Ep 082 - Alex Hahn; Competing and winning 1st place at the Michael Brecker International Saxophone Competition

Today's guest is non-other than the young phenom, Alex Hahn, a multi-award winning saxophonist, educator and composer based in Los Angeles, California. He recently won 1st place at the Michael Brecker International Saxophone Competition, graduated with his 2nd masters from the prestigious Thelonius Monk Institute, performed and studied with Herbie Hancock, and recorded on Michael Bublé's last two Grammy Nominated albums. He is a 6-Time Downbeat Magazine Award Winner, 3-Time Next Generation Jazz Festival Outstanding Soloist, 1st Place Winner in the North American Saxophone Alliance Jazz Saxophone Competition, and winner of the Perform with Mintzer International Saxophone Competition. Alex has taught all over the world including the Panama Jazz Festival, Sitka Jazz Festival, and at International Jazz Day in Havana,Cuba and St. Petersburg, Russia. Chris Potter has said of Alex: "Alex has a real melodic gift in his writing and playing" Alex is endorsed by D'Addario Woodwinds, Andreas Eastman Saxophones and Key Leaves. The link to his full biography, along with more Resources for this episode, is on our website. In this interview, we talked about:  How to get past performance anxiety The pros and cons of working with backing tracks The most important character trait for success  Hand position tips  What it was like competing in the Michael Brecker International Saxophone competition – he shares priceless info around 5 minutes into our conversation What he likes most about his Eastman saxophones You'll hear him play solo saxophone on the tune, Cherokee He's joined by Rajiv Halim to perform Bag's Groove And much more! Did you know you can get a complete listing of all our shows, as well as Bonus videos and searchable transcripts? All you need to do is become a Patron! Patrons play a huge role in helping to defray the costs of storing each episode's video and audio, and producing and hosting the show. And, with their small monthly donation of $2 or more, they help keep the great interviews coming. If you want to become a patron and support the show, head on over to our Patreon site,  https://www.patreon.com/everythingsaxophone