Favorite blog posts, April 2025

Here’s what I liked on the woodwind-related blogs this month:

• From Casa Valdez, some utterly fascinating recordings (with scores!) of Joe Viola playing overdubbed woodwinds. A must-see for doublers.
• I have been seeing this incredible video of Samuel Barber with the classic Philadelphia Orchestra Wind Quintet all over blogs and social media lately, but Donax Music was the first to bring it to my attention. Worth the half-hour.
• Saxophonist Jody Espina shares the concept he calls “Coltrones”—a sort of combination of long tones and transcription that can help you sound like Coltrane (and others).
• Oboist Jennet Ingle explains how your brain may be sabotaging your playing in a confused attempt to keep you alive, and offers tips for solving this problem.
• David Wells makes freely available his edition of Vivaldi G-minor bassoon concerto RV 495—solo part, score, and orchestral parts.
• Saxophonist Jeff Cunningham shares some tips on maintaining motivation to practice. Geared toward beginners, but solid concepts for experienced musicians as well.
• Trent Jacobs of Midwest Musical Imports does a brief video interview with bassoon maker Peter Wolf. It’s a little bit of an ad for Wolf/Midwest, but I’m a sucker for new technologies/materials in instrument manufacture, and Wolf is full of interesting ideas.
• Soprano saxophone specialist Sam Newsome walks us through a solo by Wayne Shorter (with video).
• Oboist Christa Garvey connects articulation to breathing.
• Saxophonist Bill Plake shares some ideas about attitude and progress toward musical goals.
• Maarten Vonk of Bassoon.com starts a kind of census of the world’s bassoonists.
• Clarinet Cache points out some resources for finding and reading clarinet dissertations.
• Bassoonist Jolene Mason wrestles with the competitive aspects of music and academia.

Enjoy, and keep writing good stuff!