New to the collection:
a bass saxophone
Ties Mellema (1976), an acclaimed versatile saxophonist and winner of the Dutch Music Prize in 2010, will be playing a bass saxophone from the Music Instrument Fund. The instrument was recently purchased by the fund. At the Munich workshop of instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim, Ties Mellema and the sales representative met to put the saxophone through its paces. Ties: “You won’t believe your eyes—here, four men make everything themselves using machines from the 1950s.”
Eppelsheim
An Eppelsheim saxophone is a saxophonist’s ultimate dream. He is best known for the contrabass saxophone, but he has practically reinvented the bass saxophone—every instrument is handmade and designed by him. Yet for Ties, an Eppelsheim wasn’t the primary focus of his search for the perfect bass saxophone from the very beginning. Moreover, there’s a waiting period: Eppelsheim makes instruments in batches of twelve, so you have to wait until the last customer has placed an order. Coincidence or not, Ties came across a secondhand Eppelsheim bass saxophone in like-new condition. At the fund’s invitation, he traveled to Eppelsheim’s workshop to compare this “old” instrument from a private seller with the “show model.” And to decide whether this would become “his” instrument.
Instruments
As a saxophonist, you often have several instruments at your disposal—typically a soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone. Ties specializes in the low register and plays his bass lines on the baritone saxophone. However, that instrument has its limitations and sometimes even requires electronic support. A bass saxophone therefore fills a gap in his current musical practice. “A bass saxophone offers the best of both worlds: it provides flexibility in the bass line and a wonderfully beautiful, singing cantabile. I can create even richer and more energetic music with it.”
First Notes
He was allowed to bring the “old” bass saxophone along! When Ties arrives back in Amsterdam, a journey of discovery begins. Scales, lots of long notes, listening and feeling. And then it’s time to make music: his duo PEAX, with percussionist Barry Jurjus, will be writing new music for the instrument; he’ll be heading into the studio with composer Jacob ter Veldhuis to work on the bass sax, and he also wants to tackle a solo piece by the Dutch-Swedish composer Klas Torstensson. We hope to share a video soon and also to announce Ties’ first concert featuring the bass saxophone.
The bass saxophone was purchased by the Musical Instrument Fund with financial support from the VLB Fund Foundation.