Claude T. Smith Fantasia (Kenneth Tse, Jerry Junkin & HKWP)

[spironicolas]

phenomenal saxophone player! I personally like otis murphy's recording better. This one may be a tad cleaner from a technicality standpoint. However, otis's recording just has so much emotion to it you can't help but be moved. I feel that Kenneth Tse just doesn't put enough emotion into his playing, like if you compare the middle of both videos when the altissimo part hits, there is just no question.

[phuatc]

@KTFLight, i dont think so.... even 4:10 he still is puffing his cheeks...

[sbent518]

and i'm always going to think of this vid when i get people telling me off for puffing me cheeks some...

[KTFLight]

@sbent518 He's puffing his cheeks in the beginning because he's circular breathing the longer passages.

[sbent518]

that's a lot of time in the altissimo range, DAMN! Just another amazing performance by Tse!

[MrCleverest]

the band is way too fucking loud, don't they know they are complimenting the soloist not burying him six feet under the low brass section.

[sbent518]

@MrCleverest i think that's part to do with his location as compared to the hanging microphones above the stage, Live it probably was no where near this mix. Common problem.

[MrCleverest]

@sbent518 You're probably right. Unfortunate, I would have liked to have heard more of him.

[sbent518]

@MrCleverest meeee tooooo. He is definitely one of my favourite current alto players. Sadly his stuff isn't on Spotify... oh well, YOUTUBE FTW!

[viniciuscorbani]

wish i was asian too -_-

[Rom4iky86]

Где можно достать ноты Claude T. Smith Fantasia?

[TheHimom263]

this man has played this piece and another, Danza Capricio by Ron Nelson, with my high school the two years before i came there. Now hes going to play with us this year :))) im SOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

btw: i would add more o's to that "so" but there aren't enough o's in the world c:

[lomoman119]

8:43-8:50 guy in the back playing clarinet is amazed by altissimo beyond reason and most presumably poops his pants!!! haha

[pinkflossy24]

i got chills all over :)

[kedarshashi]

Kenneth Tse is amazing.

He is also asian.

Coincidence? I think not my friends

[IceClanWarrior]

@kedarshashi

Hey.. Hey guess what?

It's in Hong Kong. No shit he's Asian. As is everyone else in the band.

[kedarshashi]

@IceClanWarrior Thanks for pointing that one out bud!

[SaxiliciousH]

I had a masterclass with him last year...AMAZING! He is a god!

[icehawk1223]

5:15-5:19 *picks up jaw off of floor. 5:41 oh sweet Jesus.

[bartlettmusicacademy]

Mr. Tse is utterly amazing!!! Precise and perfect. When I was learning the Creston Sonata his recording was my reference.

[Laura180594]

Omgg.. This is insane. D:

Kenneth Tse's sooo good!

[swissTheO88]

Very nice version! Thanks for posting it!

[DAGgirr]

This never gets old! This makes me sad to be an alto sax player :P

[popstew12]

Who in the world is that one obviously deaf person who disliked this video. I dislike your dislike. 2:48 almost made me cry.

[leonidas0292]

its like an auditory orgasm

[Funsizetwix]

this is still ridiculous

[thesaxmagician]

i was kistening to this when i JIZZED IN MY PANTS.

[myindiemuse]

this guy came to my school yesterday!!!!

[howtokillarockstar]

@myindiemuse are you serious? I am probbably the most jealous person there is. Where are you from?

[myindiemuse]

@howtokillarockstar sure am!! He came to my school in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. It was mad! I was so impressed. He even played this almost beat boxing on saxophone, totally mad.

[zachindie]

@myindiemuse That would probably be slap tonguing, among other modern techniques. Kenneth is such a beast.

[xYorinde]

Wow this is really great!

[erreceve44]

maaan, thaat was wooonderful!! awsome!! hahaha i pooped my pants just for hear this !! (Y)

[YOYOKCMAN]

I agree...verry good X50. Personally thought I don't like the some till 2:50 ish

[IIIThreat]

Every time I come and listen to this one word comes to mind: FOOLISHNESS!  Ha ha! I don't know why I'm even attempting to play this for my junior recital...it won't be this good, I can guarantee that! I'll just "lip-play"! Ha ha!

[Saxman1976]

Holly crumble! Those altissimo notes made me chicken skin! Bravissimo!

[leonidas0292]

what a pro

[suntzu2004]

Very, very, very good!

[antibandgeek]

wow so far i think this is the best version of this!!! hes really really good!

[haigsax]

I'll be playing solo on this piece with my school's symphonic band, and this is a great sample to refer to when it comes to interpretation, tempo, and sound =]

[StarActor14]

When i first heard the altissimo E I wasn't ready for it and i almost pooped my pants...

[chungy2552]

@StarActor14

i did poop my pants

[Gary82192]

His altissimo notes are absolutely amazing.

[Hetion]

Anyone know where i I could find and purchase this arrangement?

[IIIThreat]

@Hetion

J.W. Pepper...

[sweetnessjesus]

i met tse today!

[zanahoriamalvada]

The reason Tse plays on Rousseau mouthpieces is because Rousseau was his teacher :)

As for the difficulty of this piece, it's at the lower level of professional saxophone rep... You guys should have heard him this summer at the World Saxophone Congress in Thailand. He played a new piece called Concerto After Gliere with the Thailand Philharmonic... simply amazing.

[pching26]

Impressive!!!!!

[EsliV]

does anybody know how to get te music of the solo-part?

Greetings Esli

[oily1314]

He is Professor of Saxophone teaching in the University of Iowa now

[KedyKim]

Wow it's really very nice play...^^...

Is there aybody who let me know where I can buy this sheet music including conductor's score.

[wrdrennan]

nice!

Sigurd, eat your heart out!

:)

[TrebleMaker875EX]

hmm.. imma try this next year. It really is a great saxophone piece. Lets you take advantage of an altissimo lyrical section like kenneth here, but also tests your ability to jump 2 octaves and articulate fast passages that change key within two bars

[tipsyTM]

omg how do u do altissimo that welll T_T AHHH. anyone know what mouthpiece he uses?

[undermyvampireheart]

he uses a rousseau mouthpiece but i don't know which. That mouthpiece gives a great altissimo tho.

[undermyvampireheart]

just found out that it's possible kenneth tse is using a rousseau NC4 for his alto.

[82zAL3]

really? that is surprising o_o isn't that considered to be an entry level mouthpiece?

[undermyvampireheart]

i'm as shocked as you are. I think I went to 2 forums that both said he uses the rousseau NC4. I personally don't like rousseaus and I've tried their jazz mps. I guess it shows that it takes a great player to make anything out of any mouthpiece.

[IIIThreat]

@undermyvampireheart

I LOVE my Rousseau! It gives my notes so much more of a darker quality than, say, my Selmer C*. Rousseau mouthpieces don't have as high a quality control as other brands, though, so you have to try out a few before you find one that really works well.

[NicChambers93]

@IIIThreat ive had to go through like three to find one i like

[tipsyTM]

what's the highest note in this piece, anyone know?

[kayjaay2]

altissimo E

[TrebleMaker875EX]

unless you're one of those scary people that jump to triple C... my range stops at altissimo E..

[82zAL3]

triple c as in the second c above staff?

for some reason ic ant find the high E in the music, maybe it's not written, all i see is a normal altissimo E, not a super E o_o

[1030Blake]

The highest note in this is an Altissimo E, it's written as 8va, the melody in the middle isn't originaly written that high

[82zAL3]

Hey, I got the music now, but still thanks for the info.

Also, where can I get a recording of Otis Murphy playing this song? I cannot find it anywhere.. O_O

Thanks

[undermyvampireheart]

you can find Murphy's recording on his website under photo gallery. there's a video of him playing this song.

[1030Blake]

the highest E is on the fifth page at the end of the fourth line and again at the end of the page. Otis has a recorded playing on a 2006 honor band cd, it's the last cd of the set, don't know were to get it online

[THEQBANS]

idk how he memorized that but DAMNNN

[checkster12]

I just met him the other day. Great player and teacher.

[kageassassin]

That was simply amazing. My friend played it for me in band the other day...and since then I've loved it.

[moosegoesmoo]

This is truly an amazing piece. There is someone in my school who is playing this solo for a concert. So far he's doing amazing and for only a week of learning, it is truly inspiring.

[bcv1990]

I've listened to this about 20 times and I still melt everytime I hear it. I am so honored to be able to be his student next year!!!

[Superclarinetmorman1]

Charlie Rihards Version is the best! this one is great too

[elvenange]

I just listened to the Dale Underwood version/interpretation/recordi­ng of this piece and honestly, I think Tse's is way better, but I still have to listen to Otis Murphy's one.

Overall great piece, espeacialy lovely altissimo in the middle even if not accessible to every player...

[crunchbite22]

My university band is going to perform this piece with Stephen Goacher on sax.

[mozartsoundgarden]

Go Goach!!

[7damiano7]

!!!!bravo

[oneoftwo7]

This performance is TRUELY inspiring. I hope to play this great one day.

[giueensax]

Sentimental performance......

[amazing1957]

I know Ken!! He's awesome.  I saw him perform just a few minutes ago in Buchanan Auditorium.

[jazziesax]

5:15 where he goes into that high altissimo I melt. This man is amazing. I aspire to be like him.

[saxophoney]

Fantastic performance. Kenneth Tse is proving himself to be one of the great classical saxophonists of the era. Thanks for posting!

[mbctrekclass]

wow. amazing tone. this helps a lot for trying to play it, for stylistic interpretation, etc. I'll have to work a long time to be this good. amazing!

[awattsandre007]

Otis Murphy version is better....way better, but Tse's is still the better player

^___^

[vlamwong]

amazing...Ken is the one.

[padsax1]

nice

[jazsax]

WOW... is there anything more to be said...?

Tremendous performance!

[nniuqsiwel2]

Man, Ken's great! I wish I could hear more of him...the wind ensemble is a little loud...

[scomdnz9]

excellent performer. love the even sound throughout the horn, precise and sonorous articulation, the command of altissimo, and gorgeous vibrato. tse is def one of the best.

[greatshaitan]

Sounds great!