Input/Output is a monthly collection of things I’m listening to, reading, watching, and using, along with a few things I’ve made.
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*If you’re in LA, I’m performing here
This month,
I’m listening to
“Sunday” by Benny Carter and his Orchestra from 1941. The way he [Benny is the alto saxophonist] encircles notes from above and below is a thing of beauty.
I mean is that happy music or what?!
I’m reading
Jazz Tradition, Innovation, and the Generational Divide by Miguel Zenon. This article is [alto saxophonist] Miguel’s perspective on the current state of jazz education. I wholeheartedly agree with everything Miguel wrote. We attended Berklee College of Music together. He was and continues to be, a force of nature. He’s the recipient of a MacArthur Genius fellowship, a critically acclaimed recording artist, and he’s been the altoist in the SFJazz Collective for years. TL;DR: pay attention to what this man says.
I’m using
Brief — a Chrome extension that adds a word counter to the compose and reply views in Gmail and disables sending if an email is longer than 125 words.
Before I forget, my Virtual Studio (where I share everything I know about practicing jazz and playing saxophone) opens this month before closing for the year. Is it for you?
I’m performing
At the Baked Potato in Los Angeles on Thursday, October 5th. Two sets at 9:30 & 11:15. Advance tickets recommended; the first set has been selling out. Get tickets here
I’m making
New vlogs. Watch via the playlist below.
Click the hamburger menu (3 horizontal lines) in the upper left corner of the video to see a list of vlog episodes.
- Episode 123: When I’m fed up with my playing (this helps)
- Episode 122: Ben Wendel and Bob Reynolds compare vintage Selmer Saxophones
- Episode 121: Avoiding repetitive strain injury, saxophone altissimo, & using a metronome
- Episode 120: that’s EXACTLY what I practice!
- Episode 119: One-handed saxophone trick disrupts “go-to” patterns
- Episode 118: They weren’t supposed to SMEAR!!
- Episode 117: the night before it happened (my 9/11 story)
- Episode 116: That one time, at sax camp
6. I’m watching
Game of Thrones. I avoided it all summer so I could binge watch over a couple nights. Did that last week. Wow! (But I’m a little confused about the lineage of Jon Snow.) Watch this 5-minute behind the scenes with G.o.T. composer Ramin Djawadi on how he comes up with themes and chooses instruments for this epic series.(no HBO subscription needed).
I also watched Ozark on Netflix. Holy darkness-with-just-a-hint-of-humor-courtesy-of-Jason-Bateman. This one’s intense, folks. Very intense.
That’s it for this month!
Hugs and high fives,
Bob
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First time here? Get this delivered each month.
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PS, I’m loving
I’m loving seeing Hindsight arriving around the globe! Guitar Band sold out but there are still signed copies of Hindsight available here.
