One day back in 1991, when I was still living in Denmark, my friend and mentor Robin Watson (UK expat & great saxplayer) called me and insisted I go hear this sax player coming to town that night. I had never heard of Jerry Bergonzi before but trusted my friends recommendation.
Oh boy!! One of my very biggest eye-opener moments in my musical life! Bergonzi was instantly one of my absolute favorite players. When I moved to Boston in 1994 to attend Berklee, I quickly sought out Jerry and started studying with him. Not only is he – in my opinion, one of the greatest players but also one of the best teachers I have known.
We were in touch on and off over the next decades. And in 2014, when I had started making saxophone necks, it was the most natural choice to bounce my ideas off on Jerry. He started playing the KB Sax necks early on and his feedback has been integral in the development, especially on the Vanguard model line.
Jerry is one of those players who is extremely sensitive to the most minute changes in the equipment. Working on his own mouthpieces for most of his life, I am sure it has helped develop and fine tune this special sensitivity. And he is super succinct and precise in his evaluations – I’m talking about being able to detect a difference of 0.001-2” in the “tip” opening of a neck or consistently determining the subtle changes in sound and response characteristics of various brass alloys.
Jerry is using Vanguard hand hammered copper necks, gold plated to match his two favorite horns – a Radio Improved and a Jimmy Dorsey (28,xxx). It has been a tremendous fortune, such an honor and such a thrill to have this ongoing working relationship as well as friendship with this absolute titan in the saxophone world.
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