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A charming alto conversation

On the a different YouTube video comments, someone said something interesting about Zoe's playing. She doesn't move or look like she's feeling it, but if you listen without watching, you'll hear that she's definitely got "A Lot to Sax", including an original feel of the time.
 
With all due respect to the other saxophones, I really love the alto!
 
Time for some dissent? Sorry, and I'm certainly not trying to be hypercritical, but if one is supposedly listening to a pro, then there are standards. She has poor tone, can't seem to hear when she's playing out of tune (sharp), questionable timing, but has fast fingers which I guess for some seems to be the only important factor? It seems to me that she represents an unfortunate and prevalent teaching style that emphasizes technical facility over all else. If that's all one listens to and enjoys, then she's good. There is a lack of commitment in her playing that sounds like an amateur who simply plays "theory" in an antiquated style that certainly contains nothing new or embodies a "new voice". IMHO there's much more to making music. Hopefully she will develop and find those missing elements and at least hear her tuning/intonation problems which are the easiest to fix.

If this is an example of the best that Berkeley can produce/teach, then they have a big problem.
 
Tuning/intonation problem was pretty obvious in the beginning of the second video In both I hear moments of fluidity but way to many moments of hesitation and stumbling attacks. Her solo in the first video is hit and miss without fluidity. After 2:00 she struggles and flubs around just playing a series of fairly standards riffs/licks. The trading near the end lacks fluidity and feels very hackneyed. Even when they revert to the head and try to duet there is little cohesion. Her tonal depth/spread is mostly lacking with just a bright one dimensional tone.

We should be over the novelty aspect of excellent female players as there are heaps out there. She may yet become a good pro player, but doesn't sound that way to me now. Am I overcritical? Maybe but there are so many extremely fine players out there that this hardly seems in that category.
 
Am I overcritical?
I think so. The first video, I think the phrasing is very original. She's a young player as far as I know. The pleasure has nothing to do with her gender. In fact, watching her, she's more than a little stiff, making it better to just listen.

The second video was some kind of education thing, I didn't pay attention to the origin, but thought it interesting in a big band context. She looks like she's reading, even during the solo, so maybe she didn't know the changes. I thought she was nervous and had moments of possibly catching up but I paid no attention to intonation. My own lack of perfection in that area probably makes me less sensitive to it.

Out of respect to the young player, I'd prefer not to prolong this, we differ in opinions, end of story for me.
 

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