T E S T   P.Mauriat saxophones by professonial saxophone player Werner Janssen

 Who is Werner Janssen ?

 Since the age of five I’ve been playing the saxophone and after I graduated from the University as a mathematician, finally I went to the conservatory, where I was the first Dutch jazz-saxophone player graduating in the Master Programme “Playing lead alto in a Big Band”. Next to the saxophone I studied clarinet, flute and piccolo. Now I work with the best European Jazz Orchestra’s, like the Metropole Orchestra, the WDR Big Band from Cologne, Germany and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. I also play lead alto in the Amsterdam based Konrad Koselleck Big Band and Holland Big Band. I performed in the musicals Annie, There’s no business like showbusiness, Chicago, Cabaret, Grace and many TV shows. I am also the leader of my own groups Werner Janssen Groovtet, The Puccini / Fellini Project, the jazzquintet Jazz Eater’s Lounge and the tango quartet CONSORCiO fUENtE Y CAUdAL.

 I had the opportunity to work with national and international stars like Herbie Hancock, Gino Vanelli, Wynton Marsalis, Cliff Richard, Vanessa Williams, Pat Metheny, Maria Schneider, Vince Mendoza, Paul de Leeuw, Trijntje Oosterhuis and Ali B.

 According to my students, I am an inspiring and passionate teacher. In my lessons and workshops I combine instrument and breathing techniques with yoga, Mensendieck, Feldenkreis and even meditation exercises. For me, music is a way to express my inner voice which I like to share.

 More information about myself and my music on my website www.wernerjanssen.nl

 T E S T

 Early January 2006 I received a package from the Saxcompany containing a PMSA 67 P.Mauriat alto saxophone designed by Prof. Emeritus Roger Greenberg, USA. Because I caught a flue I had to stay in bed for a few days, but after one day I couldn’t resist my curiosity, opened the package and started to play … in my pyjamas.

 In the package was a beautiful antique looking alto saxophone with a very nice Vintage style engraving, but how would it play ? After a very busy Christmas period I didn’t touch my own saxophones (Selmer Mark VI) for almost two weeks. However, when I started to play on the P.Mauriat alto I could immediately find my way, it made really fun. The P.Mauriat felt even easier than my own instruments. The P.Mauriat is very even in all registers, intonates correctly and plays so easy ! And, for me one of the most important features, the horn has character, which really invites you to play. It also has a very nice, fat, vintage style sound, not like the Japanese instruments Yamaha and Yanagisawa.

 Most modern instruments don’t give you the opportunity to manipulate the sound in a direction you want, I call this “the horn plays you instead of you playing the horn”. On the other hand, good vintage saxes are much more flexible and personal. The P.Mauriat is also a very personal instrument and sounds like a vintage instrument but without technical handicaps.

 In this test I compare the P.Mauriat models with the legendary Mark VI. Of course, this is not quite fair, because of the difference in price, but the only horn I played in my life is a Mark VI. And why not compare it to what is thought as (one of the) best saxophones ever made ?

 After some days of playing on the P.Mauriat some small disadvantages in comparison with my Mark VI became finally clear to me. I think the left palm keys (d, d#, e, f, f#) are not open enough. This makes intonation in the upper register a little bit flat if you play loud. For classical playing however this is great because it is possible to intonate correctly even when playing a pianissimo. As a jazz saxophone player you usually like to play louder and open up your throat to make a more open sound, especially in the higher register. But this problem can be changed easily within five minutes by your local saxophone repair (wo)man.

 I know it’s a very personal viewpoint, but a another small minus for me is the character of the sound of the P.Mauriat. It says “who”, like a Keilwerth saxophone, fat and big, but not so edgy and well-defined. On the other hand its sound is still much more personal than a Yamaha or Yanagisawa and the P.Mauriat plays very well together with other instruments. I think this is for classical saxophone players a very good characteristic. Personally I like more the sound “ee” like the better Selmer Mark VI, Selmer (Super) Balanced Action and King altos. They have a more singing quality. However, I managed to produce the sound I like more or less by using a Meyer 6 Small Chamber mouthpiece which is a little bit more aggressive then the Meyer I normally play.

 On my own horns it is possible to imitate Johnny Hodges, Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley and David Sanborn with the same mouthpiece and reed. I do this regularly in my educational concert “History of Jazz Saxophone” – from dixieland to hip-hop in one hour. In general I think modern saxophones are not so flexible, but on the P.Mauriat it is possible to make all these sounds, which is a great characteristic.

 A real good testcase for a saxophone test is the (Big Band) saxophone section, because intonation, sound, how even the instrument performs through the registers, become immediately clear. When I played the P.Mauriat during a Big Band rehearsal it was real fun to play this horn, even the low B and B flat are so easy to play because of the double axe. Much easier than my Mark VI altos, but they were designed in the early 50’s and produced in 1958 and 1959.

 I was very curious about other types of P.Mauriat saxophones and when the Saxcompany invited me when the other types arrived, I immediately took one of my own altos and my tenor mouthpiece to try them. I was very impressed by the PMSA-67R alto model with rolled tone-holes. This one really had the singing quality I missed a little bit with the PMSA-67. However, intonation was a little bit more difficult, but gave this horn real character. It played even louder than my Mark VI and it was edgy too.

If I, as a professional lead-alto player and jazz-soloist, would buy a P.Mauriat alto, I definitely would by this one, because it invites to give the best of yourself and then everything is possible. It has a very personal, nice, fat and edgy sound … and it looks great. For people playing classical music and for saxophone students I would recommend the PMSA-67 because its sound is a little bit less characteristic and goes better together with other instruments and is definitely easier to handle without being characterless.

 Next, I tried the tenor models. The PMST-66Rwith rolled tone-holes behaved less predictable than the one without. That’s why I liked the alto model, but here I prefer the PMST-66 without rolled tone-holes. What a great tenor saxophone ! The first one I played in 20 years on which the low B and B flat can be played very easily, sub too !  I couldn’t stop playing this one, it has a very robust vintage style sound which just, like the alto models, makes you want to play and keep playing !!! Unfortunately  I had to stop playing because the shop closed. I’m looking forward to the other models arriving In Holland.

 Summary :

I think the P.Mauriat saxophones is the one to beat on the saxophone market for modern saxophones today. Their price – quality ratio is incredibly good. They play almost perfect, but not characterless like most modern saxophones, have a nice, fat and personal sound and look very professional with a beautiful engraving.  And their best quality is the very good price ! Now it's possible for everyone to own a professional saxophone.

 Werner Janssen

www.wernerjanssen.nl

P.Mauriat Saxophone