Inside the saxophone and the clarinet

From ocean liners in the 1920s to packed clubs in Tokyo today, jazz in Japan has followed a path shaped by listening cafés, legendary players, and a deep national love for sound. Tomoaki Baba’s appearance in a UNIQLO commercial is only the latest chapter in a rich and ongoing story.

When live jazz stages went silent, Emmet Cohen opened his living room. Live From Emmet’s Place became the digital rent party that kept the art alive.

When multi-instrumentalist Jesse Chandler performed with Madison Cunningham on Jimmy Kimmel Live, his bass clarinet added lift and tension that pulled the listener closer. He was playing a Syos mouthpiece, the same one he now uses across saxophone and clarinet.

Tiny Desk concerts have become a global stage for authentic performance. From Havana to Baltimore to Tokyo, Syos artists Christian Ortiz, Brent Birckhead, and David Negrete brought their custom sounds to this intimate setting, proving that a mouthpiece can carry character and culture as much as notes.

Born in the dance halls and blues clubs of Texas, the “Texas Tenor” tradition is raw, powerful, and deeply soulful. It is a sound carried by legends like Illinois Jacquet, Arnett Cobb, and King Curtis. Today, it lives on through modern players and mouthpieces like the Robert Martin Signature Tenor, designed to capture that same grit, projection, and blues-soaked presence.

Meet UPSCAL3D: the new material for saxophone and clarinet mouthpieces that brings greater durability, safety, and performance.

Fela’s youngest son keeps the Afrobeat flame alive. Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 brought a set to KEXP that pulsed with funk, fire and protest, reminding listeners that some messages never lose their relevance. As a Syos artist, Seun shapes his saxophone tone with a custom mouthpiece designed to carry both the urgency of his message and the joy of the groove.

Josh Plotner takes Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and turns it into a one-man saxophone orchestra. Playing soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass saxophones, each with a Syos mouthpiece, Josh layers every part of the track into a bright, fun, and energetic performance. Complete with clever video editing and an improvised solo that steals the show, it’s a joyful reminder of how versatile both the saxophone and Syos mouthpieces can be.

A closer look at the double lip embouchure, how it works, why it faded from use, and what it can reveal about your playing today.