David M. Erato

saxophones, clarinets, flutes, bassoon

Category: saxophone

  • RIP Frank Foster

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    David Erato
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    From A Blog Supreme/NPR Jazz: Frank Foster, a saxophonist and composer/arranger best known for his longtime association with the Count Basie Orchestra, has died. He passed away in his sleep early Tuesday morning at his home in Chesapeake, Va., according to his widow and manager, Cecilia Foster. He was 82. Foster was a key member…

  • App review: Fingering Woodwinds for iPhone

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    David Erato
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    Given how huge apps are, I figured there might be something in Apple’s App Store.  And lo and behold there is “an app for that.”  It’s called Fingering Woodwinds for iPhone ($4.99, iTunes link).  The developer does have a separate iPad version as well for $6.99.  While I would like to review that one as well,…

  • How to play Jazz Sax (humor)

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    David Erato
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    I received this in an email this past week.  Couldn’t resist passing along.  Partially because some of it rings true. How to Play Jazz Sax A Primer for Beginners First things first. If you’re a white guy, you’ll need a stupid hat, the more stupid the better and preferably a beret. Sunglasses are optional, but…

  • How to clean a woodwind mouthpiece

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    David Erato
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    Let’s face the facts.  You probably need to clean your mouthpiece.  I’ve known for a while that my mouthpieces needed a good cleaning.  It’s one of those things we know we as woodwind players know we should do more often but don’t.  After reading this article on NPR about wind players getting sick from the…

  • Dave Liebman interview on The Jazz Session

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    David Erato
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    On a recent episode of the podcast The Jazz Session, Jason Crane interviewed saxophonist and composer Dave Liebman.  It is a great conversation on a variety of topics including the state of jazz education, playing original music as well as the music of jazz giants, his current large group and small group ensembles, and receiving…

  • How to clean a saxophone

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    David Erato
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    As a private music teacher, I am often asked by my students how do you clean a saxophone.  We do cover things such as swabbing after use, wiping the neck tenon dry after use, and cleaning the mouthpiece regularly.  One thing I don’t often get to go into detail is how to clean the exterior…

  • Hercules Stands Rock!!!

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    David Erato
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    All of my horns I have been using Hercules stands for the past five years now.  In fact, with the addition of their bassoon stand, I have a Hercules stand for each one of my axes.  Recently, I’ve had to contact the company about the bari sax stand that I own, and their excellent response…