Picture from a performance with the Conrad Johnson Orchestra at the Battle Royal event on Tuesday, May 26th.
Saxophonists Left to Right: Jaymee Lamprecht, Dustin Drews, myself, Jarett Cordon, and Len Trombetta.
Check out a snippet from this performance here!
Posted by Andre Harness
6/16/2026
I hope you are all having a wonderful summer! As always, life has been incredibly busy, and music continues to fill my calendar in ways for which I am deeply grateful. This month has reminded me that no matter how long we spend pursuing music, we are always students. Sometimes we are learning from masters who came before us, and sometimes we have the privilege of passing that knowledge on to the next generation.
Before diving into some of the bigger updates, there have been several smaller moments over the last month that brought me a great deal of joy.
In late May, I had the opportunity to hear the Houston Symphony perform The Planets. Any chance to hear a symphony orchestra perform is a gift, but The Planets in particular remains one of those timeless works that continues to captivate audiences through its memorable themes and vivid musical character. It was a beautiful and inspiring performance.
I also returned to Doc's for another performance, which as become a regularly recurring engagement! The next performance is scheduled for July 31st, so be sure to check out the Upcoming Events page for more details. I am especially grateful to have a reason to regularly put my baritone saxophone (which, if you recall, I purchased back in November) to good use.
Outside of music, I also had the opportunity to spend some time with close friends enjoying one of America's great traditions: baseball. Go Astros!
A few weeks ago, several friends and I gathered to play saxophone quartets together. It was incredibly refreshing and gave me another opportunity to spend time on soprano saxophone. Despite playing jazz most frequently these days, I still have a strong classical background and deeply enjoy that repertoire.
Now for some of the major musical updates.
In June, I spent a week teaching the saxophone masterclass at Lamar University's middle school summer band camp. Teaching has always been a rewarding aspect of my musical life, and I wanted to ensure that these students left with tools that would genuinely help them become stronger musicians.
One of the first lessons I focus on with my private lesson students centers around what I consider the four pillars of musicianship: tone, technique, music theory, and musical maturity. So that was the format I followed in approaching these masterclasses.
During our tone day, we discussed equipment, airflow, embouchure, and the differences between the various members of the saxophone family. I brought one of each of my saxophones to demonstrate for the students. Unsurprisingly, they were most excited about the soprano saxophone! It was especially rewarding because some of these students had never even heard a soprano or baritone saxophone before, let alone heard one played live by a professional musician.
I left them with one of my favorite long tone exercises from Larry Teal's The Saxophonist's Workbook: beginning as quietly as possible, gradually increasing to the loudest, fullest sound you can produce while maintaining a beautiful tone, and then returning again to silence.
One student asked me, "How long do I need to do this to have a good tone?"
I told them that practicing this exercise for just five minutes a day for a month would dramatically improve their control and comfort on the instrument.
And I stand by that statement.
The next two days focused on technique. Truthfully, technique encompasses a lifetime of study. We worked on articulation exercises, proper tonguing, ear training, and strategies for learning scales more efficiently and thoroughly. We covered quite a bit in only a two days, and I was satisfied with the delivery, the reception, and the time we had together on it.
On our final day, we discussed musical maturity. We talked about exposing ourselves to as much music as possible: different styles, different performers, and different recordings. We listened to great musicians and asked ourselves a simple question: "Why do they sound great?"
We discussed how music extends beyond what is simply written on the page. Even a harmony part or background line can become meaningful when approached musically. Small choices in phrasing, dynamics, and tone can completely transform the listener's experience.
To demonstrate this, I performed the "Improvisation" movement from Eugène Bozza's Improvisation et Caprice, showing how vibrato, phrasing, and dynamic control can bring music to life.
As students were leaving on the final day, one of them stopped, looked at me, and said:
"Mr. Harness, thank you for being such a great teacher for us."
Moments like that warm my soul deeply and remind me why I love to teach.
I am excited that this fall I will begin serving as one of the private music teachers for Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu. I look forward to continuing to invest in young musicians and helping them along their own journeys.
In other musical news, I recently joined Bob Reynolds' Virtual Studio. Over the last few years (since COVID), I attempted to build an online community of jazz musicians focused on growth and woodshedding. Unfortunately, I quickly learned that building and maintaining a community alone is difficult work. Many participants remained silent or disengaged, and eventually the project faded away.
I had hoped to create a community of local musicians who were as passionate about growth as I am, but I also recognize that everyone is busy and pursuing their own path.
That is why I have been so glad to find Bob's community.
For those unfamiliar, Bob Reynolds is a Grammy-winning saxophonist best known for his work with Snarky Puppy, John Mayer, and his extensive career as a performer and educator. I have followed Bob's work since college, first discovering him through Snarky Puppy's performance of Outlier on YouTube.
The Virtual Studio includes a wealth of educational material, but one of its features is a monthly challenge. This month's challenge centers on Sonny Rollins' solo on "St. Thomas." The timing feels especially meaningful following Rollins' passing. (Rest in power to one of the greatest saxophonists our instrument has ever known!)
This month's challenge involves transcribing and analyzing excerpts from the solo, and I promised last month that I would share more music-focused material here on the blog, so here we are!
If you have not heard the solo, it begins around 0:54 in the linked recording. Right from the opening, Rollins establishes a rhythmic motif emphasizing the tonic and surrounding pitches in the lower register of the tenor saxophone. This motif becomes an important thread throughout the solo.
The first excerpt I transcribed represents Rollins' first extended eighth-note line after establishing the opening motif. He immediately outlines the harmony through arpeggiation while using enclosures and chromatic motion to target important chord tones.
For example, notice the C–A–A♯–B movement leading into the E minor chord. Rollins uses chromatic motion to guide the listener directly toward meaningful harmonic targets, in this case, the 5th of the E minor chord.
The second excerpt further demonstrates Rollins' effortless command of the harmony. He moves fluidly through the changes while maintaining a melodic and conversational quality in his improvisation.
The third excerpt is an absolute monster of a line. A few features stand out immediately. Rollins revisits earlier ideas, develops them further, navigates complex harmonic movement with ease, and ultimately returns to the lower register motif that ties the solo together structurally.
Watching Rollins develop these ideas in real time is masterful. I continue to learn an incredible amount from studying these recordings, and these are only the first three excerpts I have worked through. I can't wait to dig in further and learn!
Looking ahead, Juneteenth weekend brings several exciting performances. I will be performing an R&B-focused concert with the Conrad Johnson Orchestra, as well as returning to perform with the Galveston Symphony Orchestra for the third time this season. I am especially honored to perform the tenor saxophone solo from Mary Lou Williams' Zodiac Suite.
More music is on the horizon. Next month, the Golden Triangle Big Band will present "Sounds of Home" at the historic Jefferson Theatre, featuring music written by current band members as well as composers with deep roots in Southeast Texas.
Outside of music, I will also be beginning a new role at my company in July. I am excited for the opportunity to continue growing professionally, expand my skill set, and become a more well-rounded leader.
As this summer continues, I find myself occupying a space that many musicians know well: simultaneously being both teacher and student. There is always another recording to study, another concept to learn, another student to encourage, and another stage to step onto.
And honestly, I would not have it any other way.
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope everyone has a wonderful summer.
Cheers!
Andre H
