Soundwaves of a Lifetime: The Jeff Lange Saxophone Saga from Clubs to Classrooms

on DRUMS, with John Simeone

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Embark on an auditory expedition with me, John Simeone, as I sit down with the inimitable saxophonist Jeff Lange, whose musical tales are as rich and varied as the notes that flow from his sax. Picture, if you will, a young Jeff grappling with the strings of a guitar and the keys of an accordion before the saxophone’s siren call captured his soul. Our conversation dances around the mirthful realities of club date gigs, where the glamour of jazz intertwines with the joy of weddings and corporate shindigs, all while debunking the mystique surrounding those unsung heroes of the squeezebox.
Turn the page to a chapter where the classroom and stage cross chords, and Jeff and I reminisce about the educators who moonlighted as gigging pros, leaving their indelible grooves on us. Jeff's own odyssey from the echoes of private school hallways to the rhythm of public education unfolds, revealing how networking in music can be as serendipitous as a perfectly timed key change. Amid the sharing of these anecdotes, we honor the craft of teaching, the ebb and flow of musical styles, and the fondest memories of those lessons that transcended notes and clefs.
As our session nears its coda, Jeff and I muse on the symphony of life changes post-retirement, finding solace in the jazz haunts of Stony Brook and the company of fellow musicians. We transport you through the soundscapes of a versatile career that's skipped from rock gigs to Broadway's spotlight, all while savoring the idiosyncrasies of aging in music. Jeff's journey, peppered with laughter and learning, invites you on a nostalgic riff through the joys, challenges, and sheer unpredictability of a life dedicated to the art of sound.

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1. Soundwaves of a Lifetime: The Jeff Lange Saxophone Saga from Clubs to Classrooms (00:00:00)

2. Starting Out on Instruments (00:00:07)

3. Music Education and Teaching Experience (00:10:03)

4. Musical Journey and Broadway Mishaps (00:16:15)

5. Private to Public School Teaching Transition (00:27:54)

6. Teaching and Music in a School (00:35:34)

7. Retirement, Gigs, and Aging in Music (00:45:36)

8. Music's Impact on Shaping Lives (00:55:32)

9. Reflections on a Versatile Music Career (01:02:28)