Dawkes Music are proud to support Brass for Africa, an initiative which donates Instruments to disadvantaged children in the slums of Kampala or Liberia.
Brass for Africa was formed in 2009 when amateur musicians from the Bracknell and Wokingham Community Band raised funds to ship 30 brass instruments to the slums of Kampala. Since then Brass for Africa have shipped almost 100 donated instruments to Uganda and have initiated and continued to support music projects.
Saturday March 16th saw this years National Learn To Play Day land in style at Dawkes. As one of over 80 retailers taking part we were proud to offer free music lessons throughout the day, and in the usual Dawkes fashion we like to think we took it up a notch with some live performances from a Big Band and two local youth wind groups.
Firstly comes the preparation of the shop; the sales desk as it is needed emptying and our temporary stage needed building. As this was our fourth event we had this down to a fine art and only left one thing we needed under the stage by accident!
The day started at 11am and lots of local children and adults took the opportunity to have some 30 minute taster lessons on either Flute, Clarinet or Sax. In an informal environment it’s much easier to make those seemingly difficult first few notes with squeaks and squawks without worrying about anyone else as they’re all in the same boat. By the end of the sessions everyone was playing 3 notes or more and knocking out Hot Cross Buns with abondon!
At 1pm we kicked off the live music with a performance by Blakes Heaven Big Band, featuring guest artsists Simon Bates, Simon Spillett and Bobby Shew. The band played a smattering of original charts with some classics woven in, all with new arrangements by Nick Blake. As part of a whistle-stop European tour we were also joined by Yamaha artist Bobby Shew, a legend of the Trumpet world. Bobby took a solo with the band and had some nice trades with the two Simons on saxes, it’s these little musical moments of magic that define the Live@Dawkes ethos and aspirations: We hope these live performances can provide some inspiration for players, new or experienced, and certainly there’s not many other places you can take the whole family to see professional jazz music for free on a Saturday afternoon!
We’ve always wanted to open up the Dawkes stage to some local youth players and this ‘Live@Dawkes IV’ event allowed us to do just that. We were joined by a Clarinet Choir from Berkshire Maestros (Bracknell Music Centre) who played with poise and character. We hope the opportunity to perform on a stage etc gives these youngsters more experience in their musical lives and also it provides a nice contrast for visitors on the day. We’d like to say a big thank you to Berkshire Maestros and in particular Caroline Owen who ably conducted the group and kindly offered to bring them down on the day.
Finishing off the live music were the Berkshire Suzuki Flute group run by Julia Bentley-Dawkes. The Suzuki method encourages group and individual study and encourages players to perform in local musical environments and also to primarily play by ear, at least in the early stages. This made for quite a captivating performance of 6-8 players playing in multiple parts without any music in sight. For me, this purity of musical performance and engagement brought the day to a perfect end.
We have more Live@Dawkes events planned throughout the year and in 2013 we will expand the type of music performed and also offer more opportunities for local and youth groups to take to the stage. If you are part of, or run a local group that would like to perform please get in touch!
If you fancy taking up a Woodwind instrument please CLICK HERE
The Selmer Mark 6 Tenor Saxophone was bought into the Workshop the other week. It had some really serious damage when it was put into the hold of an aircraft. The main stack was really badly bent and the Saxophone did not play. We were looking at one very sick Saxophone… The impact had upset the alignment of the pillars, and the pads were not seating on the tone-holes. Take a look at the before and after pictures below.
Repairing it was quite a challenge! Firstly, we straightened the body and removed the dents. Next, we removed all the keywork and set the pillars back in the correct place. Then we straightened the keys so that the rod screws passed through them without them binding and changed some of the upper pads.
The Selmer Mark 6 Tenor Sax is owned by a professional Saxophonist. When he got it back, he was amazed with what we had achieved. Here’s what he said about us:
“I’m so very grateful for the amazing job you and the team did with my VI. I was almost afraid it was too serious to repair (!!), so to see it back in perfect working order is just fantastic – thank you ever so much!!” Richard Shepherd – Jazz Saxophonist – Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra, Richard Shepherd Boptet, Frank Griffith Big Band
This Selmer Mark 6 Alto Sax was in the Workshop last week for a full Overhaul.
The pads were really worn and were not sealing at all making it difficult to play. The picture below shows the condition of the old pads, compared to some new ones.
The pictures below show the Mark 6 stripped down (left), and fully Overhauled (right).
We don’t normally see vintage Saxophones in such good condition. This one was really mint and had its original lacquer, ‘crocodile skin’ imitation case and no dents.
The annual MIA (Music Industry Association) awards took place last night at the Emirates stadium in London. A gathering of all corners of the music industry from small independent retailers to large world renowned manufacturers meet at these annual awards to sort the ‘best from the rest’.
Dawkes were nominated in the ‘Best Classical Instrument Retailer’ category (in association with Classic FM), the title we won last year in 2011. The best news is…thanks to a large public vote we WON AGAIN this year!!! The best part being that it is all determined by the public vote, we know many of you took time out to vote for us and we give you a massive THANK YOU!!
We’ve tried really hard in 2012 to keep improving the service we offer across the board. The ‘Live @ Dawkes’ events have been very popular and we want to keep bringing high quality live music into our area for families and players of all ages to enjoy and be inspired by. Jan 2013 will kick off with a Clarinet Event on Saturday Jan 5th featuring 2 professional clarinettists and a youth clarinet choir.
This year has also seen the launch of our adult teaching program My Music. With over 30 new pupils taking regular lessons we also run a monthly Wind Ensemble and monthly Sax Group. Many of these adults had never played before or had lapsed since school, again it’s all about encouraging music making and the great social and personal benefits this can bring.
We’ve also worked hard on improving the visitor experience for customers, this is going to step up again in 2013 with a new shop layout and improved facilities. Our workshop has had a busy 2012 with many emergency repairs saving players from last minute exam jitters and helping numerous professionals passing through the UK on european and world tours. We’ve worked closely with manufacturers on some exciting new products that are still in the prototype stages, all this contact with the leading instrument makers keeps our staff at the forefront of our industry.
So, THANKS again, we hope 2013 can be even better…and maybe we can win the title for the third year running!
The third ‘Live @ Dawkes’ on Nov 10th 2012 featured a fantastic Jazz quartet consisting of Selmer saxophone artist Greg Abate, and a crack hot rhythm section of Geoff Eales on Piano, Dave Richmond on Bass, and Clark Tracey on Drums. The chaps took to the stage at 2pm and let rip with a 1hr 20min tour de force of some classic jazz charts and a sprinkling of lesser known originals and new tunes. The Alto playing of Greg Abate was a joy to hear, with ample dexterity and a polished sound he thrilled all the crowd with some dazzling playing.
This small group was a departure from the last two Live @ Dawkes events that featured a big band, the next event planned is actually a Clarinet Day so it’s not all Sax related in the future! There was a broad mix of ages in the crowd, and I’m pretty sure we’re the only music shop to have had a live professional band playing inside the sales desk on a cloudy November saturday!
This was the culmination of what had been a very Sax orientated day. At 12am Vincent Kerherve (Product Specialist & Artist Liaison) from Vandoren Paris gave a presentation detailing some of the Vandoren history and methodology. Naturally talk turned to reed production and Vincent kindly took some questions from the crowd and I think many people found it fascinating to learn more about this procedure and even some tricks and tips to reed preservation and optimisation. We must thank Vincent and Vandoren for their support and I know many of the customers visiting on the day got some one on one time with him to discuss reeds and mouthpieces and we’ve had lots of people feedback to us that they found it very useful from that point of view.
At 1pm we welcomed local professional musician and teacher Peter Ripper to the stage to present a history of Selmer Saxes througt the eyes and experiences of a working professional musician. With an unparalleled knowledge of the Selmer history and a display featuring every model they have ever produced (with only one exception!) this really was a thorough but ligh thearted overview of the Selmer history with plenty of anecdotes about how these wonderful saxes have intertwined with Peter through his professional career.
Of course there were some special offers on the day and plenty of people took up the great savings on Selmer Saxes and all Vandoren products. It was also great to see so many young people in the crowd, we originally started theses ‘Live @ Dawkes’ events to make sure kids and teenagers get to see high quality live music and get some inspiration…but us adults need inspiration too, so everyone is welcome!
CLICK for VIDEO CLIP – Live@Dawkes III feat Greg Abate; Alto Sax
Endorsed by some really big names; Wynton Marsalis, Alison Balsom, Arturo Sandoval our very own Matt Sanders to name but a few! ULTRA Pure oil is a new type of synthetic oil. It is non-toxic and odourless making it the perfect choice for younger players, there is also no trace of the nasty “taste” some oils leave inside the instrument.
Matt says: “I have been using it now for 2 or 3 weeks and can honestly say it is the best oil I have used on my Besson Baritone. The valves feel fast and smooth and my notorious sticky 2nd valve issues have all but disappeared.”
Tests in our workshop have also found the Ultra Pure to be fast acting and give a slick action on every model of Trumpet/Cornet tried so far. BUY HERE
Michaela Bell, Woodwind Teacher; Berkshire
Clarinet set up: Selmer 10S Bb clarinet, Zenith M1 mouthpiece, Bois Ligature, Vandoren 56 Rue Lepic reeds.
When looking for a new ligature for my Zenith M1 mouthpiece, I tried a variety of different brands, styles and materials but found that the Bois did exactly what I wanted from a ligature, and I haven’t looked back.
Not only is its design gloriously simple and straight forward, but I was attracted by the idea that there is minimal contact between the ligature and the reed, allowing for ‘optimum reed vibration’ (it does exactly what it says on the box!). In contrast to the Rovner Dark 1R ligature that I tested, I found the Bois to be very free blowing.
The Rovner helped to produce richness in tone that is comparable to the Bois, but unlike with the Rovner, the Bois was a breeze to produce a full, rich sound in all registers. The BG L4R Revelation ligature that I also tried produced a clear and bright tone. I found that the top register, including harmonics, were very easy to play and it copes extremely well with short and fast articulation. I was very impressed with the Revelation but I was personally looking for a darker, mellower sound.
I compared the Bois to a couple of metal ligatures – the Vandoren M/O ligature (silver plated) and a Next Generation Rovner Ligature (The Platinum). As I was expecting, the material made a huge difference to the sound. The Vandoren made the reed very responsive and versatile in all registers, especially the mid- and high- registers. For me, though, the tone was too bright. The Platinum, however, surprised me with a much more substantial and warmer sound than the Vandoren. It made playing low notes very easy with its high level of control and the range of dynamics that can be achieved are quite staggering. It’s another stunner to look at too, with rings of nickel plated steel holding the reed to the mouthpiece contrasting with the gold plated brass screw fitting. It looks, and feels, substantial and it definitely presents itself as great value for money!
I have to admit to being totally drawn by the Bois’ distinctive funky, minimalistic and sleek look. Even the cap, which resembles a top hat, is unlike any other reed cap on the market – soft, squidgy and with no chance of accidentally catching and damaging the reed or the mouthpiece.
From a practical point of view, the simplicity in the Bois’ design means that reed changes are quick and easy with very little adjustment needed. The ring just needs to be slotted, without force, over the reed and mouthpiece. Simples! I found that with other ligatures I tried, which required screw fitting, the tonal quality could fluctuate quite dramatically. I haven’t experienced this at all with the Bois and it’s very easy to make minor adjustments to tonal colours by tilting the ring at a slightly different angle. The non-slip rubber strip on the inside of the ring means that the ligature will not budge whilst it’s in use. Since using the Bois (I’ve had it for a year now), I have not had any issues with varying intonation between registers. When the Bois was new to me, I was surprised by how much the top register was able to sing and I instantly felt that the notes were stable and in tune.
The price cannot be beaten. It’s amazingly great value for money. It’s also a product which is likely to last a really long time. It’s advertised as being indestructible (it’s made from a material called Delrin, a rigid, strong and very hard wearing form of plastic), and it certainly feels that way. It’s a fantastic, great quality product and I just can’t fault it.
VIEW ALL Bb CLARINET LIGATURES HERE
I recently bought a secondhand Selmer 10S clarinet from Dawkes, which I had kept my eye on as soon as it came into the shop! This instrument was made some time between 1978-9 (so it is approximately a decade older than I am!). Although it is in immaculate condition, (especially after the workshop had got their magic hands on it), I was concerned that due to its age, the bore might be prone to drying out and in need of some TLC. In the past, I have treated my oboe and Cor Anglais with bore oil, but this has led to problems with sticky pads and I wasn’t entirely happy with the results, so I was a little reluctant to try that particular brand of bore oil again.
After a chat with Prof. Weinberg, I invested in a bottle of his own hydrophilic bore oil. He explained that it was a product which came about after two years of scientific research and analysis into treating wooden instruments and that it is unlike any other bore oil on the market. Weinberg’s oil is derived from flower oils from China and India. It’s these oils which allow moisture to pass into the wood, keeping the wood continually moisturised, which then prevents it from warping and cracking. It can even be used before or after playing. Other oils on the market either create a barrier to absorption of moisture or actually contain oils that have a drying and hardening effect. One such oil is linseed oil, a product whose use was recommended by Selmer and Boosey and Hawkes. Treating these instruments in such a way can drastically alter the sound, performance and appearance of an instrument, and not necessarily for the better! In fact, leading instrument manufacturers have noted a massive reduction in the return rate of cheaper wooden instruments from a whopping 50% to 1% after the introduction of Weinberg’s bore oil!
This oil is also incredibly easy to use. There’s no pouring, dripping or drizzling involved. The instructions, which come with the product, outline how to apply a few drops of the oil onto a pullthrough, dab off the excess with kitchen towel and simply pull it through the instrument, leaving behind a very thin layer of oil (which is all that is needed). I use silk or cotton pullthroughs, which are less likely to simply absorb all of the oil (like a chamois pullthrough might do).
It seems like an easy task – trying to find a decent pullthrough for your clarinet. It’s just a piece of cloth you shove down the instrument after playing, right? Hmm…well, I’ve been searching for a pullthrough that cleans out the clarinet effectively and efficiently so that I can pack up as quickly as possible after a rehearsal and dash off to the pub for a well-deserved drink! I’ve tested a variety of brands and a range of materials, sizes and shapes and have concluded that the Windcraft Deluxe Clarinet/Flute swab is a clear winner.
This particular pullthrough behaves like a chamois leather pullthrough but retails at a fraction of the price. The Windcraft Deluxe pullthrough is wide, long and dries the inside of the instrument very effectively. Its high absorbency level means that generally, the bore is dried after just one wipe through. This product is of great quality, meaning that it is highly durable. I’ve even hand washed mine, hung it up to dry and it is perfectly clean and hygienic to carry on using again. As briefly mentioned before, for the job it does, this pullthrough is very reasonably priced.
Our very own Mr Ron Drake (longtime Dawkes/Windcraft employee and regular band member at Lords Cricket Ground) was recently reviewed at a gig with Mark Nightingale (Trombone). We thought we’d share the review with you…
RON DRAKE (Tenor Sax/Clarinet and MARK NIGHTINGALE (Trombone)
with JOHN PEARCE (Piano), PAUL MORGAN ( Bass)
April 26th 2012
The evening began with Harri bringing young Olivia Pickup to the microphone to announce that she had raised a total of £1927 for the Little Princess Trust, who make wigs for cancer-suffering children. This was a follow-up to her appeal in March. Donations can still be made at www.justgiving.com/oliviapickup mentioning Harri’s Jazz.
Ron Drake last met Mark Nightingale 20 years ago at Ruislip Jazz Club. Since then he has often played alongside a very different type of trombonist, less technically equipped but always amiably melodic – the much –missed Campbell Burnap.
The reunion with Mark was most auspicious – Ron with his robust tenor in the Hawkins tradition, Mark with his equally vigorous and virtuosic trombone: a perfectly matched two-some, supported by a classy rhythm section.
The opening “I Never Knew”, a pre-bop jam session favourite seldom heard theses day, had cracking solos all round, Matt’s contribution being in 8-bar and 4-bar exchanges. It set a standard that was fully maintained. After the attractive Richard Rodgers tune “My Romance” came the first of Ron’s only two clarinet outings “I’ve Got the World on a String”, which brought Matt’s first extended solo. Harri declared that the first-half closer “It’s Alright with Me” was alright with her, as it clearly was with the audience.
After the interval the time came for the two horns to try some unaccompanied counterpoint in “Just In Time”, and it came off beautifully. So did the venture into Latin rhythm, interspersed with Swing, in “OnGreen Dolphin Street”: the tune wasn’t pre-announced but John’s piano into strongly hinted as to what it would be. Ron’s other clarinet number “Bei Mir Bist du Schon” was his tribute to Benny Goodman, with Matt on tom-toms for the first and last choruses. There were ballad features in each half, both unhackneyed and inspired choices: Mark did “Nancywith the Laughing Face” and Ron “Stairway to the Stars”. Each had solos by John and Paul in the last chorus before the main soloist wrapped it up. Paul played the middle-eight of “Nancy” virtually straight with very little embellishment. Duke Ellington’s “Cotton Tail” made a rousing finale to a concert of warmth, excitement and unflagging invention from all concerned. It was billed as “A Night of Swing”, and that it certainly was- one of the best of many nights of Swing at Harri’s.
Brian Gladwell
March 31st 2012 saw the first ever ‘National Learn to Play Day’ and Dawkes were commited to doing their part to help inspire and create new musicians in the community. Free taster lessons were available throughout the day to visitors young or old. We saw people aged 5 to 80 and gave over 60 people tuition on the day, everyone left able to play ‘hot cross buns’ and we even heard a few scales starting to come out. We were helped out by 3 or 4 local teachers who generously gave their free time to help people play and encourage new beginners, we’d like to thank Jon Woodhouse, Rachel Riordan and Michaela Bell for their time.
There were also instrument demonstrations at 11am and 1pm, Simon Bates (Yamaha Performing Artist) played through the Soprano, Alto and Tenor Saxes and delighted the audience with flute and clarinet. We were pleased to see lots of kids in the crowd, hopefully inspired to play.
The day was finished off with a bang, we were joined by Blakes Heaven Big Band on the Live @ Dawkes stage. The band played two sets of funk inspired arrangements and were complimented by the guest soloists Tom E Politzer (Tower or Power) and Simon Bates. The shop was packed to the rafters with over 120 in attendance. We can’t thank Tom and Simon enough for putting on a real show and also Nick Blake who studiously writes charts and runs Blakes Heaven Big Band. Mostly though we’d really like to thank everyone who came and tried an instrument or supported the gig, we want music in our area to flourish and hope these events can inspire and encourage more people to enjoy the benefits of instrumental music.
Second Hand