We’re closing out our NAMM 2025 coverage with a must-hear episode!

Everything Saxophone Podcast host Donna Schwartz caught up with Theo Wanne, a world-renowned expert in saxophone mouthpiece design and innovation, at the NAMM Show 2025 in Anaheim, CA.

With over three decades of experience, Theo has revolutionized how musicians approach sound and craftsmanship.

In this episode, he shares insights into the Theo Wanne Essentials Collection, discusses the artistry behind his mouthpieces, and reveals what makes them stand out.

Here’s what you’ll discover:
🎷 Introducing the New Theo Wanne Essentials Collection
🎷 Theo's journey of making saxophone mouthpieces
🎷 Options for tip openings
🎷 Other Theo Wanne mouthpiece models
🎷 The distinguishing features in the New Essentials Concert Series
🎷 How Theo Wanne makes quality mouthpieces at an affordable price
🎷 What makes their mouthpiece different and special

This is a conversation you don’t want to miss! Tune in now and get an inside look at the innovation shaping the saxophone world.

You can find Theo Wanne's info and all their links on our site HERE.

That’s a wrap on our final NAMM 2025 episode—thank you for tuning in! 🙌
But we’re just getting started. We have an incredible lineup of guests coming your way, including Jason Gay, Leah Concialdi, and more—each bringing unique perspectives and inspiring stories.

Stay tuned for an exciting season of engaging discussions, expert insights, and behind-the-scenes stories you won’t want to miss!

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Everything Saxophone Podcast Host, Donna Schwartz, spoke with Sheryl Laukat—CEO & Co-Founder and Dr Randal Clark—Dir of Media & Education of Cannonball Musical Instruments, at the NAMM Show 2025 in Anaheim, CA.

In this special episode, we go behind the scenes with Cannonball Instruments at NAMM 2025! We dive into what makes Cannonball saxophones stand out, the secret behind putting a pearl on a lee pipe, and their most popular saxophone loved by pros like Gerald Albright & Eric Darius.

Plus, we chat about Cannonball’s legendary jam sessions, their exciting plans for their 30th anniversary, and catch up with Randal Clark on his upcoming music. 🎶🔥 He even gives us an exclusive look at the Cannonball saxophone he’s playing right now and breaks down his current setup.

Don't Miss Out:

➡️ What makes Cannonball saxophones different
➡️ Putting a pearl on a lee pipe
➡️ Their most popular saxophone
➡️ Saxophones used by Gerald Albright and Eric Darius
➡️ Cannonball’s jam sessions
➡️ Plans for the 30th anniversary
➡️ What is Randal Clark up to
➡️ His upcoming music
➡️ Showing Cannonball sax he’s currently using
➡️ His set-up
➡️ Where can you check his work and music

Your support means the world to us! Because of you, we can continue creating and sharing incredible saxophone content.

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And there’s even more coming—we can’t wait to share it with you!

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Your support means the world to us and fuels everything we do. Because of you, we can keep creating, innovating, and bringing even more exciting content your way.

When you become a Patron, you’re not just supporting the show—you’re joining an exclusive community of passionate saxophone professionals, players, and enthusiasts who get incredible perks, including:

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• Stay tuned—there’s so much more to come, and we can’t wait to share it with you

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Everything Saxophone Podcast Host, Donna Schwartz, interviewed Melvin Quinones, Founder of Victory Musical Instruments, and inventor of the World’s First ‘Screwless’ Saxophone!

Victory Musical Instruments has gained recognition among musicians and dealers for its craftsmanship and performance. During the interview, Quinones discussed the meticulous design process and the motivation behind creating a ‘screwless’ saxophone—an idea born from his deep understanding of musicians’ needs and his commitment to pushing the boundaries of instrument design.

Can’t wait to share this one! If you love game-changing innovations, you’ll want to tune in! We covered:

🎷 Featuring the screwless saxophone
🎷 Why it’s good for those who travel with their saxophone
🎷 Does being screwless have a great impact on its weight?
🎷 Dominating the global market
🎷 Does Sweetwater carry all their models?
🎷 Upcoming projects

Your support means the world to us and fuels everything we do. Because of you, we can keep creating, innovating, and bringing even more exciting content your way.

When you become a Patron, you’re not just supporting the show—you’re joining an exclusive community of passionate saxophone professionals, players, and enthusiasts who get incredible perks, including:

• A complete, always-updated listing of all our shows
• Bonus videos packed with behind-the-scenes content
• Searchable transcripts for every episode
• Early access to episodes—hear them before anyone else!
• Exclusive NAMM Show content: interviews, performances, and highlights—see it first as a Patron!
• Stay tuned—there’s so much more to come, and we can’t wait to share it with you

And the best part? You can join for as little as $2 a month!

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Everything Saxophone Podcast Host, Donna Schwartz, interviewed CEO of Bari Woodwinds, Ron Van Ostenbridge, live at the NAMM Show 2025.

If you’re a saxophonist, you know that the right gear can make all the difference. This year at the NAMM Show 2025, Donna had the incredible opportunity to meet with the CEO of Bari Woodwinds for an exclusive interview on my podcast. They dove deep into their newest innovation—the Cobalt Reeds—and more.

• Bari’s newest cobalt reed
• It’s characteristics
• It’s strength availability
• How is the strength compared to other brands
• What inspired them to create the cobalt reed
• How long can it last if used on a daily basis
• How to tell if the reed has already died
• Is rotating reeds necessary
• Demo with Jason Arce
• What does Jason think of the newest reed from Bari
  

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When you become a Patron, you’re not just supporting the show—you’re joining an exclusive community of passionate saxophone professionals, players, and enthusiasts who get incredible perks, including:

• A complete, always-updated listing of all our shows
• Bonus videos packed with behind-the-scenes content
• Searchable transcripts for every episode
• Early access to episodes—hear them before anyone else!
• Exclusive NAMM Show content: interviews, performances, and highlights—see it first as a Patron!

Your support doesn’t just unlock these amazing benefits—it powers the show! From video storage and production to hosting and distribution, every contribution helps us keep bringing you the best content possible.

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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.

If you’re a saxophonist with some experience playing (and a little improvising), and you just don’t know what and how to practice to get better at improvisation, CLICK HERE to book your Free Strategy Session call to get clarity on your next steps.

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