Peter Jessen is one of the few people you might be lucky enough to meet and work with in your lifetime. He posses’ what it takes to follow through with his ideas and also has the courage to create something new from scratch.
I’m speaking of The Straight G Mezzo Soprano Saxophone. I commissioned him to make one for me back in 2009, the serial # is 02.
Benjamin Koppel the great saxophonist and composer of Copenhagen introduced us while I was on tour in Europe that year, he has #01.
I fell in love with Peter’s work and what he had done for Benjamin and ordered one immediately. It was completed in 2010. During a tour with McCoy Tyner we played in Copenhagen when I picked it up. I’m in love with my horn and have been developing a sound of my own on it ever since.
You can hear my expressions on some of my releases over the years. “Cross Culture” on Blue Note, “Scandal” with Dave Douglas on Greenleaf Music, “Visitation” with Dave Liebman & Ravi Coltrane on Artist Share and "The Mezzo Sax Encounter” with Benjamin Koppel on Cowbell / Artist Share.
Check out Peters work and dig what I’m talking about..
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Joe Lovano october 2020