Tom Ranier has been a mainstay in the L.A. studio & jazz scenes for 50 years as a brilliant multi-instrumentalist and arranger. This interview will give the listener insight into one of the most formidable musicians in the industry.
Gary Gray has been a top Los Angeles studio player and revered teacher of the clarinet for over half a century. He has been internationally recognized as one of the top clarinet soloists and teachers for generations. This interview provides an insiders view of Gary’s career and approach to teaching.
Gary Foster, Gene Cipriano, Ronnie Lang and Don Ashworth were revered by composers, arrangers, producers, conductors and their fellow musicians for their musical abilities and the integrity that they exuded. These four artists are representative of a period when recording musicians were expected to be equally fluent in jazz, commercial & classical styles of music. This interview allows us to hear the inside story of their careers and how they succeeded in the most stressful and competitive sector of the music industry.
Dan Higgins has established himself over the past 35 years as the First Call woodwind musician in the L.A. studios for any musical situation. Enjoy this candid interview with one of the great woodwind multi-instrumentalists of all time.
Ken Peplowski has been a dominant figure in the resurgence of the clarinet in jazz over the past 35 years. A wonderful tenor saxophonist as well, Ken has issued 32 albums as a leader and been on many hundreds of recordings as a sideman. In this interview, he talks about growing up in Cleveland and cutting his teeth in the business as a young musician on the Tommy Dorsey band. He speaks fondly of his mentors including Buddy Morrow, Milt Hinton, Sonny Stitt, etc. Ken demonstrates what he prioritizes in his warmups and plays a beautiful solo rendition of “Poor Butterfly” during the interview. Enjoy!
This interview is a tribute to Bob Mover’s career as a player and a teacher. Bob discusses his unusual life as a jazz musician, the great legends he has met and learned from, and demonstrates his approach to teaching creative jazz improvisation.
The saxophone section of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra speak candidly about their love of playing big band music, their admiration for Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, and the importance of playing in this type of large ensemble for aspiring professional musicians. They also play a few of the more famous Thad Jones solis.
Joffe Woodwinds Podcast 12 features the audio portion of The Legendary Joe Soldo Speaks video, an interview with legendary woodwind doubler/contractor Joe Soldo.
Joffe Woodwinds Podcast 11 features the audio portion of the Woodwind Repairmen Roundtable video, an interview with four expert woodwind repairmen: Mark Jacobi, Bill Singer, Tomoji Hirakata and Tony Salimbene.
Joffe Woodwinds Podcast 10 features the audio portion of the Reed V Summit video. Ron Jannelli, Roger Rosenberg & Allen Won discuss the world of the players who are the foundation of any woodwind section—whether in a pit band, big band, movie soundtrack, or a symphonic setting.
Joffe Woodwinds Podcast 9 features the audio portion of the Broadway Conductors Forum video. Charlie Alterman, David Chase and Constantine Kitsopoulos carry forth their responsibilities with not only great talent and integrity but also create a positive feeling within the orchestra and cast. This interview provides great insight into the conductor’s world.
Joffe Woodwinds Podcast 8 features the audio portion of the The Contemporary Oboe Doubler video. Rick Heckman & Dan Willis offers rare insight into the world of the double reed doubler. Rick & Dan discuss the nature of what today’s oboe doublers encounter on the job and offer solutions to performance problems.
Joffe Woodwinds Podcast 7 features the audio portion of the Clarinet Fundamentals with Larry Guy video. His sense of elegance in playing and professionalism on the job was gleaned from his years of study with some of the great woodwind/musical minds of the 20th Century—Robert Marcellus, Anthony Gigliotti, Kalmen Opperman, Alan Balter, and Marcel Moyse.
Joffe Woodwinds Podcast 6 features the audio portion of the Keith Underwood—Flute Exercises video, in which he provides invaluable information on historical flutes, recordings, exercises and a variety of other topics.
Joffe Woodwinds Podcast 5 features the audio portion of the Keith Underwood—Flute Fundamentals video, in which he shares some of his thoughts on breathing and developing greater resonance in the tone as a result of improving one’s breathing efficiency.
Joffe Woodwinds Podcast 4 features the audio portion of the Jerry Dodgion—A Career Retrospective video, an interview with Jerry Dodgion discussing his perspective into woodwind doubling, the music business and life.
Joffe Woodwinds Podcast 3 features the audio portion of the Charles McPherson on How to Practice Jazz video. Charles McPherson has been a role model to generations of alto saxophonists and is still exploring new avenues of expression within the bebop/post bebop tradition.
Joffe Woodwinds Podcast 1 features the audio portion of the Lawrence Feldman on Woodwind Styles video, an interview with Lawrence Feldman discussing and demonstrating his rare ability to imitate diverse musical styles on all of his woodwinds with great accuracy.
Joffe Woodwinds Podcast 2 features the audio portion of the Lawrence Feldman on Building a Career video. In this interview with Lawrence Feldman—one of the most knowledgeable woodwind players regarding equipment concerning saxophone, clarinet and flute—shares some insights on his career.