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Topics: Paul Perez saxophone Pete Christlieb musician Night Owl, blog, Podcast, arts, Tower Of Power, Bakersfield, Bakotopia, music, Bakotunes, entertainment
Posted by chanclas Wed Feb 7, 2007 16:54:26 PST
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0 responses 3 comments Paul Perez has a long list of musical accomplishments — he’s played with many music greats, made a name for himself on the local music scene and become a music instructor at Cal State Bakersfield.

Now, the saxophonist can add “inventor” to that list.

Perez, 48, invented a sax mouthpiece that has a special curve to satisfy most players. He came upon the idea some 11 years ago after meeting well-known sax mouthpiece craftsman John Reilly in Southern California and is now ready to put the product on the music market.

Reilly had all the mouthpiece measurements for artists such as Plas Johnson (the saxophonist who played the “Pink Panther” theme) and Grammy winners Tom Scott and Kenny G.

Perez noticed that the numbers for a range of players were basically the same with only slight differences, so he was able to find a measurement that works across the board.

After shopping his idea around to other saxophonists and music companies, Perez approached “The Tonight Show” saxophonist, Pete Christlieb, who supported the endeavor.

In fact, the mouthpiece’s initial and careful construction began in Christlieb’s garage.

“We were trying to find a mouthpiece that you can play a section or a solo,” said Christlieb from the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show in Anaheim recently. “This went on for five years. It went from ‘OK,’ to ‘Oh, that’s a lot better,’ to ‘It doesn’t work. What did you do?’ Then we had to take a few steps back.”

Christlieb plays a 1958 Berg Larsen mouthpiece, on which Perez’s version is based.

Once the mouthpiece was ready for the next step, Perez began looking for a machine shop to make the prototype.

After failed attempts with reputable companies such as Brancher and Selmer in France— usually due to distance or language barriers — Perez began searching closer to home for someone to create the prototype. He found D. Krause Machine Specialty, a shop in Bakersfield that makes just about anything from aircraft to food processing parts.

There, Robert Kelp started creating the mouthpiece, which involved a tedious task of trimming and shaping of the mouthpiece metal for the desired sound.

The first prototype cost Perez $1,500 to make, but it came out wrong. It was playable, but not usable.

“Now we’re talking about me saving up dough and paying for it,” said Perez, who’s been playing sax for 30-plus years.

A second attempt also failed. But, the third one was the charm.

For Perez, he just hoped Christlieb would be satisfied.

At the time, Perez recalled thinking, “I’m never going to make this guy (Christlieb) happy.”

The long-awaited approval came Sept. 1, 2006.

“He blew two or three notes, and said, ‘There you go. There it is,’” Perez said. “Pete Christlieb would never tell you, but he has five or so of the most listened to solos in the world. So when he says you’ve done it, that’s a big deal.”

The mouthpiece is special because of its versatility, whether it’s used for a solo or section, high or low, rock or jazz, according to Perez, who has developed a few other mouthpieces with similar design technique to what will likely be called the Pete Christlieb Signature Model.

“One of the problems of a saxophone, mouthpiece-wise, is they’re meant for one thing or another,” Perez said. “This one will do all of that, which is very cool.”
Doug Davis, the music department chair at Cal State Bakersfield, applauded Perez’s mouthpiece invention as well as his former student’s perseverance.

“He has made a tremendous effort and it has a tremendous focus on the best possible setup for saxophonists,” Davis said.

Now, the challenge lies with Dirk Krause and his machine shop, who charges Perez half the $3,000 in resources it takes to build the mouthpiece.

“That’s not near the cost to do it, but I don’t mind helping people,” said Krause, who will purchase a specialized machine to help create the mouthpiece in a more cost-effective manner. “Paul’s a good guy. I was looking down the road. Hopefully, I’ll recoup it on the back side.”

And for Perez, who finds himself on the verge of completing an invention project that started 11 years ago, he continues to dedicate himself to his sax, his students and his music.

Perez recently finished producing, “Night Owl,” a soon-to-be released 12-track recording with co-writer Henry Winckel and featuring Jimmy Haslip of the Yellowjackets Jazz Quartet.

Perez also plays regularly and continues to instruct students on the real meaning of soul, often telling them, “The most important thing in music is what is not the notes.”
It’s a philosophy he takes to heart.

“The thing that I hope is different between me and the other guys is the soulful connection,” Perez said.

Meanwhile, as an inventor, Perez has figured out a win-win angle to his creation.

“There’s a selfish motivation out of this. I get a really good mouthpiece,” he said.

*originally printed in Mas Magazine, Vol. 2, issue 21  

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Comment From: thenovelist

I'm always amazed at the incredible music that comes out of such a gifted performed... Comment From: ViolinPro

Cool story!  Best wishes to Paul Perez and Dirk Krause and his folks for the success of the new mouthpiece.

Hoping it's a huge hit with sax pickers!

Karin Comment From: Saxman

BRILLIANT! Paulo, I new you could pull it off. Congratulations. ...er, when do I get to try one out... -Mac-