Alden Hellmuth performs at the "After Dark" event on Oct. 22 at the Close Up jazz club in New York.
On Oct. 22, D’Addario gathered cutting-edge jazz musicians, MI industry professionals and local music fans alike for a community event at the intimate New York City jazz club Close Up.
The event, part of D’Addario’s “After Dark” performance series, featured a virtuosic set led by D’Addario artists Alden Hellmuth and Sergio Tabanico, and compositions specially written for the evening by Hellmuth. Then, guests stuck around for a jam session stretching into the night.
Unlike many MI industry events, D’Addario’s gathering was open to industry and the public alike — a key aspect of the company’s efforts to support musicians and the communities around them. The company hosted the event to coincide with their new campaign entitled “Different By Design.”
The name has a double meaning, said D’Addario’s Andrew Whitelaw.
“On the one hand, D’Addario’s approach to designing and manufacturing products is very different than the traditional woodwind world,” he said. “We use advanced machinery and are the only brand that sells reeds that are 100% certified organic.”
“The campaign’s other meaning refers to the amazing artists we’re featuring, like Alden Hellmuth,” he continued. “They’re artists who use different techniques and technologies to push their sound forward in unique ways. These are artists who we believe are the future, and who will represent woodwinds for the next decade and beyond.”
Hellmuth uses a D’Addario Select Jazz mouthpiece on her alto saxophone, and said that she loves the sound and nuance it brings to the instrument.
“I grew up using a Meyer mouthpiece and really liked its darker tone,” Hellmuth said. “When I tried a D’Addario mouthpiece for the first time a few years ago, I loved it, too. It reminded me of my Meyer, but it also has more resonance and bite. It’s both mellow and responsive, and felt familiar as soon as I started playing it. I haven’t switched since.”
At the “After Dark” concert, Hellmuth found the alto sax sound shaped by her D’Addario mouthpiece particularly beautiful given how it contrasted with the the brighter tone of Tabanico’s tenor.
“We’re used to hearing the alto sound sit on top in an ensemble like the one we had at the show, so it was a really interesting switch to explore a brighter tenor and darker alto tone instead,” she said. “It was great being able to play with such unique timbral combinations.”
