J. Corey Francis

It has been a while. A long while.

But, after several years, I am back in the saddle. Or neskstrap as it were.

While I have pulled out my old Selmer Super Action 80 Series II Alto, placed a good ol’ Vandoren 3.5 reed on the AL3 mouthpiece, and played a bit, it has not been for a long amount of time. Or for any other reason.

This semester I started teaching saxophone again. While it is only a couple students at NSCC, it is good to be back to a more regular player. With that comes the desire to really play. A quartet. A recital. Some ensemble. The urge to play more often is a presence I haven’t felt in a long time.

And, when I jump, I find the largest rabbit hole possible. I found a saxophone player message board, a couple of places which teach lessons online, a load of Youtube videos with varying degrees of awfulness. And a podcast which I mostly enjoy. New reeds were needed and a new brand purchased. I really like them. Give me a few more weeks and I will decide if they are worthy of my purchase or if I go back to the blue boxed veteran.

What will come of all this? I hope a recital happens in the Fall. Which would be used for a local concerto competition. A few more students to the studio and maybe a Christmas performance at a local retirement home, we will call 2026 a successful saxophone season.