You may not be familiar with Dana Robbins’ name, but odds are you’re already well-acquainted with her unique, bright yet smoky saxophone sound. The Nashville-by-way-of-Ann-Arbor (with a ten-year stop in Los Angeles) Robbins has been a featured player for superstars including Barry Manilow, Roger Daltrey, Frank Zappa, TajMo (Taj Mahal and Keb Mo), Aretha Franklin and can currently be heard in Grammy-winning blues legend Delbert McClinton’s band.

With the release of her new, self-titled, album, listeners will finally be able to put a name, a face and a voice to her sound. Just click on the album’s first track, the sly, tart “Say It Again,” and you’ll understand why Music City insiders consider her an instrumental MVP, a first-call when you’re looking for a sax player.

Having started on piano at age 4 and saxophone in 5th grade, studying with great teachers throughout middle and high school and attending Berklee College of Music, Dana has an extensive music background and some serious chops.

Dana has 3 albums out – you can purchase them on her site at www.DanaRobbins.com 

Dana is a Yamaha-endorsed artist.

In this episode, we talked about:

* how she landed the Delbert McClinton gig, and has been performing with him for many years

* the funny story behind her audition for Barry Manilow, and how she got that gig

* what it was like working with Aretha Franklin

* how she has been surviving during the pandemic and a great resource for performers who want extra income creating recordings

* the simple, yet effective equipment she used for sending recordings to producers (and even Keb Mo!)

* Dana’s secret to her warm and smoky tone

* her mentors and inspirations

* the under $100 tool she can’t live without

* and so much more!

Quote: 

Say yes and figure it out

Dana’s Links:

Website: https://www.danarobbins.com/

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/danarobbinsband

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dIysGGq0gY

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanaRobbinsBand

Dana’s Equipment:

Yamaha Soprano 62  Beechler 4S mouthpiece

Yamaha Alto Sax 82Z (custom neck)  – Ted Klum Mouthpiece A45

Yamaha Tenor Sax 875 ( custom neck)

      Vandoren V16 T95 mouthpiece (customized) and Otto Link Super Tone Master – 7

King Super 20 Tenor Sax

Yamaha Bari  52 with a custom neck

Brilhart 7* mouthpiece

Selmer Mark VI soprano

Gemeinhardt flute

SKB cases for ALL except Reunion Blues case for my Bari.

In ears: Shure P9HW

PRACTICE BOOKS

Favorite is : Patterns for Improvisation by Oliver Nelson

Altissimo Register by Rosemary Lang

Charlie Parker Omnibook

Real Book

Neckstrap

Breathing strap LITHE is my favorite from Meridian Winds, Okemos MI

I have the “Saxholder” as a back up.

Dana’s CD’s:

So Good- Smooth Jazz 2010

Dana Robbins- Blues featuring Delbert McClinton and Jimmy Hall produced by Tom Hambridge 2014

11- Americana 2016

Resource:

https://soundbetter.com/ – matching producers with musicians

Watch the video on YouTube:

Danny Markovitch is the co-leader and founder of the jazz-fusion band, Marbin.

Marbin is a progressive jazz-rock band based in Chicago, IL, with a unique story that stands out in today’s music world.

With a do-it-yourself approach, Marbin started touring extensively in 2011, bringing their original instrumental music to every part of the United States. Through word of mouth, Marbin has gained hundreds of thousands of devoted fans all over the world and has sold tens of thousands of albums.

Marbin has released eight albums: Marbin (2009), Breaking the Cycle (2011), Last Chapter of Dreaming (2013), The Third Set (2014), Aggressive Hippies (2015), Goatman and the House of the Dead(2016), Israeli Jazz (2018), and Strong Thing (2019).

Its most recent, Russian Dolls, was just released on its Bandcamp site on November 6, 2020.

Marbin regularly plays in clubs all over the US and in jam and jazz festivals around the world.

In this episode, we talked about:

Danny’s Introduction to Music in Israel

What made Danny choose Saxophone

Military journey and starting from ground zero

Set-up and Equipment

Thoughts on practice, routines, and exercises

Tips on improvisation

His approach to soloing and songwriting

Process on music composition

Danny’s unique partnership with his guitar player Dani Rabin

Catch the video of this interview here:

Quote: 

“Try and push yourself into the unknown”

 

Links:

Website: https://www.marbinmusic.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marbinmusic 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marbinmusic/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/marbinmusic 

 

Danny Markovitch is the co-leader and founder of the jazz-fusion band, Marbin.

Marbin is a progressive jazz-rock band based in Chicago, IL, with a unique story that stands out in today’s music world.

With a do-it-yourself approach, Marbin started touring extensively in 2011, bringing their original instrumental music to every part of the United States. Through word of mouth, Marbin has gained hundreds of thousands of devoted fans all over the world and has sold tens of thousands of albums.

Marbin has released eight albums: Marbin (2009), Breaking the Cycle (2011), Last Chapter of Dreaming (2013), The Third Set (2014), Aggressive Hippies (2015), Goatman and the House of the Dead(2016), Israeli Jazz (2018), and Strong Thing (2019).

Its most recent, Russian Dolls, was just released on its Bandcamp site on November 6, 2020.

Marbin regularly plays in clubs all over the US and in jam and jazz festivals around the world.

The link to his full biography, along with more Resources for this episode, is on our website.

In this episode, we talked about:

• Danny’s Introduction to Music in Israel
• What made Danny choose Saxophone
• Military journey and starting from ground zero
• Set-up and Equipment
• Thoughts on practice, routines, and exercises
• Tips on improvisation
• His approach to soloing and songwriting
• Process on music composition
• Danny’s unique partnership with his guitar player Dani Rabin

Want access to behind-the-scenes interviews not seen anywhere else, along with searchable transcripts of the shows?

With a small monthly donation of $2 or more, keep the great interviews coming by becoming a patron.

Head on over to our Patreon site to sign up: https://www.patreon.com/everythingsaxophone

Phil Rovner founded Rovner Products in 1974, when he created the Original Dark ligature. To this day, that ligature is still one of the top sellers in the entire Rovner catalog.

Over the years, more Classic models were developed, such as the Light, the Eddie Daniels (the Versa replaced this one), and the Mk III.

When George Reeder, current President and Co-Owner of Rovner Products took over in 2014, the ligature catalog has expanded to include the Next Generation ligatures: The Versa X, the Star Series, The Legacy, The Platinum, Platinum Gold and the Van Gogh.

Since I’ve been getting so many questions on the Van Gogh ligature, in this episode, George gives more background and a demo on how to properly place this unique ligature.

Since 2014, he and his wife and Co-Owner, Lynn, have developed even more products, some of which we are going to talk about in this episode.

The link to his full biography, along with more Resources for this episode, is on our website.

Help us bring more amazing interviews to you, AND get extra special Bonus content when you become a patron!

More info is HERE

Phil Rovner founded Rovner Products in 1974, when he created the Original Dark ligature. To this day, that ligature is still one of the top sellers in the entire Rovner catalog.

Over the years, more Classic models were developed, such as the Light, the Eddie Daniels (the Versa replaced this one), and the Mk III.

When George Reeder, current President and Co-Owner of Rovner Products took over in 2014, the ligature catalog has expanded to include the Next Generation ligatures: The Versa X, the Star Series, The Legacy, The Platinum, Platinum Gold and the Van Gogh.

Since I’ve been getting so many questions on the Van Gogh ligature, in this episode, George gives more background and a demo on how to properly place this unique ligature.

Since 2014, he and his wife and Co-Owner, Lynn, have developed even more products, some of which we are going to talk about in this episode.

And there’s an incredibly special discount that George is going to reveal that you DON’T want to miss!

Great quotes:

“Rovner creates New Art, not an iteration of existing art”

 

YouTube Video of this episode is HERE

NAMM 2020 Interview is HERE

 

Links:

Website: https://rovnerproducts.com 

Reverb: www.reverb.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rovnerproducts/  

Instagram: https://instagram.com/rovnerproducts 

Twitter: www.twittter.com/rovnerproducts

 

Questions about the correct Rovner Van Gogh ligature size for your mouthpiece?

Contact [email protected]

Doug Levin started playing saxophone at the age of 10. His earliest influences were guitar players like Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Steve Vai, whose sonic explorations would inform his love of effects and pedals. His love of music expanded and his broadening musical capacity led him to play with such greats as The Manhattan Transfer, Buddy Guy, and many more. His musical journey eventually took him to Oberlin College and Conservatory where he met his HornFX partner, Aaron Janik. 

In 2016 they created HornFX, a unique resource for the horn player looking to use effects. Its reviews, books, articles, artist pages, and effects databases are specifically geared to inform any horn player about what effects and pedals might best provide the sounds and capabilities they are looking for.

The goal of HornFX to give the most comprehensive, complete, well-thought-out information and advice to the pedal seeking horn player. 

Aaron and Doug also give lessons and consultations, build curriculums for middle school, high school, and higher education, build custom pedalboards for musicians, and work with some of the most accomplished musicians in the world to develop, build, and refine their effects set-up.

This was a special episode…Doug and I had been talking about how we could help saxophone players now, especially in the age of COVID 19, to refine their performances using effects pedals.

 

In this episode, we talked about:

 – how solo saxophone players can use effects pedals to enhance their show

 – Doug’s advice for playing vocal melodies with effects pedals

 – Live Streaming; how to sound great using effects pedals

 – the different roles the performer takes when considering which pedals to use

 – how to think like a producer and play less

 – tips for using effects pedals with jam tracks

 – Doug performed a ton of demos

–  and a whole lot more!

 

Great quotes:

“Play less…think like a producer”

“Go out of your way to mess up and fail”

 

Links:

Website: http://www.horn-fx.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hornfx

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hornfx/

Email: [email protected] 

 

YouTube Video:

 

Doug Levin started playing saxophone at the age of 10. His earliest influences were guitar players like Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Steve Vai, whose sonic explorations would inform his love of effects and pedals. His love of music expanded and his broadening musical capacity led him to play with such greats as The Manhattan Transfer, Buddy Guy, and many more. His musical journey eventually took him to Oberlin College and Conservatory where he met his HornFX partner, Aaron Janik. 

In 2016 they created HornFX, a unique resource for the horn player looking to use effects. Its reviews, books, articles, artist pages, and effects databases are specifically geared to inform any horn player about what effects and pedals might best provide the sounds and capabilities they are looking for.

The goal of HornFX is to give the most comprehensive, complete, well-thought-out information and advice to the pedal-seeking horn player. 

Aaron and Doug also give lessons and consultations, build curriculums for middle school, high school, and higher education, build custom pedalboards for musicians, and work with some of the most accomplished musicians in the world to develop, build, and refine their effects set-up.

This was a special episode…Doug and I had been talking about how we could help saxophone players now, especially in the age of COVID 19, to refine their performances using effects pedals.

The link to his full biography, along with more Resources for this episode, is on our website.

In this episode, we talked about:

•  how solo saxophone players can use effects pedals to enhance their show
•  Doug’s advice for playing vocal melodies with effects pedals
•  Live Streaming; how to sound great using effects pedals
•  the different roles the performer takes when considering which pedals to use
•  how to think like a producer and play less
•  tips for using effects pedals with jam tracks
•  Doug performed a ton of demos
• and a whole lot more!

Wanna show your love and support for the show?

Become a patron!

Patrons get access to bonus behind-the-scenes interviews not seen anywhere else, along with searchable transcripts of the shows.

And, with their small monthly donation of $2 or more, they help keep the great interviews coming.

If you want to become a patron and support the show, head on over to our Patreon site. 

https://www.patreon.com/everythingsaxophone

Grammy award winning baritone saxophonist Lauren Sevian is one of the most in demand musicians on the scene today. 

She is the Winner of the “Rising Star” Baritone Saxophonist in the 67th Downbeat Critics Poll and  Winner of the Hothouse Jazz Awards Baritone Saxophone 2019.

Ms. Sevian came to NYC in 1997 to attend the Manhattan School of Music, and soon thereafter began touring with groups such as Diva and the Artie Shaw Orchestra. 

She can be seen performing as a bandleader around the NYC area with her quartet, the LSQ, or LSAT, her quintet co-led with alto saxophonist Alexa Tarantino, which recently won first place in the “Made in NY” jazz competition. 

She is also co-director of the all female collective “Lioness™️’”. 

As a side woman, she can be heard regularly with the Mingus Big Band, and has performed with countless other groups, notably the Dizzy Gillespie all star big band, Christian McBride’s Big Band, Robin Eubanks Big Band, and the legendary Count Basie Orchestra. 

Her debut album “Blueprint” was released on saxophonist Greg Osby’s label Inner Circle Music to critical acclaim, winning a SESAC jazz award for national performance activity, and receiving rave reviews in publications such as Downbeat, Cadence, and All About Jazz. 

Her sophomore album, “Bliss”, was released spring 2018 on Posi-tone Records, and features all stars of the jazz scene, Alexa Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Christian McBride, and E.J. Strickland. 

Her versatility as a musician has led her to a variety of playing situations, working with the likes of actor Denis Leary, with Maurice Hines in the theater production of “Tappin Thru Life”, and with Harry Connick Jr. in his broadway show “A Celebration of Cole Porter”. 

She is a frequent guest artist at many universities, high schools, middle schools, and jazz festivals across the country. As an educator, she has been teaching privately for over 15 years. 

She is on the jazz saxophone faculty at the Manhattan School of Music, Jazz at Lincoln Center as the director of the “Young Women’s Jazz Orchestra”, instructor for the middle school jazz academy, Summer Jazz Academy at Bard College, and Jazz House Kids Summer Jazz Workshop. 

She has adjudicated at many jazz competitions & festivals, notably the Essentially Ellington Competition at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Monterey Jazz Festivals’ “Next Generation Jazz Festival”, the Victoria Music Festival in Melbourne, Australia, and the Eau Claire Jazz Festival at the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire. Ms. Sevian endorses Buffet-Crampon saxophones, D’addario Woodwinds, RPC mouthpieces, Key Leaves, Robinson’s Remedies, and BG France accessories.

In this episode, we talked about:

 – Lauren’s “Strong Island”/Long Island connection with Donna

 – The solos she transcribed that were most influential

 –  Having a confident mindset

 –  Her tips for increasing your breath support

 –  How to approach performing as a duo

 –  How Greg Osby inspired her to record

 –  Her early years in the NY Jazz scene

  – Her playing partnership with Alexa Tarantino 

 –  How the Lioness Collective started

 –  Being a woman in Jazz today

–  and a whole lot more!

 

Lioness, Live from Dizzy’s

 

Great quotes from Lauren:

“From weakness can come strength”

“Be comfortable being uncomfortable”

Lauren’s Links:

Website: https://www.laurensevian.com/ 

Facebook: https://facebook.com/laurensevian  and https://www.facebook.

Grammy award winning baritone saxophonist Lauren Sevian is one of the most in demand musicians on the scene today. 

She is the Winner of the “Rising Star” Baritone Saxophonist in the 67th Downbeat Critics Poll and  Winner of the Hothouse Jazz Awards Baritone Saxophone 2019.

Ms. Sevian came to NYC in 1997 to attend the Manhattan School of Music, and soon thereafter began touring with groups such as Diva and the Artie Shaw Orchestra. 

She can be seen performing as a bandleader around the NYC area with her quartet, the LSQ, or LSAT, her quintet co-led with alto saxophonist Alexa Tarantino, which recently won first place in the “Made in NY” jazz competition. 

She is also co-director of the all female collective “Lioness™️’”. 

As a side woman, she can be heard regularly with the Mingus Big Band, and has performed with countless other groups, notably the Dizzy Gillespie all star big band, Christian McBride’s Big Band, Robin Eubanks Big Band, and the legendary Count Basie Orchestra. 

Her debut album “Blueprint” was released on saxophonist Greg Osby’s label Inner Circle Music to critical acclaim, winning a SESAC jazz award for national performance activity, and receiving rave reviews in publications such as Downbeat, Cadence, and All About Jazz. 

Her sophomore album, “Bliss”, was released spring 2018 on Posi-tone Records, and features all stars of the jazz scene, Alexa Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Christian McBride, and E.J. Strickland. 

Her versatility as a musician has led her to a variety of playing situations, working with the likes of actor Denis Leary, with Maurice Hines in the theater production of “Tappin Thru Life”, and with Harry Connick Jr. in his broadway show “A Celebration of Cole Porter”. 

She is a frequent guest artist at many universities, high schools, middle schools, and jazz festivals across the country. As an educator, she has been teaching privately for over 15 years. 

She is on the jazz saxophone faculty at the Manhattan School of Music, Jazz at Lincoln Center as the director of the “Young Women’s Jazz Orchestra”, instructor for the middle school jazz academy, Summer Jazz Academy at Bard College, and Jazz House Kids Summer Jazz Workshop. 

She has adjudicated at many jazz competitions & festivals, notably the Essentially Ellington Competition at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Monterey Jazz Festivals’ “Next Generation Jazz Festival”, the Victoria Music Festival in Melbourne, Australia, and the Eau Claire Jazz Festival at the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire. Ms. Sevian endorses Buffet-Crampon saxophones, D’addario Woodwinds, RPC mouthpieces, Key Leaves, Robinson’s Remedies, and BG France accessories.

The link to her full biography, along with more Resources for this episode, is on our website.

In this episode, we talked about:

• Lauren’s “Strong Island”/Long Island connection with Donna
• The solos she transcribed that were most influential
• Having a confident mindset
• Her tips for increasing your breath support
• How to approach performing as a duo
• How Greg Osby inspired her to record
• Her early years in the NY Jazz scene
• Her playing partnership with Alexa Tarantino 
• How the Lioness Collective started
• Being a woman in Jazz today
• and a whole lot more!

Want to show your love and support for the Everything Saxophone Podcast?

Become a Patron! For as little as $2 a month, you get access to behind-the-scenes Bonus footage, PLUS searchable transcripts from the episodes.

Just go HERE to keep the show going.

Adrian Crutchfield has taken the world by storm in recent years, not only as the last sax player to perform and record with Prince, touring the world and being featured on Prince’s last three albums, but also touring domestically and internationally with acts such as Lionel Ritchie, Bette Midler, and Cee-Lo Green — all the while writing and building his 2017 release titled ‘Leap’.

In jazz, Mr. Crutchfield has been featured by names such as Kim Waters, Mike Phillps, Alex Bugnon, Jeff Lorber, and Branford Marsalis; and with legendary groups such as Fourplay and The Gap Band featuring Charlie Wilson.

Adrian is a 2008 graduate of Florida State University (B.A. in Music with a concentration in jazz, contemporary media, and commercial music).

Although young, this saxophone aficionado is one of his generation’s most prolific and successful professional musicians.

In this episode, we talked about:

*  how Kenny G inspired him to play saxophone

*  the #1 lesson he learned from performing with Prince

*  the Harry Potter connection between the magical world and the musical world that helps him relate to his fans

*  why singers were his biggest influences when he first started playing

*  and so much more in this Epic almost 2 hour interview!

Catch the YouTube video HERE

Adrian’s Links:

Website: http://adriancrutchfield.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriancrutchfieldmusic/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/goodsax 

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/adriancrutchfield/featured  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realgoodsax/ 

 

Support the Show!

And get awesome behind-the-scenes footage not shared anywhere else!

There is extra bonus footage from Adrian and Laura Dreyer and Kim Cypher.

Check out our Patreon site today 🎷