FAQs
What is your setup?
Tenor Setup:
P Mauriat System 76 2nd Edition, UL with no high F#
Boston Sax Shop "Heritage" Hand Brushed Brass Neck
Boston Sax Shop R Series 7*
Boston Sax Shop Superlative Brass Ligature
Boston Sax Shop Custom 2.75 Reeds
Alto Setup:
P Mauriat Master 97 Gold Lacquer
Boston Sax Shop "Heritage" Hand Brushed Brass Neck
Boston Sax Shop M Series 6*
Boston Sax Shop Superlative Brass Ligature
Boston Sax Shop Custom 2.5 Reeds
Soprano Setup:
P. Mauriat System 76 2nd Edition
Vandoren V16 S7
Vandoren MO Gold plated Ligature
Boston Sax Shop Custom 3 Reeds
Who are you an endorsing artist for?
Who are your influences?
The first saxophonists that I really gravitated to were Gerald Albright, Tom Scott and Michael Brecker. I was into the boy bands of the early 2000’s when I started playing alto (2001), and so the grooves that were in some of these saxophonists music were closer to something I was already listening to. I didn’t immediately understand or like Bird, Trane, etc. I distinctly remember hearing Gerald Albright play a bebop line about 6 months into studying jazz and it “clicked” and from there I was able to find a path to listening to the masters of the music. (Trane, Dexter, Bird, literally everyone)
I went through an extensive Joshua Redman and Michael Brecker phase during high school and I was also really into Kenny Garrett. I played about as much alto in high school as I did tenor.
In college, I was so into Chris Potter that George Garzone (my first teacher at MSM), told me it sounded like I had listened to one Potter record and got the wrong idea. Further, that if I continued to come to lessons tonguing that much, that he’d cut my tongue out! LOL.
I’m currently into too many artists to count but I really have always enjoyed the saxophone playing of Rich Perry and Donny McCaslin. I’m really into Anderson .Paak at the moment, too.