Today, I am reviewing a new mouthpiece from D’Addario called the Select Jazz tenor saxophone mouthpiece. This mouthpiece was designed by Kevin Garren at D’Addario with the help of Jeff Coffin. Show Jeff Coffin is a great saxophone player who has played and toured with Dave Matthews and Bela Fleck as well as many other artists. I have heard that Jeff plays on a custom Freddie Gregory Mark IV tenor sax mouthpiece. In fact, I heard from D’Addario that this new Select Jazz mouthpiece is modeled after Jeff Coffin’s custom Freddie Gregory tenor mouthpiece (If you don’t know about Freddie Gregory mouthpieces you can read some reviews of his pieces here). Here is a quote from D’Addario when asked what Jeff Coffin thought of the new D’Addario Select Jazz tenor saxophone mouthpiece:
 D’Addario Select Jazz Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Here is some more info from the Saxquest website about the D’Addario Select Jazz tenor saxophone mouthpiece: One of the Best Jazz Pieces Available Today! At long last, the heralded D’Addario Select Jazz mouthpiece for the tenor sax. This piece has been buzzed about for a long time, and it is finally here! The D’Addario Select Jazz mouthpiece captures the feel and tone of legendary mouthpieces from years past. Now, today’s saxophonists have a chance to discover for themselves the sound that, for decades, set the standard of jazz. The D’Addario Select Jazz mouthpiece brings forth a perfect union of tradition and innovation.
Available in these facings:
D’Addario Select Jazz Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece D’Addario sent me two mouthpieces to review. The 7 (.105) and the 8 (.110) tip openings. After playing them for a few minutes, I could tell there was a difference in the facings of each piece from the response of the reed I was using so I emailed D’Addario to ask them about it. They told me the 7 has a 24 mm length facing and the 8 has a 25 mm length facing. I’ll talk more about the impact of the facing curve later……….. Both Select Jazz tenor saxophone mouthpieces look great to the eye. The side rails and tips are nicely cut and even. The side rails are thin and even and the baffle is smooth and flawless as it slopes down into the chamber. They have a medium rollover baffle. I used to own a Freddie Gregory Mark IV and the rollover baffle of the D’Addario Select Jazz is indeed similar to that model. I can’t say exact, but I think it is close to what I remember on my Freddie Gregory Mark IV…… D’Addario Select Jazz Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece The Select Jazz 7 and 8 played well with Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 strong reeds as well as Rigotti Gold 3 light reeds. I included sound clips of both reeds for each mouthpiece so you can hear what they sound like and the differences. I liked aspects of both reeds on each mouthpiece. As I listened back, it was hard for me to decide on just one clip to post so I’m posting all of them. The 2 1/2 Rigotti Gold Strong felt easy to blow on each mouthpiece but I’m not sure they were hard enough to last a four hour gig or give the volume you might need on a gig. The Rigotti 3 light gave more resistance to blow against and I think they would last
longer and give more volume on a live gig. D’Addario Select Jazz Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Now, let’s talk about facing lengths. The facing curve is the curve of the rails that the reed bends against as you play the saxophone. I have done a facing curve length experiment in the past and the results hold true for these mouthpieces. The 7 tip and 24mm length facing was a bit more resistant than the 8 tip with the 25mm curve. What this means is that a 2 1/2 reed on the 7 felt quite good. It had a good resistance to it and the reed felt strong. That’s because the curve is a little shorter and the reed has to bend at a greater degree as you play. The 8 Select Jazz mouthpiece with the 25mm facing length is easier for that same reed to bend with. It has a longer curve and the rate of the curve is a little gentler so the reed blows easier and feels a little softer. What does this all mean? Well if you like harder reeds, you will probably like a longer facing curve of 25+mm because that harder reed will play easier.
On a shorter facing curve that same reed might feel a lot harder or even impossible to play. On the other side of the coin, the shorter facing curve makes softer reeds feel harder to the player. So if you like a softer reed you might like a 48 or less curve on your mouthpiece. You can read the blog post above for more information on the effects of facing curves……. D’Addario Select Jazz Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece How did they play? Well, with the 2 1/2 Strong Rigotti reeds, I felt like both mouthpiece were in the middle of the dark to bright spectrum but leaning into the brighter side. Interestingly enough, I felt like the 3 Light Rigotti made the 7 tip a bit darker and more focused and the 8 tip opening a bit brighter and more focused. The intonation was great throughout the range of the horn and the tone felt very smooth and even. The altissimo was easy to get but I felt like the 3 Light reed on the 7 tip gave the altissimo a bit more depth and substance. I did end up preferring the 7 tip with the Rigotti 3 light reed the most. I have a few favorite mouthpieces with 24mm facing curves so I think I just felt more comfortable on the 7 tip with the 24mm curve. The 8 with the 2 1/2 strong Rigotti played great also. I liked the 3 light on the 8 also but when listening back, I thought it sounds a bit brighter to my ears. I included it for those who like a brighter sound (think Coltrane…..Bergonzi……..) I think D’Addario has done a great job with their new Select Jazz tenor saxophone mouthpiece. At this moment, the Select Jazz tenor mouthpiece is retailed at 199.00 at Saxquest.com. They are also available on the D’Addario website. That is a great price for this mouthpiece in my opinion. I wish I could have had a sax mouthpiece like this to choose from when I was a student in high school many years ago. D’Addario Select Jazz Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece If you like the sound of the D’Addario Select Jazz tenor saxophone mouthpiece clips below and the mouthpiece catches your interest then give it a try. You can get more information and purchase the D’Addario Select Jazz tenor mouthpiece at www.saxquest.com or at D’Addario. Tell them Steve sent you………….!! Let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks, Steve D’Addario Select Jazz 7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Strong Reed D’Addario Select Jazz 7 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Light Reed D’Addario Select Jazz 8Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 2 1/2 Strong Reed D’Addario Select Jazz 8 Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece-Rigotti Gold 3 Light Reed Disclosure: I received the sample mouthpieces mentioned above for free in the hope that I would try them and perhaps review them on my blog. Regardless, I only review mouthpieces that I enjoy playing and believe will be good for other saxophone players to try also. Steve What mouthpiece does Jeff Coffin use?Jeff Coffin on the JodyJazz DV Baritone 8
"The JodyJazz DV Baritone 8 is the best baritone sax mouthpiece that I have found.
What pitch should a tenor sax mouthpiece play?Most important among the differences between the various saxophones is the mouthpiece pitch for each instrument – concert C for soprano, A for alto, G for tenor, and D for baritone.
What mouthpiece does Dave Liebman use?The DL mouthpiece is one of the most technologically advanced metal soprano saxophone mouthpieces ever made. It was designed for Dave Liebman in 1991 and is featured on dozens of his albums recorded over the years.
What mouthpiece does Joel Frahm use?Vintage Otto Link Florida "USA" 7 Tenor Mouthpiece Owned by Joel Frahm. This mouthpiece was owned and performed on by saxophonist Joel Frahm. Original Facing on this vintage mouthpiece as well for those inquiring, a very rare treat for the saxophonist looking for a more usable tip opening!
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Daddario select jazz tenor saxophone mouthpiece review
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