Monday, March 9, 2015

From the Montreal Gazette


Seven Days, Seven Nights: From big city blues to loving cityscapes
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Monday, Jan. 26
Chicago native and old-school tenor/soprano saxman Johnny Beaudine headlines the downtown House of Jazz tonight with his band Deep Blue, featuring pianist Peter Mika, bass player Ben Comeau and drummer Jeffrey Simons.
“What we’re doing here is a kind of blues/jazz I used to see in Chicago,” says Beaudine, who learned to play the harp from his mentors Junior Wells and James Cotton. “Lesser known than the electric Chicago blues scene, which I was a part of, this music is more upscale, with jazz and R&B influences, but was very popular in the black community. I used to hear this music in black clubs like the Burning Spear and the Tropical Hut. More Ray Charles, early Lou Rawls, with touches of Sonny Stitt and Gene Aamons, two of my saxophone heroes. I wanted to do this for years, but you have to have a really good band to even attempt it. Now we do.”
Deep Blue headlines the House of Jazz (2060 Aylmer St.) every Monday night from 7:30 to 11. Admission: $10. Details: 514-842-8656 or www.houseofjazz.ca.

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Johnny Beaudine and Deep Blue - Soprano Sax

As many of you know, I play the soprano sax. My horn is very special, it's a King, made in the late 1920's. It has a very unique sound, at times like a clarinet and other times a bit like a trumpet.
Over the last few years I many hours of practice with that horn to be able to use that sound in blues and especially, jazz. I love the way it fits in with Deep Blue.

I was watching a DVD today and Kenny G showed up.  I wondered, "How many people learned to hate the soprano sax from being forced to listen to Kenny G.

My new slogan: "Johnny Beaudine, taking the soprano sax back from Kenny G".


New Directions

It's not easy to find something different in the wake of not being able to do what I do, perform. I've decided to revert back to my...