Review Centre: Saxophone Players

"We were so pleased we chose Casado for our garden party, they were professional, approachable and really tailored the day to our needs. Casado played pieces that were personally requested by us, which meant a lot. The gentle style of swing and Latin jazz was perfect for our event and we would definitely recommend them."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Awesome musician! He did a great job!! Hired him to play during our wedding cocktail and he did a fantastic job!! Would definitely hire him again!!! He has a huge playlist of songs he can play and he was always so responsive when I would reach out to him! Don't waste your time looking for a different saxophone player, Renovated Saxophone is your guy!!!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Echte pro's! Invoelend, bewust van de gelegenheid en stiekem super virtuoos."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Mike played at our wedding reception and he was absolutely fantastic, he created the perfect feel good party vibe for our guests. It out everyone in the mood to get on it!! For anyone thinking of booking Mike please do, he’s a super talented musician and really sound guy too! Looking forward to seeing play again soon."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Rory was excellent!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Charlie Jennison's debut album for Maine's Invisible Music Records is a smooth piece of work. "Smooth" not in the sense of the saccharine stuff served up by contemporary jazz players, but smooth as in classy unpretentiousness in the playing. Jennison is an alumnus of the Do'ah Wild Music Ensemble, a New Hampshire group which recorded for Global Pacific label. He has since gravitated to jazz having recorded with singers Kathleen Kolman and Leila Percy, among others. Jennison has also worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry and Buddy DeFranco and is on the faculty of New Hampshire's Phillips Exeter Academy. Forsaking standard material for his first album, the play list is made up of ten Jennison originals all in various tempi and style, but which start getting repetitious along the way as ideas get thin. Some of the better pieces include "To You, From Me" which features Jennison on alto with some exciting drum breaks by Ken Clark. Another piece spotlighting Jennison's alto, which sounds like Phil Woods when Woods is in a mellow mood, is the lovely ballad "Georgie," with "My Anne" rivaling "Georgie" for sheer musical attractiveness. The tenor takes over on "Watch Your Step" with Jennison showing some incredible dexterity with daring fingering technique. There's a nice blues with a funky piano solo by Jim Butka and good bass strumming from John Hunter on "Amanda's Blues." Jennison brings out his soprano on "Rain in My Coffee" which has a light Latin beat with more good piano from Jim Butka. But virtually all tunes on this session take the same course. There's an introduction establishing the basic melody structure, followed by some technically compelling fingering after which there's a return to the melody. No matter how good the instrumentalist is —and Jennison is very good—unless the original material is superior, it's not going to hold one's attention for a whole sitting. And that is the case here. I have heard Jennison on other albums and he handles standard stuff very well. It would have behooved him to have put a couple of those on this CD. This would have strengthened the credibility of the original material."

Reply by Charlie Jennison Quartet
I appreciate Dave Nathan's willingness to review my flagship release and also recognize his candor in suggesting that the original material I wrote could have been strengthened by including some standard tunes as well. I would like to note that, in more than one instance, I used the framework of a jazz standard as the foundation for a new composition. For example, on the track, "To You, From Me," I employed the chord progression to Cole Porter's "You Do Something To Me." My tune, "Amanda's Blues" is also just a variation of a standard minor blues. With a lifetime of experience playing, I now recognize his observation of "virtually all tunes on this session take the same course," to be spot on. This was, after all, my first (and only) excursion into the realm of recorded jazz, and as a young player, I still had a lot to learn about crafting the presentation of material in a more interesting way. Now that I am getting close to 80 years old, I have decided to create another album of original material with the same players, kind of like a bookend to wrap up a successful career teaching and playing (although not recording). Look for a release sometime in 2026!

Rating: 8 / 10 Share this review:

"Absolutely fantastic saxophonist - music list was perfectly selected for our audience and performed exceptionally. Thank you very Paul!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Tim came and played at our wedding. Not only did he spend the months before learning new songs for us so that I could have all that I wanted to remember my Dad through music, but he also played along with our Gospel Choir amazingly - not even with a rehearsal before. Tim, you simply made the day so emotional with your beautiful sax. It was the perfect ambience throughout the ceremony, and a great background throughout the drinks arrival and lunch. We had our first dance to Real Love - Jess Glynn, which was so special too, and your happy and friendly face all day was just lovely too. Thank you so much for everything. I know it was quite the musical service but you nailed it. Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts. For anyone thinking of booking - please do - you will not regret it."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Mark is an incredible saxophonist, we hired him for 2 separate events and both times he smashed the brief. The first was a corporate ‘enchanted forest’ themed event, the only catch. We wanted him playing dressed as a Faun! He miraculously accommodated and we had amazing feedback. The second event, a company birthday party to play 90s house, and party classics. Thanks Mark for your amazing work. (10 / 10)"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Perfect music for a high-end celebration. Leon brought sophistication and emotion to our event. Absolutely outstanding."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Mark played for a couple of hour at my sons 21st alongside the DJ. Definitely took the night up a couple of notches and our guests loved it - everyone had a great night & we would highly recommend. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Cristiano Giardini ha reso unica e raffinata l'atmosfera della nostra serata. Oltre ad essere un musicista di talento e di grande esperienza, è anche una persona puntuale, affidabile e disponibile, che saprà comprendere le vostre esigenze e darvi ottimi consigli sull'organizzazione del vostro evento. Noi contiamo di rivederlo presto per qualche altra occasione. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Ivan is a talented musician who will make sure to make your moments very special with his perfect music choices ✌️✌️👌👌👌 …"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Darryl did a fantastic job playing for my wedding. Everyone loved his music and it created a beautiful ambience. "

Reply by Saxophonist Darryl "DEESAXPLAYER"Anderson
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your journey. Darryl “deesaxplayer Anderson

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"It was a great start to the party night with Jan, he gets it! Sets the mood from the first minute. Highly recommended and for a next party he is very welcome again!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: