Ties Mellema's set-up

soprano saxophone:

Yanagisawa, s991, bent neck
mouthpiece: Selmer S-80, D
reeds: Vandoren Classic, 3,5
ligature: Rovner Dark

alto saxophone:

Selmer Reference
mouthpiece: Vandoren Optimum, AL3
reeds: Vandoren Classic, 3
ligature: Vandoren Master's ligature

Buescher, Tru Tone, 1922, silver plated
mouthpiece: Sigurd Rascher
reeds: Vandoren Classic, 3,5
ligature: Selmer traditional

Selmer, Super Action (1952)
mouthpiece: Selmer soloist, E or Selmer metal (classical), E
reeds: Vandoren Classic, 3
ligature: Selmer

tenor saxophone:

Selmer, SII
mouthpiece: Selmer S-80, C* or Vandoren T35
reeds: Vandoren Classic, 3,5 or Vandoren V16, 3,5
ligature: Selmer traditional

Conn, New Wonder ('Chu Berry') (1920)
mouthpiece: Otto-Link, 7*
reeds: Vandoren V16, 3-3,5
ligature: Otto-Link

baritone saxophone:

Selmer, SII
mouthpiece: Selmer S80, C*
reeds: Vandoren Classic, 4
ligature: Vandoren Optimum

Back from Chili

Back from Chili. I had a great time. The concerts were great and I felt very comfortable. The audience seemed to like it very much, both my performance and the piece by Jacob Ter Veldhuis. Also the orchestra liked the piece and that was hearable!

Now I am at home, just a few hours back and tired from the flight (18 hours travelling or so). Wednesday the quartet rehearsals for NY will start. After that another week holidays on Vlieland.

Oh, and don't forget to vote on www.grachtenfestival.nl!

In Chili now

In Chili now. The last day. I have had a great week. The people are really nice, Santiago is nice to walk around. Yesterday was the first concert I played the Ter Veldhuis Tallahatchie Concerto with the Santiago Orchestra and Rene Gullikers. I was happy, but I still want to do some things better tonight. The people were really enthusiastic, they let me come back 5 times!
I am doing yoga and meditation every day here and pracxticing enough on my new horn (Reference). It seems to work!

Tomorrow I´ll fly back to Amsterdam, for a few days there and then to NY for concerts with the quartet.

Ties Mellema is nominated for the Grachtenfestival Prize 2007. The winner is determined by the number of votes on the internet.
The Grachtenfestival (the Amsterdam Canal Festival) Award is a price for musicians that have played an important role in the Grachtenfestival over the past ten years. These musicians have developed considerable careers over the years and have build up a special connection with the Festival and its audience.

You can vote here: www.grachtenfestival.nl

A short note from Galicia in Spain

A short note from Galicia in Spain. Ailed and me are on holidays! We´re having a great time here at the atlantic coast. The weather is great and we´re spending a lot of time at the beach and walking around in the region.  We´re staying at a camping near Porto do Son. The camping is very quiet and justr 1oo mtrs from the beach. What else could we want?!

I am getting all the rest that i needed from my music. Sometimes you need to let things go to get inspiration.

Glenn Gould and Berg opus 1, on the same CD as his arrangement of La V...

Glenn Gould and Berg opus 1, on the same CD as his arrangement of La Valse, check it out!

A lot of performances this past week. Last week we went to Tineke Veenhof and Fie Schouten. They did a dance performance in a cellar in the Baarsjes (for The Baarsjes Kunstmaand) which was great. Fie played great and a beautiful piece as well. The choreography was nice and the setting great.

Then Friday we went to the opening of Aqua Musica in het Muziekgebouw. Before the break was Min Tanaka, the founder of the Bodyweather school of dance. He was accompanied by tape, a distorted guitar which sounded more or less the same the whole 40 minutes. I think he was a good dancer, but the music destroyed the imagery, unfortunately. After the break there were two guys juggling and playing old music. It was a great show! Very ingenious and with good music: Compagnie Chant de Balles.

Yesterday Ailed had a surprise for me. We both loved the movie De-Lovely, about the life of Cole Porter. Yesterday there was a musical-esque performance in the Odeon Theater with music by Cole Porter. It was a good night, a good band and good singers. They tried to create a night club athmosphere. So you were allowed to smoke during the performance. Also the reception was a bit strange and not too polite, we had to wait for fifteen minuted in the hall before we could go in, then there was another line. Everyone had to be seated individually by a gerand who introduced himself to everyone. That was nice. We had a great night!
Today some more lessons to give, some appointments, and tomorrow as well, and then holidays!