We recently polled our #JazzMemesFamily on Instagram asking them what are their essential books for jazz. The question was left open to include instructional jazz books or books written on the topic of jazz and music. We collected the most popular responses that were sent in and categorized them int...

How do you get over the fear of making a mistake on a performance?

How do you let go of all the things that are on your mind and bugging you when you need to perform?

Rich Matteson, best known as a jazz educator and euphonium player with the Dukes of Dixieland, posed these questions to Louis Armst...

So, here’s the bad news: Your New Year’s resolutions suck. 

The good news is that it’s not totally your fault, and I’m going to show you how to take your vague resolutions and change them into easy-to-follow goals that you will actually accomplish.

I believe that if you want to get better, you sho...

Imagine you’re in a bookstore one Sunday afternoon and, for whatever reason, you happen to notice the music playing in the background.  Maybe it’s a classic rock song that you haven’t heard in awhile or a jazz standard; the genre doesn’t really matter. Can you listen to the song and know what the ch...

Take Five

We asked Melissa Aldana your top five questions, here are her answers...

Q1: What's the best music gear or app purchase you've made recently?

Balance Action Saxophone, One of the best horns I have ever tried.

Also I really love my Matt Marantz Custom Mouthpiece / Da'ddario reeds and Si...

We asked James your top five questions, backstage after his recent Jacksonville show with Pat Metheny and Nate Smith. Check the video to hear his anwers!

Q1: What's the best music gear or app purchase you've made recently? 

I recently purchased a Minimoog Model D reissue. Holy smokes does that thing sound good! It’s like playing an acoustic instrument, or a Hammond B-3. I love creating the classic sounds on it that it’s known for, but it’s also fun ...

Q1: What's the best music gear or app purchase you've made recently? 

The best gear I’ve gotten lately has been my new Yamaha 82z Bronze Artist model alto saxophone. It’s truly made my life better in all regards. I loved playing my Mark VI and was fortunate to grow a lot on a great vintage horn, bu...

Q1: What's the best music gear or app purchase you've made recently? 

I recently got this pedal from TC Helicon called the PerformVE and it has completely elevated my solo looping game. Now I can basically do everything I hear from reverb/delay to playing drum grooves and involving more complex har...

Q1: What's the best music gear or app purchase you've made recently? 

My favorite toy is the BOSS RC 505, or "Rupert the Looper" as I like to call it.

Q2: What's your funniest or worst gig story? 
I guess just watch the video when I'll have one!

Q3: What's one concert you've attended that h...

Q1: What's the best music gear or app purchase you've made recently? 

The best music gear that I’ve purchased as of late is my pedal board. My former student, Aaron Janik of Horn-fx.com has become the teacher in that he’s exposing me to a wide range of sounds that, frankly I’ve avoided for some tim...

Q1: What's the best music gear or app purchase you've made recently?

Best purchase I made recently, was a bass drum hoop protector by Drum N Bass.

Q2: What's your funniest or worst gig story? 

I was in middle school and I was asked to participate in a school talent show.  There was a house dru...