Benjamin Allen Mouthpieces

Hidden Hearing Loss from Everyday Noise

New Orleans based Benjamin Allen has handcrafted two fantastic tenor saxophone mouthpieces with his 10E and 20TD models. I will present my personal opinions and experiences with these mouthpieces, and saxophone mouthpieces in general…

Dr. Paul "Doc" Tenney was instrumental in guiding us towards being as direct as humanly possible when it comes to communicating about saxophone equipment. When Doc first captioned these concepts to us, we had little idea what he was talking…

JuJu by Wayne Shorter (Blue Note BLP 4182)

Just the Facts: In early August 1964, Wayne Shorter gathered in Rudy Van Gelder’s birthplace of Englewood, New Jersey with the same rhythm section from his Blue Note debut album, Night…

Night Dreamer by Wayne Shorter (Blue Note BLP 4173)

Just the facts: Wayne Shorter, still dedicated to the tenor saxophone in 1964, brings together Lee Morgan on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on Piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Elvin Jones…

Roots and Herbs by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers (Blue Note, BST 84347)

Just the Facts: Produced by (music great) Alfred Lion, Root and Herbs was recorded over three sessions in 1961; however, the album was not released…

Wayne Shorter’s recording cycle between the fall of 1959 and the fall of 1961 consists of three years with Vee Jay Records, three consecutive Autumn-born albums, three albums produced by Sid McCoy, and three entirely different rhythm sections. Fourteen original…

Second Genesis by Wayne Shorter (Vee-Jay Records, VJS 3057)

Just the Facts: Eleven-months after releasing his debut album, Wayne Shorter was back in the recording studio for Second Genesis. Shorter is the lone hornsman this time…

Introducing Wayne Shorter by Wayne Shorter (Vee-Jay Records, VJLP 3006)

Just the Facts: Upon first glance, (it’s rather clear) Shorter had a (heavyweight) crew for his first recording including Paul Chambers on bass, Jimmy Cobb on drums, Wynton…

J.J. Babbitt makes exceptional mouthpieces; this statement maybe a shock to many of you, but it's true. The Meyer and Otto Link brands are two of my absolute favorites, with J.J. Babbitt truly maintaining the enduring tradition and legacy of…