Sidney Bechet and the Soprano Saxophone

Eli Yamin and Evan Christopher discuss Sidney Bechet, the New Orleans master of clarinet and soprano saxophone!
Learn more at the Jazz Academy by visiting academy.jazz.org
Evan Christopher - Clarinet
Eli Yamin - Piano
Eric Suquet - Director
Bill Thomas - Director of Photography
Aaron Chandler - Sound Engineer
Seton Hawkins - Producer

[@raulramos6393]

After the first time I listened to sidney betchet, the way I listened to music was never the same.

[@michaelosolosax]

I played the jazz trumpet ... and now the sax somehow trumpet-like ... and my teachers role model was ... Sidney Bechet! So I share your point of view ...

[@bnastali]

Sidney phrased like no one else before or since...love his tone.

[@edvinvinter1770]

Let's go! Hope to see more soprano content. It's hard out here

[@edvinvinter1770]

Also great sound 🤩

[@tinkerchel]

Sidney Bechet is one of my fav Jazz soloists, up there with Armstrong. What I truly love about Jazz, besides countless other things, is the pure joy on the musicians' faces they get from their music😍It really affects you~

[@malcolmlakin5265]

Guys, I just love it and so informative. Thank you

[@andrewcharley1893]

Just listening to these guys is inspirational👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[@DallasCrane]

That color tone demonstration is marvelous

[@belgianvanbeethoven]

This is such great content, thanks for making this available

[@geoffparker6332]

Absolutely fabulous! Superb tones!

[@alamooji3716]

That was a faaaaantastic video!!! The ending example was amazing

[@donkotouc8377]

Evan shows astonishing technique instantly emoting Bechet...

[@parkerchenault5537]

I love this. I just got the ok to use the soprano from my school and I’m excited

[@minhtutarkar1531]

Amazing!

[@billducker7404]

Thanks Evan. I love your playing on that old Selmer clarinet You came to Nottingham UK a few years ago Please come back soon. And bring your soprano as well as your clarinet. God bless you and yours. Bill-UK

[@diogolozza]

Love it!

[@chandlerisbell5686]

Take a shot every time that dude lets Yamin finish a sentence. You’ll be designated driver.

[@user-uw5bb8ry7l]

Wow~♡

[@mathewetcheverry7964]

Does anyone know the full soprano setup here? Amazing sound.

[@MatthewBanks100]

Nice to see Albert system clarinet

[@thechunkytrucker5111]

Does anyone know what soprano sax mouthpiece Evan uses? I know Sidney used a Selmer 20's large chamber, and i love how Evan sounds so similar to him. Thanks in advance.

[@michaelosolosax]

Right, it is the mouthpiece ... but also very much the very soft reed. Most like to demonstrate their power on a hard sax reed ... Sidney Bechet showed his talent in his own way ... soft reed. He is also my role model for my sax playing ...

[@theblueriverjazzbandmusic2540]

@@michaelosolosaxI had heard that Sidney used extremely hard reeds?

[@Sunnyside--Up]

💖💖💖💖💖

[@mikem668]

Bechet and Caruso. Oh my.

[@glen.s9860]

Hi can you tell me how much practice did you do and how long you being playing the soprano Because I find most of you from the academy play so smooth. You are all brill. jaz

[@zvonimirtosic6171]

It takes about 12-16 months of practice to nail the seamless vibrato on a sax, across the registers (some notes are trickier than others). Alto sax is perhaps a bit easier than other saxes, but you must practice, practice... That is for vibrato only; multiply that by a number of techniques required and you end up with many years worth of practice, practice ... :-)

[@GSP63852]

What is the opera quoted in this performance?

[@georgebijacu7141]

Is this kind of vibrato the way to go on soprano? Or it’s a love it or hate it? Sounds very 20ish or 30ish.

[@the_hyt_trumpter8115]

What was the first piece called

[@music_man_145]

where did you get that German system clarinet? how much did it cost?

[@zacharysmith923]

How do you play such fast, clear vibrato

[@michaelosolosax]

It is the mouthpiece with the thin read which allows this much bending and wide pitch range vibrato. Bechet is also my role model for sax playing ...

[@masterdude2444]

Also you can try playing double lip embouchure as Sidney Bechet played

[@luishuerta2505]

I will make high school music bands have a full saxophone family in it'll have soprano saxophone in it and I promise it'll make it sound beautiful I will change all high school bands for ever

[@duncanmccall716]

song?

[@edgemo3000]

Reminds Me Of Toy Story And Monsters Inc

[@samd7293]

I couldn't figure out why my soprano playing was always out of tune. I realized the instrument has an entirely different style with focus on vibrato and bending, not standard alto sax stuff!

[@olegvoron6111]

Clarinet🏆

[@gamomaster8436]

Soprano brand??

[@thechunkytrucker5111]

H.N. King

[@duncanmccall716]

What is he playing song wise?

[@paolocarlini7772]

Summertime

[@dem4xed]

The Soprano Sax ist like the Clarinet but like 10 times more present and way more versatile

[@anonymousguy7723]

Max Onym The one he’s using is called an H.N. King soprano saxophone. It’s the deluxe model with the gold washed bell. I personally own one too but it’s a 1921 model that doesn’t have the gold washed bell.... they also came in silver plate...

[@dem4xed]

@@anonymousguy7723 Okay, thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@votaveri]

Anonymous random Guy what would motivate someone to get a soprano that old?

[@KC-wf9zc]

@@votaveri The old sopranos have more resistance on the keys and generally a darker, less tinny tone, plus many of them were played with mouthpieces with a bigger chamber, closer to Adolphe Sax's design, giving it a distinctive tone you dont hear with modern horns. If you listen to a soprano in the traditional jazz genre, they wont sound like someone with a modern horn generally, unless that person studied Bechet.

[@michaelosolosax]

And in combination with the wide open mouthpiece ... a soft reed. So comes the tone with the rich overtone and the thin buzz ... if you like that tone Bechet is "the" role model ... also for me ...

[@cesarperkusionis9717]

This sound like klarinet.

[@sarahbeard8058]

that clarinet...