Menu

VENN Saxophone Reeds Review

26th April 2022

With the arrival of the new VENN synthetic reeds for Saxophone we asked one of our own staff members to try one for a month and report back. How do they play? How does it compare to other synthetic and cane reeds? Over to Kasey to tell us her experiences…

(more…)

From the Workshop: Sax Pearl Replacements

14th September 2021

This lovely Andy Sheppard Autograph Series Tenor Saxophone recently came in for a full service and the owner enquired about options for key pearls. He loves his Sax, but the original finger button pearls on this model are totally flat. They also feel a bit ‘slippy’ under the fingertips. Looking for extra comfort, he was interested in concave pearls that his fingers could sink nicely in to.

Original Pearls – Customer found them too flat and ‘slippy’
(more…)

Which type of Saxophone is best?

26th August 2021

In this blog we check out which is the best type of Saxophone. We take a look at the main four members of the Saxophone family, alongside some of the speciality instruments. We also discuss which might be most suitable for you…

(more…)

NEW! Yanagisawa Saxophone AKZ Necks

16th August 2021

Yanagisawa have recently released a new ‘AKZ’ range of Alto Saxophone necks. These models differ from the standard necks that are supplied with instruments. As such they offer players the chance to upgrade their Yanagisawa set-up and play with new tonal colours and response.

Check out our guide below to the NEW models…

(more…)

Mail Order: 14 Day Home Trial

2nd November 2020

As fellow musicians we understand that sometimes it’s important to compare similar items back-to-back and/or just get a few days to make sure something is right for you. Our 14 Day Home Trial option is there to help you find the right item and test it in an environment you’re comfortable in. Here’s how it works…

(more…)

What Sax Mouthpiece Do I Need? Versatile All-Rounders!

11th March 2020

There are many saxophone mouthpieces on the market designed to do one job, and do it well! However, equally there are mouthpieces that can fit in just about anywhere. Are you a student or pro that likes to stick to one mouthpiece? A doubler who needs something that does everything? Or maybe you’re just looking to explore a range of styles with a budget? Here are our Top 5 ‘All-Rounder’ mouthpieces that are suited to just about any occasion…

D’Addario Select Jazz
(more…)

What’s Your Set-Up? Sax & Clarinet…

19th February 2020

This question gets thrown around a lot! From first time mouthpiece upgraders looking for something new, to highly-skilled amateurs looking for a different sound. Truthfully, someone’s answer – beyond letting you know how much money they dropped on a mouthpiece! – isn’t a lot of use to you. Why is this?

(more…)

What Sax Mouthpiece Do I Need? Rock, Pop and Commercial

9th January 2020

Pop and rock sax players, as they need to compete with electronic instruments, often opt for very bright, metallic tones, with a lot of edge to really cut through the wall of sound. Jazz musicians also use metal mouthpieces if they need something to really speak out over everything else but it’s worth remembering that the internal design of a mouthpiece is more important than the material. For example some ebonite pieces are brighter than some metal models because of their internal design, so it’s well worth considering both ebonite & metal options as discussed below…

(more…)

What Sax Mouthpiece? Ebonite Jazz Mouthpieces

4th December 2019

‘Jazz’ is a broad genre, and as such there are many mouthpieces available for the styles. Jazz has a variety of sounds, such as that classic smokey sound, to brighter, ‘pingy’ sounds. Ebonite lends itself well to producing that warm, ‘classic’ jazz sound, but with the right design it can really be a contender against it’s metal counterparts! This is just a small selection of the ebonite mouthpieces we offer that could be suitable for jazz styles …

Otto Link Tone Edge for Tenor Sax
(more…)

What Sax Mouthpiece? Classical Sounds

31st October 2019

The mouthpiece is one of the most – if not the most – influential pieces of kit on the sound of your instrument. And, at some point, you’ll be needing to get yourself a new one! A new mouthpiece will help you explore an entirely new tone world. Furthermore, and particularly in the case of upgrading from a plastic student mouthpiece, a new piece will help develop stronger expressive tools like articulations and dynamics.

But with so many mouthpieces available, with a range of tip openings, lays, chambers, materials … which one is good for what style? Hopefully we’ll be able to provide some insight on to which mouthpieces work in a range of genres – starting off with classical saxophone.

(more…)

LefreQue Part 3 – Saxophone

18th October 2019

On our quest to find out just how versatile the LefreQue are, myself and sax specialist Nick tried a few out on his tenor. Nick’s sax is unlacquered brass with a solid silver neck and gold plated mouthpiece. I was excited to see which LefreQue he thought suited his sax best, with a mix of different materials in play.

(more…)

Jody Jazz DV Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece

16th January 2019

Jody Jazz offer a great selection of mouthpieces to suit a number of needs. Known for their punchy projection, the mouthpieces include a variety of hard rubber and metal mouthpieces. But today, we’re going to take a closer look at one of their more intriguing pieces – the Jody Jazz DV. We asked one of our sax specialists to put it through its paces!

(more…)

The Duke, Hawk and maybe Lorenzo

23rd March 2018

According to John Chilton, despite all the musicians who met up at the recording studio on that August afternoon being “hard bitten veterans who had made thousands of records between them”, nevertheless the occasion “seemed special”.  This was going to be no ordinary recording session; it would involve two musical legends who, or so they insisted, had been intending to get together for decades. But record producer Bob Thiele had finally made it happen.  The date was 18th August, 1962.

(more…)

The Fastest Tenor in the West

17th January 2018

He was a seventeen year-old alto saxophone player when he first joined Lionel Hampton’s band in 1945, but Gladys Hampton, Lionel’s wife, who also managed Lionel’s band, insisted that the teenager with the alto had been hired to play tenor saxophone, and no one argued with Gladys. So, Johnny Griffin started to play tenor. Before too long he was duetting with the band’s star tenor player, Arnett Cobb.  Eventually the routine of playing Hampton’s big hits night after night became tiresome.  Griffin left Hampton’s band, and, though he returned for a brief spell, he finally quit for good shortly after his nineteenth birthday.

(more…)

Not ‘The Lion’ and Hamp in Pasadena

18th July 2017

Join jazz aficionado Peter Gardner with his look back at one of the premier, but lesser known, lead Alto Saxophonists in jazz history…

If your CV included playing lead alto in the bands of Jimmie Lunceford, Harry James, Duke Ellington, Billy May and Charlie Barnet as well as spells with Jazz at the Philharmonic and Gene Krupa trios, and you had played on one of the most famous jazz records, we might expect that you would be quite well known to any modern saxophonist who has more than a passing interest in the history of jazz and big bands.  Sadly this is not the case, and when you mention this saxophonist’s name, people with some knowledge of jazz history often think you are talking about a famous stride pianist. So, let me clarify. Willie Smith, or to give him his full name, William McLeish Smith, was the lead alto saxophonist with the more than impressive CV.  Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith was a justifiably famous, bowler-hatted, cigar-chomping, extrovert stride pianist.

(more…)

The Making of a Masterpiece…

16th August 2016

Join Jazz aficionado Peter Gardner as this time he takes a look at the origins of ‘Body and Soul’…

It would become one of the world’s most recorded songs. One recorded performance would reach artistic heights rarely exceeded in the history of jazz. As the result of that performance, the tune would become something of a test piece for jazz musicians, particularly tenor saxophonists. Yet, some accounts of the song’s origins give little hint of the memorable things that were to follow.

(more…)

Dawkes Music Workshop: Saxophone Split and Patch

24th December 2015

This Buescher 400 ‘top hat & cane’ came to us as a recent purchase for general set-up.

WWRepairs5_sax1

The biggest problem we found was a small split running along the bottom bow and into the low Eb tone hole. This would cause the pad to leak air from the split so it needed to be filled one way or another.

(more…)

The Summer of Vintage Saxes!

15th September 2015

This summer we have seen a multitude of beautiful vintage saxophones come into the workshop so we thought you might like to see what we have seen and what their issues were. Have a look through, there are some real beauties!

(more…)

Simon Willescroft plays Cannonball Bari Sax at T in the Park with Paloma Faith

21st July 2015

It was great to see our friend, and Cannonball Musical Instruments artist, Simon Willescroft rocking it with Paloma Faith at T in the park this weekend on his B5-B Cannonball Bari Sax!

(more…)

Selmer Paris release new reeds!

15th July 2015

We are excited to hear that Selmer Paris will be launching their own reed range for soprano, alto and tenor saxophone!

(more…)

Chris Potter @ Ronnie Scotts…

18th November 2010

Saturday 13th November was a great day – not only did England run Australia into the ground at the Rugby match at Twickenham, but a few of us had booked tickets to go see the phenomenal American tenor saxophonist Chris Potter at Ronnie Scotts. Having worked all day at the shop on Saturday, we were eager for a dose of jazz that night. Making it into London amongst the jolly rugby fans was something of a mission, but worth the battle as we finally entered one of the most prestigious jazz clubs in the world. Sat in our dimly lit rows, surrounded by pictures of jazz greats past and present, we settled down for an evening of sublime jazz performances.

(more…)

Snake Davis DVD – “Make It Sing” Review

15th September 2010

“MAKE IT SING!” Snake Davis

“What good is a great finger technique if it is not supported by a fantastic sound? The notes won’t mean anything” (Snake Davis)

(more…)

Want your first Sax?

4th September 2010

To Rent or Buy?

Obtaining your first saxophone from Dawkes Music can be achieved in a simple and cost effective way. We offer various ways to get you your first saxophone, which we believe suits everyone.

As a woodwind and brass specialist shop, you will be guaranteed the best student model saxophones on the market, with the addition of ongoing workshop support from us to ensure the saxophone continues to play to its highest capabilities. Dawkes do not simply give you a saxophone out of the box; we add our personal touch to each instrument ensuring it is set up and easy to play suiting the players requirements.

(more…)