Category: News

kinda like this:

From the April 2016 VandoJam at the Zinc bar in NYC! Happy 60th Birthday to Gary Smulyan!

Alden Banta is a fantastic baritone saxophonist and doubler (many times over) in the New York City area. He plays just about all of the woodwinds and can often be seen inhabiting the pit at a Broadway musical, or holding down the baritone chair in some of the city’s finest big bands. On top of all that he is busy with another new little project – his Banta Box.

I recently ordered one of his Banta Boxes from him. These are small open-topped wood boxes that very securely clip onto a music stand (see the pictures below). They are perfect for keeping all of the little accessories that often float about a music stand in a convenient location – reeds, caps, phones, pencils, metronomes, tuners, headphones, …beverages? If you suffer from WMS (Wandering Metronome Syndrome) like I do, then this accessory will really help.

After living with and using the Banta Box for a couple weeks now I am thrilled with it. It keeps the music stand clear of everything that would normally be constantly falling off or blocking the music and keeps me focused on the task at hand. The construction is quite sturdy, yet the whole thing is very light. While its a little large to travel with to every gig, for an at home music stand or perhaps longer engagement (especially one that involves doubles) its a valuable tool. The felt on the bottom of the inside is an especially nice touch as it prevents any noise and clanking when dropping things in,

They are individually signed and numbered, and built to order by Alden himself. He offers two sizes 6×12 and 6×15, and you can even pick the color of the felt.

If you’re interested in one contact Alden – abanta71 @ gmail.com

– Andrew Hadro
Curator, JazzBariSax.com

There is an excellent interview with the monstrously talented but mild mannered baritone saxophonist, Frank Basile. Its on one of our favorite saxophone website, BestSaxophoneWebsiteEver.com.

Check out the full interview here!

Thanks once again to Adrian Barnett, we have posted a new Ronnie Cuber transcription to the transcription page! This one is on the classic jazz standard “Four” from a more recent album of Ronnie’s titled …”Ronnie”. Nice demonstration of blowing over a common tune. Check it out!

I’ve long admired the work of the ProShop that is part of Music Medic, run by Curt Altarac. They are always doing interesting, fun and creative projects. They have a great series of repair articles, offer great repair tools and supplies for professional and DIY repairmen, provide incredible insight into the major overhaul of an original Adolph Sax saxophone, and are always releasing innovative new products – and some wacky ones like the keyless overtone sax.

Having met Curt and a lot of his team at various saxophone events around the country, I can personally attest to their passion and knowledge about the saxophone. In Georgia recently I geeked out with a fellow saxophonist about the intricacies of building sax necks and how they have changed over the decades.

Another thing I love about Music Medic is that Curt is a baritone saxophonist himself, so the big horn does not get neglected the same way it might in other situations. The most recent news on this front is that Music Medic’s ProShop is now offering custom made necks for Conn 12M baritone saxophones!
Check them out!

The neck is important on any saxophone, but from my experience the neck on 12M’s makes a huge difference, and an under-performing neck can ruin an otherwise good horn, especially intonation wise. So I am happy to see a new option. I hope to get my hands on one or two of these to test out in the future, and I will be sure to post an update or demonstration if I do.

If you get a chance to try them out, let us know how they are!

-Andrew Hadro
Curator, JazzBariSax.com

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