Besides listening to jazz cds on a regular basis I also find it EXTREMELY helpful to watch live jazz performances on DVD and video tape. You get to check out the players embouchure, breathing and finger work. One of my favorites to watch for breathing is a Dizzy Gillespie performance on Jazz Casual (which also contains shows featuring John Coltrane and Count Basie… a MUST have DVD). Diz would really tank up on the air before playing some of his stratospheric runs but he reminded completely relaxed. I use that visual image of him whenever I play so I remember to take in enough air. On the Wynton Masalis DVD “Blues & Swing” he plays a killer solo on Caravan. At the end of a long phrase you can see him effortless begin to circular breath… I remember when I first saw it – I backed the disc up at least 5 times. Amazing stuff. My all time favorite is a VHS tape of the Miles Davis quintet. He performs “So What” with John Coltrane and then plays on several tunes from “Miles Ahead” with the Gil Evans orchestra. I will almost ALWAYS pick up my horn and practice after watching this. Miles…

I sometimes wonder if I have too many sound concepts in my mind to digest. My favorite players range from mellow sound guys like – Terence Blanchard, Art Farmer and Miles Davis to brassy players like Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard and Booker Little. As different as each player is – I find something absolutely wonderful about their sound, tone, articulation and phrasing… but they're all so very different! I can only hope to filter a little from each and use those seeds to grow my personal sound.