In July 2006 Mark was presented with a Signature
Custom Solid Silver Body Tenor Saxophone. All performances and
recording thereafter will be using this amazing British instrument
. The first recorded works on the instrument is Good Bye Pork
Pie Hat and Lover Man. These tracks will be available the on the
CD Solo. Mark Buckingham. Which also contains
versions of Misty, Tenderly, Stardust (on Alto) and improvisations
on alto and Eb clarinets. (not forgetting the Flintstone's Theme
for solo bass clarinet). Please check the www.signaturecustom.co.uk
web site for details of the awesome instrument. CD avaliable hopefully
in August.
Please enjoy the test recording of Good Bye Porkpie
Hat, recorded on the first evening of delivery. Straight out of
the case, incredible craftsmanship and musicality. MP3
and Improvisation.
Contact Mark if you wish to make an appointment
to try the Saxophone at The Richmond Music Shop, 16 Red Lion Street,
Richmond Surrey, 02083326220.
Photographs of the Signature Custom will be appearing
thanks to Kevin Mayhew Publishers on the Jammin' The Blues Books
for Bb and Eb instruments.
ALEX MITCHELL.
Alex uses a Red Brass Signature Custom Tenor with an option of
a Solid Silver crook.
Alex Mitchell studied the saxophone at the Royal Northern College
of Music, graduating with both a Degree and a Professional Performance
Diploma. As a member of the Adelphi Saxophone Quartet he was a
finalist in the Royal Overseas League Competition, received a
major award from the John Tunnell Trust and was selected to perform
as part of the Park Lane Group Young Artists Concert Series. He
has given recitals in North America and Canada as well as all
over the United Kingdom in venues such as the Purcell Room, the
Barbican Centre, and St Martin-in-the-Fields. He is an EMI recording
artist and has broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, Classic FM and Granada
TV. He has also performed at the British and World Saxophone Congresses,
at the New England Saxophone Symposium and at the Spitalfields
Festival. He also has experience with orchestral theatre work,
including a summer season with the National Youth Theatre, a winter
season at Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre and on board a
P&O liner. Alex Mitchell has appeared regularly at the Edinburgh
Fringe in possibly the world's only tribute band to the Bonzo
Dog Doo Dah Band. He teaches the saxophone at St Paul's School
and at Godolphin & Latymer School, and has been a visiting
saxophone tutor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in
the United States, and at the Royal Welsh College of Music and
Drama.
Signature
Custom 925 Tenor Saxophone
First Impressions
The instrument sent to me has a solid silver crook and body,
bronze bow and bell. The instrument is supplied in a rugged Hiscox
case.
Opening the case of this instrument is an experience in itself.
The saxophone is flawless - not one fingerprint anywhere! The
finish is exquisite. The solid silver patina is marvelous, the
lacquered bow and bell is many-layered and with a wonderful colour;
the lacquered keywork, faultless. Looking down the bell (as you
do) there is the wonderful colour of natural bronze. Lush! The
saxophone had no marks, scratches, blobs of solder, not even dust.
A fantastic experience. I keep washing my hands so as not to leave
fingerprints all over it. An honour to hold it.
The instrument is ‘Made in England’ (the only UK
saxophone) and is meticulously designed and built by David Farley
at the Trevor James premises. Each Signature Custom saxophone
is built by David only and to your own specifications, hence the
quality and workmanship is unprecedented in the saxophone world.
There is a waiting time for the Custom Signature saxophone. David
will custom set-up for you and will adjust and alter keywork if
you have particular requirements. Again absolutely unique by a
maker.
I could devote many pages to describing the playing and sound
of the saxophone and all its nuances, but I will endeavour to
be fairly brief.
Listening to the recordings I and others have done will really
speak the words.
I fitted my Bobby Dukoff 9* with a Rico Royal 2 (I’m expecting
criticism of my soft reeds) and then spent all day playing it
- I only put it down to eat and drink, and even then rushed my
food to get back to it. As you may deduce from my soft reeds,
I demand flexibility from the instruments I perform and record
with, so that I can create colour and tone adjustments within
phrases very quickly. The Signature Custom response and quality
of tone is otherworldly.
Playing pianissimo low Bb and fiddling around all the low notes
at PPP and with subtone is always a
good test for any saxophone and this instrument is faultless.
But it is the tone that got me; most saxes, even top of the range,
lose clarity and go sort of woofy, if you know what I mean, but
the Signature Custom maintains an absolutely clear tone and ease
to add colour to the tones that I’ve not experienced before.
Playing the whole range of the Signature at PPP
is also an experience. No fluffy notes, no creaking or cracking/splitting
of notes. It just does what it’s told - again, the depth
of tone at PPP and the options available
to alter and develop colours and effects is outrageous. I then
spent the day working the Signature through the volume range at
all pitches, playing long notes and at speed altering the tones
and colours, growling, singing the same pitch as the note I was
playing, then singing the 5 above etc. - what fun! Again, the
Signature did exactly what it was told to do and just made it
sound so clear and concise and so easy to project.
Projection on the Signature will inspire confidence, many players
these days are not taught to project so when they want to be heard
they just blow harder to turn the volume up but because the tone
of the Signature is so broad and focussed, there is an inbuilt
projection. I don’t know how the Signature does it - I just
play it but I’m sure David and the Trevor James personnel
could explain the science of acoustics and metals for you but
ut however they achieve it, the instrument sings, which is what
it is all about at the end of the day. I think players that have
not had the years of projection training and want to be heard
will be astounded with the presence of focus, sound and tone the
Signature offers without having to force the volume up and stress
everybody.
When it comes to fff the Signature
takes on beastly proportions, the power available is immense,
and with no loss of tone quality. Playing medium volume phrases
and then punching out a fff in the middle
of it is such fun (simple pleasures). The saxophone is there waiting
to respond and produce a glorious sound.
Enough of trying to describe sound in words. On the second day
of receiving the Signature I recorded Goodbye Porkpie Hat by Charlie
Mingus. It can be heard on www.gruntproductions.com This improvisation
is one take - no edits, no cut-and-pasting of the audio.
When it comes to the action of the Signature it is faultless.
Fast, responsive, positive, lightning quick. I did a short improvisation
just to see how fast the Signature would go. Anything I tried,
worked. This is also available to hear.I have recorded Lover Man
and re-recorded Goodbye Porkpie Hat for the CD Solo Mark Buckingham,
it also includes the improvisation to see how fast the Signature
would play. In the recordings I have endeavoured to show the complete
sonic range that I am capable of creating with a saxophone and
which the Signature allows me to achieve, which is far more than
any other tenor I have played. I have no doubt that as I work
more with the Signature Custom, new sound opportunities will be
revealed and recorded. What joy awaits?
A phenomenal saxophone, a work of art that sounds amazing!
Please listen to the results.
Mark Buckingham.
Goodbye Porkpie
Improvisation at Speed
Signature
Custom Alto Saxophone.
Solid Silver 925 crook with red brass body bow and bell.
The instrument arrived on Thursday afternoon in a rugged Hiscox
case, which is supplied as standard for all Signature Custom Saxophones.
The quality of the finish is outstanding, a deep gold lacquer,
which is 3 layers thick; the workmanship is faultless.
David Farley, who designed and builds all the Signature at the
Trevor J. James workshops to order, knows how I like my saxophones
set up, as I already use a Signature Custom tenor. He set all
the side key springing perfectly as I find if they are too heavy
the instrument moves when I hit them, affecting stability and
thus tone. The main finger keywork on first impression seemed
a bit too light even for me, but the feel is growing on me. Being
a privileged Signature Custom owner entitles one to the ‘after
service’; David will adjust any keywork and set-up to the
player’s requirements. This is unique, as no other maker
offers that. An element of the saxophone I also like is where
the fingers and hands touch the instrument the keywork is rounded
and smooth making it very comfortable to hold.
Having complete faith with the Signature Custom I tuned it up
in the afternoon then gigged with the sax that evening, a funk,
jazz and jazz/rock gig in Clapham (I left my Selmer at home, I
had such faith in it). The instrument was fantastic, straight
out of the case and ready for professional work - not like certain
makers with huge reputations where the saxes need to go to your
repairer for pad setting etc.
The beauty of having one man as designer, builder and quality
control separates the Signature Custom from all manufacturers.
On the first gig I made the mistake of using a Otto Link 7* instead
of my normal 6*. The difference is huge and I did not realise
the mistake until the next day. I felt my tone did not quite have
the projection and power as normal. The next day I was totally
knocked out when I stuck the 6* on the alto.
The power and projection is immense. Playing sub-tones and PPP
is so clear it’s shocking. The solid silver crook has to
be experienced, with such a clean sound throughout the dynamic
range. Performers need to have very clearly projected tone these
days so that they are able to carry their sound through electric
guitars and drums etc., often at high decibel levels. The Signature
Custom series will surprise even the most fixed player who insists
on a particular brand (me included). It is so powerful. Volume
is essential for most band work; if you are lucky enough to be
working with quiet ensembles then the depth of tone of the Signature
Custom at low levels will inspire you.
An incredible aspect to the Signature Custom series of saxophones,
which I have also discovered with the tenor, is the balance of
tone on every note throughout the instrument range, and beyond.
This is a remarkable achievement for the Trevor J. James Company
because nearly all saxes however expensive have tonal weak spots.
In conclusion, with regard to the initial performing and playing/testing
of the Signature I am wholly impressed. I can find no fault and
in many respects the alto outplays my normal alto. The tonal clarity,
power and projection is superior.
When one considers value for money this alto wins hands down.
Professional saxophones are very expensive even with retailer
discounts and what you get with the Signature Custom is staggering.
Just look at the cost of a silver crooked instrument and compare
with Signature Customs competitors!
I will be using the Signature Custom from now onwards, the asset
of the power, clarity, projection and balanced tone over the whole
instrument as well the inherent tone of the silver crook has won
my favor.
Anybody looking for a professional saxophone would do well to
have an unbiased and unprejudiced attitude and blow a Signature
Custom Saxophone from Trevor J. James & Co.
Recordings soon.
