Ying and Niq's Niche

This is a review of one of 3 books I purchased from Amazon.com. Published by Hal Leonard, it comes with instrumental play-along CD. This one costs me about RM55, including shipping. In Penang, this would cost about RM100.

Smooth Jazz: Alto Sax Play-Along Book/CD Pack (Hal Leonard Instrumental Play-Along)

Most of the pieces are well-known, including my favorites: Morning Dance (Spyro Gyra), Just the Two of Us (Grover Washington, Jr/Bill Withers), This Masquerade (Leon Russell/George Benson). There are some nice surprises too, including Bali Run (Lee Ritenour/Bob James of Fourplay). The pieces range from intermediate to advanced. There are 2 pieces by Kenny G which had notes going up to A6 (altissimo). I really wonder how can you make an alto sax sound like a soprano like Kenny G’s. There are 2 tracks for each piece – one with melody and the other is the minus one. The backing tracks sound very professional, makes you sound like a pro too . Highly recommended.

I got to know about T-Square’s music more than 20 years ago when I was still learning Yamaha Electone Organ. I had 2 of their cassette tapes which has become obsolete. However, it was not until last year that I started to watch them on YouTube and collect their albums and listening to their work. Their saxophonists, Takeshi Itoh and Masato Honda, are great players and I dream to play like them. Warren Hill is another smooth jazz saxophonist whom I frequently listen to.

I started taking lessons since 2-Dec-2010 at CAT Studio, Jalan Pinhorn, Penang. Bought a used Yanagisawa A-901 (Alto Saxophone) a week after starting lessons. I chose to get a professional model that has high F# and alternate F# key, so that I have room to grow. The mouthpiece I use is a standard Yanagisawa #5 ebonite mouthpiece. As for reeds, I started with Rico Royal 1.5. Also tried Rico #2.5, Vandoren #2 and #3. Rico Royal #1.5 is easy on the lips. Vandoren #3 needs lots of air stream. I am now comfortable with Vandoren #2 (Blue Box).

After 9 months into my new instrument, I went for a talent audition to perform at my company dinner. The audition was on 9-Sep-2011. That was my first time performing in front of a small crowd. Of course, I felt nervous. Had a couple of squeaks, but went ok. The minus one music was rather soft as no one helped to balance.

I performed for 3 nights for my company dinner at Straits Quay Convention Centre on 27-Sep-11, 28-Sep-11 and 30-Sep-11. It was quite a large hall. My playing was shaky the first night. The 2nd and 3rd night got better and better as I overcame my nerves and improved my concentration. It was a good experience to help me address my weaknesses. Practicing at home or playing at lessons is totally different from performing. Colleagues started to call me ‘Kenny Cheah’. It’s quite weird that the saxophone and Kenny G have become synonymous.

Performing at Company Dinner

I decided to stop taking lessons and spend more time at home. This also allows me to spend some money on books to broaden my repertoire. Meanwhile, it’s just me and my sax.