NAMM 2012 wrap-up

Saxophonist Greg Vail Blog

NAMM 2012 wrap-up

The NAMM Show is done! This year was a surprise! We all watched the industry shake and struggle when the recession added to the already existing cultural shift away from artist getting paid for anything. The music industry was in trouble long before the recession ever started. The NAMM Show was like the old days this year!

I have been saying it all day now! If you went to the show this year and didn't know better, you would think we were all driving new cars and had houses paid off! It seemed bigger than ever! I am praying that this was not some odd anomaly and it might be a new direction. Only time will tell.

It was pretty awesome!

In sax land - nothing huge to talk about. Last year Yamaha released the new Z Soprano and I saw nothing even close this year from any of the sax makers. Selmer, Yanagisawa and Keilwerth USED TO BE the big 4 with Yamaha. Last year it was obvious things are shifting and this year looked the same. Yamaha has a presence at the show, the other 3 seem like history. The up-starts are showing up pretty big to fill in the gaps and I believe time will be the death of 3 of the big 4 of yesteryear.

The ONE new thing is sax land is an old thing, really! Copies of famous sax players mouthpieces! Les Berkeley started it with a Getz piece last year and this year I saw lots of copy mouthpieces. Do you want to try Sanborn's mouthpiece? You can just by an authorized copy now! I think many new copies will be at the show next year!

Saw tons of cool peeps! Was in the way for Stevie's entourage! So funny when a huge group moves thru with a star! Played a bunch this year - small stuff but really fun! Finally meet and hung with Tim Price! So many awesome players and moments! Tons of video and pictures to sort but not much will be online until I get a wedding and honeymoon all finished up!

Gotta blast for now - still feeling trashed from the 18 hour days at NAMM!!