Corry Bros Mouthpieces -Jazz Stuff ...

The sickening , undignified and unfortunate truth that all musicians must eventually face. When you're young you don't care, but when you're older, you will.

Ella didn't need to speak. Her vocal prowess was bordering on invincible. When she passed , a hole was left in Jazz that was never re-filled.

Rahsaan Roland Kirk was a meteoric enigma in Jazz. A blind multi- instrumentalist, Kirk was a collector of instruments, styles, and utter respect from anyone who saw him perform. He famously jammed with Jimi Hendrix, and could probably destroy you with a solo from an ear-flute . Remind the world of his genius...

go on..get a sticker of it, and stick it on their case when they aren't looking..

If you have never experienced played the true soul-cleansing effects of the Blues correctly, give up now. All the legends of Jazz were master Blues players too: the lifeblood of Jazz.

The average wage for 9 solid hours of Jazz work. You now have to drive 200 miles home.

Not your average "Sax" T-shirt. Celebrate the man, not the THING. Sax's genius is nearly incomprehensible if you really delve into his story. His woodwind and brass instruments surpassed rival makers in Paris, causing them to engage in Industrial and Legal espionage to try to stop him. He improved brass instrument designs, invented the modern Bass Clarinet, and generally kicked a** in all areas of instrument fabrication, and the manufacturing processes themselves. He INVENTED modern instrument production. we could go on and on... Oh yeah, he invented the Saxophone too.

Nina was not like you. An intellect forged through inequality and injustice. A self proclaimed rebel WITH a cause, Nina's work is still as relevant today as it ever was. Celebrate a one in a million .

A modern description of one who plays Jazz.

Ever feel like you never get the gig, but only ever get called when someone can't make it? You are a DEP.

Oscar lays bare the false fear that all Jazz musicians face. Who cares what some critic thinks who doesn't even PLAY??!! Your audience will give you more of a clue of your art than any critic will. Be like Oscar. (oh yeah, Critics are great when they give a good review/quote)

..Faster than a speeding bullet, a blistering combination of logic and fluidity on both Alto and Tenor sax. Sonny Stitt sits in the A-Team van with the big boys.

Edward "Tubby" Hayes. Tubbs. The first truly world-class saxophonist from England. Tubbs had supreme facility, great ears, harmonic knowledge and lyricism. Just listen to his battles with Johnny Griffin. We're proud of our Tubbs, remind the world what a beast he was.

Be proud of your vast knowledge of the subject. in fact, BOAST.

Eric Dolphy. Mulit- instrumentalist, and post-Parker influencer. Famous also for quitting the Mingus big band in quiet but spectacular fashion. Another talent lost too young. Remind everyone.

We know how much you add to the overall sound of the band. How tight you need to be to sound right. But to everyone else, you're just "The Horns", replaceable, an annoying expense, two-a-penny, right?

If you haven't read his book "Straight life" you're missing out. Art Pepper was a beautiful Alto player, but so often under appreciated . He had his problems, but hey, we all do.

We all know one. Every now and then you gotta visit the Doc.

The Empress of the Blues. When she recorded in the '20's, the process was different, bands had to record into a 'horn' instead of a microphone. Bessie had to stand 20 ft away from the horn as her voice drowned out the band.

Albert Ayler, though often categorised with the "Avante Garde" or "Free"schools, actually defied both of these categorisations. He was an enigma, literally doing his own thing; sometimes focussing entirely on tone, sometimes on harmonic/non harmonic elements. A true Jazz warrior , forging his own tools and path.

Leon "CHU" Berry. Not many players get a saxophone named after them (officially or unofficially) but the Conn 'New Wonder' is known by musicians as a Conn CHU BERRY. Chu worked with many of the greats before his life was cut tragically short in a car accident. Charlie Parker named his son Leon after him.

Drum beast and leader of the "Jazz Messengers" a seminal group that featured every major player in Jazz at some point. Sometimes a bandleader can't listen to every opinion in the band, maybe it's worth remembering this quote. Or wearing it.

Stan Getz. Legend. Forger of Latin-Jazz. Moody. His confirmed difficulty to deal with is always overshadowed by his beautiful soft tone and the lyrical webs he spun.

Advance on next gig? Open an account with the Royal Bank of Jazz.

The superstar of the Ellington Band, adored by Charlie Parker , another Luminary who wrote the book on Alto playing. Soaring tone, scoops of perfection, taste and class. Enough said. Think of the most beautiful sound you ever heard. It's probably Johnny Hodges.

Ok, it's not your gig, but play like it is, and you may get asked back. But you may not. The dangers of being a DEP are incredible: play too well, steal the gig, lose a friend. Play not as good as your friend, don't get asked back as you don't cut it. So wear this warning message with pride, it could be your only defence.

Joe Henderson was the archetypal hard working Jazz Musician. He recorded with Blue Note, Verve and many others. A great voice who in his later years became a huge influence on his younger contempories. Listen to him "live" to appreciate his greatness.

The Jazz Clock only shows the time between 9pm and 4 am , as thats when Jazz musicians exist.

There's only you left on this planet, the one, the only one, who knows the music of "***INSERT YOUR IDOL HERE***" better than anyone. You alone must hold the torch aloft..

Piercing tone, steeped in Blues, Hard Bop and Modality. A disciple of Parker, he struggled with addiction, loss of his cabaret card, all the while producing a stunning body of post-Parker work. Celebrate Jackie McClean.

The daily, toxic relationship all single reed players put up with.

Stalwart of the Ellington band for his entire career, owner of one of the fattest lushest baritone tones ever, Harry Carney is the genesis of modern Baritone playing. Worship him. We do, and so did Duke.

Ornette Coleman was a stellar force in re-thinking jazz harmony, and a catalyst for many movements within the art form . Ornette Coleman sums up a core principle in Jazz and improvisation: be yourself , no matter what.

aaaaahhhh, the Happy jazzy life we all lead.

Long Tall Dexter. Legend. And very tall. Celebrate his legacy as one of Jazz's finest, became a screen star and features in one go the most iconic Jazz pictures ever. Check him out.

Yeah yeah, you play bass. But can you play Double? Not so easy without dots and frets eh? One of the quietest instruments in Jazz, but lets face it, take it away, and everything sounds cr*p. All hail the Double Bass.