Can the sound be attributed to his saxophone, an old Selmer Mark VI 86,000 series?
“I have an array of saxophones at home – mostly Selmers – that are probably better than the horn that I usually play. However, I continue to gravitate back to this one. I’m so familiar with it. It’s as if I’m able to own every molecule of the instrument. It’s not a particularly remarkable instrument, but I really feel at home on it. Unfortunately, it’s gradually falling apart from age, and wear and tear, so I’d better start getting used to playing another instrument!” And the mouthpiece? “My mouthpiece is made by Dave Guardala. Dave’s an old friend of mine and we’ve been working together for many years. He created it with my particular eccentricities, as well as tone, and resistance in mind. The reeds I use are LaVoz, medium strength. I go through a lot. Arriving at a personal sound for me has been a very gradual process. It has evolved through a lot of playing with other musicians, playing both at home and in performance settings, in all kinds of situations. Gradually, I think the sou
