I'm a tenor player, and iam dying to find out how dow you get that expressive beautiful jazz sound from tenor like kirk whalum, and john coltrane. i've been told it's the reed combination with the mouth piece and i say bull, one day I followed one of my friends around (he's a senior in high school) and he played in concert band and had a really nice classical tone. and the he went to jazz band rehearsal with the same setup which was a selmer series 3 and a c* mouthpiece and had an awesome sound as good as most of the professionals you here today.
so how do you get a tenor sax sound like kirk whalum's if i could figure out the secret, i'd feel like i had died and gone to heaven so someone help,

PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

signed,
a really desperate tenor sax player who wants to sound like the pros

Longtones...longtones...longtones.

Although a mouthpiece will make a big difference, I use a otto-link 7* with 3.5 java reed for Jazz and a Rousseau 5 with a 4 Vandoren reed for classical, and they sound completely different. Your friend has no doubt spent alot of time in the practice room, as you can get a jazz sound with a classical mouthpiece, but a jazz mouthpiece will enhance your sound.

thanks
but that doesn't exactly answer my question, you said the mouthpiece has enhaced it, but how do you get it so it can be enhanced

Mouthpieces sizes are based on tip opening and baffle size. In its most basic form, the more open a mouthpiece the more more airy the sound, the smaller the baffle the brighter sound the larger the baffle the darker the sound. For traditional jazz, a darker tone is usually preferred while the modern jazz performners prefer a brighter sound. Most of the professionals you hear playing use a fairly large tip opening, I think Joshua Redman uses a 9* otto-link. Also the heavier the reed the more airy the sound will be. You can get a similar sound with a Otto-link 7 with a #4 reed as a 9 otto-link with a 2.5 to 3 reed.

I understand your point about your friend playing, and like I said it takes time and dedication.

Take your mouthpiece off your sax and play it, on tenor you should be at a concert G for legit playing and around a F to F# for jazz playing, you can change the pitch by loosening or tightening your embouchoure. That should help you get more of a jazz sound on a standard mouthpiece, but you have to play longtones to even get a good tone, and I am willing to bet that Kirk Whalem spent many of his days playing the boring old longtones.

Let me give you an example I played with someone who used a C* mouthpiece in jazz and his sound good playing alone, but he didn't have any projection and he would get burried in the band, once he picked himself up a more open facing mouthpiece, he had projection, and his sound was even better than before.

Basically you have to learn the technique, to sound that good, but the mouthpiece reed combination will only make it sound better. Practice Longtones.

Later
CJ

*Bump*

Well that is very easy. Do not look further. The answer is you will never sound like Kirk Whalum, or John Coltrane. Even if you use the same set-up as they. You do not have the same body as they have and you do not have the same mouth and your teeth are different as theirs. So the only thing you can do is go to a good saxophone shop and tell them what sound you are looking for, and try out different mouthpieces ( all mouthpiece ,cheap and expensive ). If you found the mouthpiece of your choice than start experimenting whit reeds.

Find a sound that suits you and a mouthpiece that helps you play easy. Which will help you with you embrasure and you altissimo. After awhile you will find out that you have your very own sound. Be happy with it. the most of us are still looking for our own sound even after twenty-five years
Maybe your sound will be so good that people want to copy it

ok......?