Spike Mason

 I’ve been playing music all my life, and I love it because it makes me come alive. I also love the way that it makes other people come alive as well.

 Music is part of my every day. I spend my time performing at gigs for various bands, composing and recording music, facilitating a weekly Jazz jam in my house, hosting a monthly composers group in my house, directing FREE FOR ALL <== CLICK HERE - a weekly community improvised music jam in an art gallery,  busking each week in the mall in town, and teaching Jazz to students at the local high school and the University of Tasmania.

Music touches people deeply - it accesses our emotions, it speaks to our souls, connects us, and accepts us all. It gently weaves it’s way past all of our barriers and touches our heart. And it makes us dance. It is a great joy to be able to bless people with music and I hope it’s what I'll do for the rest of my life. 

I’ve played saxophone for almost 40 years, with many musicians, in Australia, the USA, the UK, Canada, Ireland, Greece, Singapore, Italy, The Czech Republic, Holland, Turkiye, and New Zealand.

I've performed at countless festivals and clubs, from stadium stages to people's kitchens, with both famous and unknown musicians, in front of very large and very small crowds. 

I’ve also been a session musician for many diverse artists, helping them make their music a reality, by recording, composing, arranging, and producing on over 250 albums, including soundtracks for film and television. 

I’ve spent many years studying too and have been awarded a Masters of Music In Jazz Performance, a Bachelor of Music, a Bachelor of Education, and an Associate Diploma of Jazz Studies. 

At present I am a full time PhD Candidate at UTAS. My research topic is titled "OXIMETRIC - Random points of resolution in multi-pulsed improvised and composed music." I am researching my OXIMETRIC concept - composing and performing multi-pulsed jazz. To listen to, and learn about, my research - CLICK HERE ==> OXIMETRIC PhD 

My wife and best friend Lilia is also a musician - an amazingly intuitive and fearless singer. Her songs are simply gorgeous, and her improvisations are always melodic and free. She has also played music all her life. We perform at gigs together all the time. We love creating community around music.

 We live in the beautiful city of Launceston in Tasmania. We play music at home all the time in a room next to the kitchen - which is full of instruments. We play music with the musos in our bands, our children, our students, and our friends, and our extended family, and people who drop in, and their kids... So there is always music in our house. 
 

Finally, I love and accept everyone. 🌈 

I also acknowledge and pay respect to the lutruwita Tasmanian First Nations people as the traditional and original owners, and continuing custodians, of the land on which I play. I am humbled to be part of a long line of creatives who have played music in this place for countless generations.

EQUIPMENT

 Some people (other sax players) like to know this stuff...

SAXOPHONES

I have a large number of saxophones bought over a 40yr career, but these are my main horns...

Sopranino - Yanigasawa Elimona (early 1980's model)

Soprano - Selmer MkVI (early 1970's model)

Alto - Selmer MkVI (late 1960's model)

Tenor - Selmer MkVI (late 1950's model)

MOUTHPIECES

I've got a very large number of mouthpieces of all kinds in a drawer, many of them ruined by my own hand, trying to find the 'perfect' shape. But these days I am playing on these, hard rubber only - metal mouthpieces feel real bad in my mouth...

Soprano - Drake 8 

Alto - Theo Wanne ‘NY Bros’ 8 

Tenor - Meyer 9 

LIGATURES

I use these on all my horns - they are powerful, open and free blowing…

SAXXAS

REEDS

I swap back and forth between these reeds - cane only - plastic reeds cause me lip pain…

Francois Louis 3

Alexander Superial 3

Vandoren Java RED 3

I also use the ReedGeek tool for reed maintenance and adjustment.

 NECK STRAP

A unique clip system means your horn 'locks' onto the strap - only strap I trust...

De Jacques