The NAMM show is one of the largest music product exhibitions in the world and has united the global music, sound and entertainment technology communities. NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) was held over the 13th-15th April at the Anaheim Convention Centre in Southern California. The Eastman Music Company attended and showcased at NAMM this year, being awarded with two titles ‘Best in Show’ and ‘Companies to Watch’.

It was the perfect time to showcase the new 52nd Street Tenor Saxophone, ETS852, which boasts an impressive new patented keywork design by legendary Haynes flute body designer David Schipani. Schipani is a highly respected figure in the world of flute making, now with almost 40 years of professional level flute manufacturing experience to his name. Schipani has completely revamped the keywork you would find on the ETS652 52nd Street models, with ergonomic features designed to make playing feel comfortable and effortless, and to compliment both large and small hands. As sax specialist Jim Cheek says ‘the big innovation on this saxophone is that the main right and left key hand action has been redesigned to offer a much more fluid and light action. This has been achieved by altering the pivot point between the feet and the regulation bar behind each stack; traditionally the contact between these two parts was directly under the bar, whereas now the contact point is on the opposite side of the bar, essentially lowering the resistance. The mechanism involved to create this system features solid square feet that align with symmetrically identical tabs on the opposing side of the regulation bar’.

The ETS852 comes with an impressive offering of two necks, the traditional ‘S’ neck you’d find on previous generation 52nd Street saxophones, and a new ‘M’ neck, designed in collaboration with artist Bob Mintzer. Schipanui’s keywork elevates this saxophone to another level, with ergonomic features designed to make playing feel comfortable and effortless.

The 52nd Street series was designed to emulate the sound and design of vintage horns, as well as being named after the famous 52nd Street in Manhattan which housed many of the popular jazz clubs from the 1930s though to the 1950s, where jazz great such as Louis Prima, Art Tatum, Fats Waller, Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis performed. Thelonius Monk even wrote a tune named ‘52nd Street Theme’ which became a bebop anthem and a jazz standard.

The 52nd Street Saxophone is the chosen horn for sax legend Bob Mintzer and award winning saxophonist Alex Hahn, as well as the first Australian Eastman Artist Graham Jesse.

The 52nd Street tenor comes unlacquered for a truly vintage appearance with rolled-style tone holes and a larger bell, to really help with resonance and power.The 52nd Street saxophone is a professional instrument that is exceptionally responsive horn in all registers and produces a big, fat sound with precise intonation.

Hear Bob Mintzer talk about the ETS852 himself in the video below:

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