Category: Reviews

BG’s current harness

Many baritone saxophonists use a harness or an elaborate saxophone stand to help cope with the sheer weight and size of the big horn. There are a number of harnesses and special neck straps out there, and each has its own set of drawbacks. Using a saxophone stand while playing has some obvious problems. Awkward to handle, difficult to move, extremely inconvenient to transport, and lacking the option to play standing up are among them. Many traditional harnesses force you to hold the saxophone  dead center instead of to the side as some people prefer. And even with some adjustment to get the horn in the right place players may find that they can’t move the saxophone without adjusting several straps. Placement aside, the next big concern is breathing constriction. Some harnesses fit well until the player takes in a large breath and then they find that the harness is constricting their lung expansion, or worse, their diaphragm. On a big horn that needs a big sound this is one of the worst handicaps a player can face. A number of players that use harnesses don’t actually prefer them, but find they need to use something other than a neck strap for physical reasons, either neck pain, or lower back pain.

New Solution, what is it?

FRONT – Vandoren Saxophone Support System Harness

Vandoren, the renowned reed, mouthpiece, ligature, and accessory maker has jumped into the fray with a new solution. Their offering is unlike most harnesses and neck straps out there now and features some very new and exciting solutions. For a full rundown of all of the features and a demonstration, check out the video from Vandoren below. The harness works by transferring the weight of the saxophone up through the shoulders, and uses a counter-lever system to absorb much of the weight to the belt where it unlikely to cause injury. The harness is adjustable in front just like a neck strap, and the slats in back automatically adjust for the player’s height. The belt strap is also adjustable and comes with an optional extension.

The harness folds up very impressively, and fits in its sleek carrying bag that will easily fit in to the bell of a baritone, and even a tenor saxophone.

BACK – Vandoren Saxophone Support System Harness

Does it work?

In a word, yes. The way the harness suspends the saxophone allows just as much freedom of motion as a traditional neck strap, if not more, since weight distribution is not an issue. You can play with he horn in the front, to the side, lifted up, sideways… whatever. As for the weight distribution, the harness was very comfortable to use. I recently had a chance to use it on a 4 hour gig, standing the whole time and was pleased with how well I felt at the end. But the benefit really hit the next day when I put my horn together for rehearsal. As soon as I put my old neck strap on and clipped into the horn I immediately realized how much more comfortable the harness was.

You can pick one up at your local music store, or get it on Amazon.

JazzBariSax.com curator, Andrew Hadro takes the new harness out for a spin:

If you ever have a hankering for the baritone saxophone in a bit of a denser more rock oriented setting, here is your fix. Morphine (Dana Colley) is just dandy, but if sometimes you need something with just a little more.. power, here you go.

Saxophonist Matt Rippetoe’s new album “Willamette” prominantly features himself on the baritone saxophone in a setting probably most closely described as metal.

Go check it out and let it begin to melt your face.

Scott Robinson’s plethora of musical instruments

No one without years of experience should try and describe Scott Robinson, so we’ll leave that to the New York Times. It is highly recommended that you read the review of Scott’s most recent presentation as a leader at the Jazz Standard in NYC.

Read the article here!

Scott is an amazing and very in demand baritone saxophonist. However, if you bring this up Scott is likely to tell you he fancies himself more of a bass saxophonist than baritone (not to mention the dozens of other instruments he has mastered). Since the bass saxophone doesn’t seem to have a more permanent home on the internets we hope you will excuse our interest in the baritone’s bigger brother. If you haven’t checked out Scott’s work and his ScienSonic Laboratories or DocTone label you should do so!

Glenn Wilson has a fantastic new CD out. It features the music of the Late Thomas Chapin (a fantastic wind instrumentalist, and baritone saxophonist as well).

You can listen to samples and get it on CDBaby, or head over to Glenn’s website to find out more about it. The arrangements are incredibly well written and performed, and the use of the baritone/trombone front-line in this context is gorgeous.

Here’s what Glenn has to say about it:

“The Music – The first time I heard Thomas Chapin’s recording, Haywire, I was immediately struck by the juxtaposition of the raw beauty of the strings with Tom’s working trio and the maniacal-yet-tender compositions. The music has an almost folk-like or classical feel at times but the free jazz bubbling underneath rises to the surface at regular intervals and keeps the listener (and the players) alert and involved. It’s been a great pleasure adapting the music for our instrumentation. Each time we perform this music in concert, listeners are captivated by the vitality, humor and presence of the tunes.”

Glenn Wilson – baritone sax, flute
Jim Pugh – trombone
Dorothy Martirano – violin
Tomeka Reid – cello
Armand Beaudoin – cello, bass
Chris Nolte – bass
Josh Hunt – drums
Matt Plaskota – percussion