JazzMemes.org

Q1: What's the best music gear or app purchase you've made recently? 

The best gear I’ve gotten lately has been my new Yamaha 82z Bronze Artist model alto saxophone. It’s truly made my life better in all regards. I loved playing my Mark VI and was fortunate to grow a lot on a great vintage horn, but, switching to an ergonomically advanced instrument has helped in my ability to relax more and still get a bigger sound and more control of my registers - especially consistency in pitch!

Also, my AEA NUVO N-8 microphone has been one of the best investments I’ve ever made. I’m able to get the live gig/recording sound every time I use it. It sounds like me - no innate frequencies that are out of wack. It’s enabled me to record more from home and also to build my virtual online studio and reach many of my fans in lessons from all over the world.

Q2: What's your funniest or worst gig story? 

See #MyWorstGig storyhere!

Q3: What's one concert...

Q1: What's the best music gear or app purchase you've made recently? 

I recently got this pedal from TC Helicon called the PerformVE and it has completely elevated my solo looping game. Now I can basically do everything I hear from reverb/delay to playing drum grooves and involving more complex harmony with the vocoder feature.

Q2: What's your funniest or worst gig story? 

See #MyWorstGig story here!

Q3: What's one concert you've attended that has had a lasting impact on your life? 

Probably Bobby McFerrin live at some New York venue the first time I visited the city in 2010. The way he uses his voice to translate his musicality will forever be my biggest musical goal. He totally changed the game of what a singer’s role is meant to be.

Q4: What's a specific skill/exercise/technique that has taken your singing to the next level?

Composition and arranging. Developing my composing skills has helped me in all areas from knowing how...

Q1: What's the best music gear or app purchase you've made recently? 

My favorite toy is the BOSS RC 505, or "Rupert the Looper" as I like to call it.

Q2: What's your funniest or worst gig story? 
I guess just watch the video when I'll have one!

Q3: What's one concert you've attended that has had a lasting impact on your life? 

There have been of course many impacting concerts throughout my life so I'm going to go with the latest one : I saw Spanish gypsy singer Concha BUIKA in Spain last fall, and couldn't stop crying for the whole show. She is an incredible story teller and musician. She lives all her songs and gives everything with each performance. I saw her two more times since that one show and have always been so inspired and touched.

Q4: What's a specific skill/exercise/technique that has taken your singing to the next level?

I would have to say the exercise of always challenging myself. Learning new things, going for competitions and trying...

Q1: What's the best music gear or app purchase you've made recently? 

The best music gear that I’ve purchased as of late is my pedal board. My former student, Aaron Janik of Horn-fx.com has become the teacher in that he’s exposing me to a wide range of sounds that, frankly I’ve avoided for some time now. I’ve warred with the idea of “corrupting” my natural sound with any electronic enhancement. However, Aaron and his team have discovered a way to retain the natural sound of the trumpet while enhancing it with various set ups on the pedal board. I’m truly loving discovering what’s available to me. I’m almost treating the pedals as they’re “mutes” to create varying moments in pieces that offer “layers” that don’t exist with the natural sound of the trumpet and all of it’s colors. That all said, I’d have to say that the use of pedals and my new pedal board is the...

Q1: What's the best music gear or app purchase you've made recently?

Best purchase I made recently, was a bass drum hoop protector by Drum N Bass.

Q2: What's your funniest or worst gig story? 

I was in middle school and I was asked to participate in a school talent show.  There was a house drum-kit that I was told to play.  When my name was called I went to the drum-kit to play with a band made up of professionals.  The tune got counted off and we started playing.  But no longer than 8 bars into playing the piece, the drum throne fell apart and I ended up falling straight to floor.  It was painful and embarrassing.  My father fixed the seat they had and I finished my song.  May I say, to this day I despise house kits!

Q3: What's one concert you've attended that has had a lasting impact on your life?

 I played in the opening band before Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson and Tony Williams (with others I can't recall) hit the...

Q1: What's the best music gear or app purchase you've made recently? My Benedetto Bambino Deluxe guitar.

Q2: What's your funniest or worst gig story? While still  living in Israel, I once played a  cool gig with a very physically big drummer who shall remain nameless. Gig was going great, but then during the came the drum solo, and all of a sudden the drum chair broke and he fell on the floor. For a moment everybody was shocked and didn't know how to react, and then all couldnt help it but laugh our brains out. 

Watch Yotam's #MyWorstGig video to hear about his sickest gig! Click here!

Q3: What's one concert you've attended that has had a lasting impact on your life?

Brad Mehldau trio- Red Sea Jazz festival 1998

Q4: What's a specific skill/exercise/technique that has taken your playing to the next level?

Realizing that in this music - Rhythm is king. everything else is secondary

Q5: If you could go back in time,...

Q1: What's the next project you're excited about?

Well the newest adventure for me has been recording and adding content to my patreon site. It’s a great idea where I can get people from anywhere in the world support what I do. I record video lessons, usually about 4-9 minutes in length, which follow 1 concept or creative idea that I have been working on lately. Then I share it exclusively with my patrons. In this new world of a music industry, it’s a way that I can have direct contact and dialogue with my supporters and fans.

Ari's Patreon Page

Q2: What's the best music gear or app purchase you've made recently? 

I don’t really purchase gear, but Yamaha has a set of extremely light weight hardware coming out which is pretty amazing for those of us who don't want to carry heavy gear thusly preserving our bodies for future use.

Q3: What's your funniest or worst gig story?

Last year I was about to go on stage in Roanoke Virginia with my...

We asked Ben your top five questions.  Here are his answers...

Q1: What's the best music gear or app purchase you've made recently?

Metronomics - great, super advanced metronome app made by John Nastos. 

Q2: What's your funniest or worst gig story? 

Watch Ben's #MyWorstGig video to hear all about it! Click here!

Q3: What's one concert you've attended that has had a lasting impact on your life?

Bobby McFerrin Solo show at Royce Hall in Los Angeles.  One man with a mic and nothing else - completely captivating a packed house for 2 hours with just his voice and creativity.  

Q4: What's a specific skill/exercise/technique that has taken your playing to the next level?

Staying organized and tracking my progress.  I use everything from a journal to a word doc on my computer to an eraser board.

Q5: If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self entering the music scene?

Record yourself on...

Q1: What's the best music gear or app purchase you've made recently?

I don’t really buy gear or apps like that, man I am honestly just trying to still learn how to play the gear I have. I will say that I just formed a relationship with RTOM, and they make “moon gels” which are helpful in tuning in the studio. I just recently acquired a bunch of them, because I am one of their artist’ now. Been producing and recording a lot lately, and I am learning how to tune the drums more effectively now for the album, not just my own personal tastes. Moongels are great, because before I was using “Gaff Tape,” which is great but moon gels give you more range and resonance options from the drums.


Q2: What's your funniest or worst gig story?

I was playing the Hollywood Bowl with Joey Alexander at the Playboy Jazz Fest. We were in the middle of digging’ into something uptempo, and I saw this bird flying near me and I got nervous, because it’s an outdoor...

Q1: What's the best music gear or app purchase you've made recently?

I recently purchased a small Akai LPK-25 USB MIDI controller to take with me on the road. I’ve always traveled with a small MIDI controller so make charts, demos, and sketch out ideas while away. But the LPK-25 is small enough that I can actually work in an economy class airplane seat. Not only does this allow me to make better use of time on flights, but it makes long-haul flights go by faster, as well. 

Q2: What's your funniest or worst gig story? 

I lost one of my first weekly gigs when the club owner heard the singer/harmonica player use the word “blow” (while pantomiming harmonica with his hand up to his face), and concluded that he must’ve been talking about using cocaine in the bathroom.

Q3: What's one concert you've attended that has had a lasting impact on your life?

B.B King in Hattiesburg, Mississippi when I was 18 years old. He had a second guitarist in the band...