! "The last work on this release is Peter John’s Asteroid Baptistina. This asteroid is the one that is believed to have brought about the end of the age of dinosaurs and the beginning of a new era. He relates this idea to the current status of classical music: how do classical performers relate to new technology? John answers this question by combining flute and saxophone sounds and remixing them to deliver a convincing work that is a nice closer to this album." "If you are interested in expanding your knowledge of flute and saxophone repertoire or if you have such an ensemble, there is certainly plenty of inspiration here." Subscribe today and read the full review here.
Purchase our debut album Interactions here. Reblogged from AVIDduoMusic.com. I'm very pleased to announce that I am joining the roster of Yamaha Performing Artists! I have played Yamaha saxophones for the past 15 years and think there is not a better of line of instruments on the market today. Yamaha makes one of the best student instruments money can buy, and their professional Custom line of saxophones are unparalleled in terms of intonation, projection, and quality of sound. I could not be happier to be joining a wonderful company and group of artists!
Several months ago, I purchased a Saxholder from Jazzlab. I have been using this product quite a bit, both in my practice and performance during that time, and have found it to be a great alternative to a neckstrap or harness. I have been using a harness for several years now, as I am not a fan of neckstraps in general because of the weight and tension they put on the neck. The saxholder does an excellent job of keeping weight and tension away from the neck and upper back area by displacing the weight between the shoulders and the stomach. It is surprisingly comfortable to use and is fantastic for anyone experiencing pain from practicing or performing regularly. For me, it is a great alternative for the harness when I need to make quick instrument changes. While it is not difficult to adjust the straps to switch from alto to tenor to baritone usually, it is quite a labor to do in the middle of a performance and is often impossible depending on how quick the change may be; if I am wearing a jacket then it is out of the question. The saxholder adjusts in the front with the ease and quickness of a neckstrap while keeping me pain free and comfortable while I play. The hook is also another surprise for me as I did not expect it to be that secure from the photo. I prefer a hook with a closure on it, and while the hook on the saxholder is open, there is a device to keep the instrument securely fastened.
The main disadvantage for me in using this device is that I do not always perform standing. When holding a heavy instrument to the side while seated puts too much weight on one shoulder causing the center bar and brace that goes against the stomach to be uneven. It feels too unstable for my taste to use in that situation. Additionally, because of how the rope that attaches to the saxophone is suspended from the center of the chest instead of from around the neck, it causes the saxophone to have a weird center of gravity. It is not necessarily bad, but did take a little time for me to get used to the feel (and to figure out which way the saxophone was going to swing if I leaned over). Finally, although the device folds up and comes with a nice felt bag to store it in, there is no getting over the fact that it is a larger and harder to store than a regular neckstrap. It is designed to fit inside the saxophone bell, but if storing it in that manner is not an option or not desirable, it takes up a significant amount of space to store because of its irregular shape. This holder has recently been living inside of my tenor case and is currently my regular device when I use that instrument. I would highly recommend it, but for me it is not for every situation and instrument. http://www.jazzlab.com/en/ |
JKHSaxophonist, Artist, Listener, Thinker, Teacher, Performer, Curator, Veggie, Reader, Lover of Contemporary Music Archives
June 2017
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