Everything Saxophone Podcast Host, Donna Schwartz, interviewed Saxophonist and Educator, Jeremiah True, live at the NAMM Show 2025.

With a diverse background spanning orchestral, jazz, theater pits, and rock ‘n roll, Jeremiah True brings a wealth of experience and artistry to every performance.

P. Mauriat instruments are renowned for their exceptional craftsmanship, innovative technology, and timeless beauty. Each instrument is meticulously handmade by experienced technicians, using only premium materials such as high-quality French brass. Through an intricate process of hand-hammering and casting, P. Mauriat creates instruments with unparalleled resonance, offering players a uniquely rich and expressive sound. Musicians who play P. Mauriat instruments can expect excellent responsiveness, a warm and melodic tone, precise intonation, and fast key action that elevates their performance to the next level.

To know more about Jeremiah along with other resources in this episode, head on to our website.

In this episode, Donna and Jeremiah dive into:

• P. Mauriat’s latest model - ‘Venus’ for alto and tenor saxophones
• Does copper alloy affect the weight that much?
• The new P. Mauriat artists
• Is changing your set-up necessary when playing different styles of music?
• Why Jeremiah True loves the Rousseau 3.0 mouthpiece
• Rolled vs. drawn tone holes - how they affect your sound
• P. Mauriat’s Touring Case
  
• And more!

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Everything Saxophone Podcast Host, Donna Schwartz, interviewed Saxophonist, Composer, Educator, Don Braden for Episode 234.

We talked about:

• His early experiences with the saxophone and his first gigs
• The creation of the Earth Wind and Wonder album
• His journey to mastering improvisation, including studying the Aebersold books
• His transition to becoming a professional musician
• Memorable stories about Wynton Marsalis and Freddie Hubbard, and their influence on his playing
• All about the melody
• How his bandmates put their own stamp on the music
• The surprising role of real, wholesome food in supporting the health of musicians
• And more!

Don Braden has toured globally for over 40 years, leading his own ensembles on saxophone and flute, performing as a special guest, and working with jazz legends like Betty Carter, Wynton Marsalis, and Freddie Hubbard.

A prolific composer, he has released 24 CDs as a leader, contributed to over 80 as a sideman, and created music for film and TV, including Nickelodeon and CBS. His latest album, Earth, Wind and Wonder, Volume 2, is available on his website, Spotify, and Bandcamp.

As a world-renowned educator, Braden directs the Harvard Jazz Combo Initiative, teaches at the Prins Claus Conservatoire, and leads the Litchfield Jazz Camp and Texas Jazz and Blues Camp. He has also earned awards like the Doris Duke Foundation’s New Works composer’s award and judged prestigious music competitions.

Braden endorses the Antigua ProOne tenor saxophone, JodyJazz DV NY mouthpiece, and D’Addario Reserve reeds.

For his complete bio, visit our website for this episode saxophonepodcast.com.

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Everything Saxophone Podcast Host, Donna Schwartz, interviewed Mark Overton, Founder of SaxQuest and the National Saxophone Museum.

Mark Overton started Saxquest in 2000 with a vision of creating a mecca for saxophone players to find great equipment, share knowledge/learn about their instrument and engage in safe honest transactions with a knowledgeable sales staff in both a brick & mortar retail store and over the Internet.

This vision has led to the creation of two ventures, a retail store front-repair shop, with their online store at www.saxquest.com, along with a social media website for saxophone players at www.saxophone.org.

Mark has been active in the St. Louis jazz scene since 1993 and founded Code Blue, a Jazz Messengers style sextet and the Saxquest 9-piece Jazz Orchestra.

Mark has performed with many jazz ensembles such as the Allegro Jazz Ensemble, Original Knights of Swing, as well as classical ensembles such as the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra, St. Louis Youth Symphony, St. Louis Wind Symphony, and others.

Saxquest, a family-run business for over 25 years in St Louis, is a woodwind pro-shop specializing in both vintage and new professional model saxophones and clarinets.

Located on the 2nd floor of the shop, the Saxquest Saxophone Museum showcases a huge collection of many of the finest, rarest and most historically significant saxophones in the world as well as a collection of vintage saxophone accessories and other historical saxophone memorabilia.

The museum is free and open to the public and is a real treasure for the music lover or the eclectic museum goer.

The link to Mark’s full Bio, as well as the background information on SaxQuest and the Museum is on our site at https://saxophonepodcast.com

Along with getting an overview and tour of the Museum and the SaxQuest shop, we also talked about:

• The influence of Conn Music in schools
• Conn experimental horns
• New invention saxophone
• Lost Wax mouthpieces
• How metal mouthpieces started
• Working on vintage horns
• Instrument Handling Tips
• and much more!

Timestamps:

00:00 Museum and repair shop overview

05:38 Discussion on St. Louis and connections

12:47 The influence of Conn music in schools

17:12 The Conn Family Bible

23:15 Conn experimental horns

30:18 New invention saxophone

33:15 Lost Wax mouthpieces

38:05 How metal mouthpieces started

40:01 Other unique saxophones

46:02 Exploring the museum and repair shop

49:31 Working on vintage horns

56:33 Instrument Handling Tips

57:39 Case Design Considerations

01:00:50 Long-term Instrument Care

01:02:41 Innovative Drying Solutions

01:03:40 Swab Recommendations

01:07:37 Overview of the Repair Shop

This show was proudly sponsored by the Improvisation Made Easy Elite Coaching Program.

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