Sep 22, 2026 12:26 PM
Hyde Park Jazz Fest on Chicago’s South Side to Present 20th Edition
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place for the 20th time on the final weekend of September 2026. Beginning half…
Alto saxophonist Alden Hellmuth, tenor saxophonist Sergio Tabanico, bassist Felix Moseholm and drummer Eliza Salem perform at Close Up in New York during a D’Addario “After Dark” concert on Oct. 22.
(Photo: Courtesy D’Addario)The New York City listening room Close Up lives up to its name—and on the evening of Oct. 22, local musicians, industry figures and jazz fans alike got a uniquely intimate perspective on the two-saxophone compositions of Alden Hellmuth.
Hellmuth recently returned to New York after earning her master’s at the Herbie Hancock Institute in Los Angeles. She plays alto saxophone with a rich darkness, effortless precision and calm but vivid energy, and was joined on stage by Sergio Tabanico on tenor, Felix Moseholm on bass and Eliza Salem on drums. Over the course of the evening, the band journeyed through five of Hellmuth’s original pieces, including material she composed and arranged specifically for this performance. All of her works featured intricate and angular interplay between Hellmuth’s dusky alto and Tabanico’s sparkling tenor.
“We’re used to hearing the alto sound sit on top in an ensemble like the one we had at the show, so it was a really interesting switch to explore a brighter tenor and darker alto tone instead,” she says. “It was great being able to play with such unique timbral combinations.”
Hellmuth’s innovative approach to playing, recording and composing is key to her relationship with the polymath musical instrument company D’Addario, the manufacturers of her mouthpiece of choice. The company hosted the Close Up concert as part of its “After Dark” series, and in conjunction with a new campaign called “Different By Design.” The name has a double meaning, says D’Addario’s Andrew Whitelaw. “On the one hand, D’Addario’s approach to designing and manufacturing products is very different than the traditional woodwind world,” he says. “We use advanced machinery and are the only brand that sells reeds that are 100% certified organic.”
“The campaign’s other meaning refers to the amazing artists we’re featuring, like Alden Hellmuth,” he continues. “They’re artists who use different techniques and technologies to push their sound forward in unique ways. These are artists who we believe are the future, and who will represent woodwinds for the next decade and beyond.”
Hellmuth drew inspiration for her two-sax compositions from the album Live At The Light House by Elvin Jones. “I love that record, especially how Steve Grossman and Dave Liebman play tenor together,” she says. “Obviously having two tenors is slightly different from a tenor and an alto, but that album was what made me want to explore doing my own version of a two-saxophone ensemble.”
The evening’s set list included “Drum Solo,” a piece that Hellmuth describes as “a drum feature for two voices with choral vibes,” and “The Longest Road,” which she composed last year, but never before played live due to the piece’s two-saxophone instrumentation. The final piece of the evening, “Lacquer,” was composed specifically for the Close Up show. “I usually try to write something new, specially for whatever gig I have coming up,” says Hellmuth. “It’s a longer-form piece where I put the bulk of my energy in the weeks leading up to the show, so I’d have something brand new to share.”
None of the tunes on Hellmuth’s set list have yet been recorded, but that will likely change. “I hope to get into the studio and track these pieces for two saxophones,” she says, “First, I want to keep writing and let the project grow, so I have a clearer sense of what a record for this kind of ensemble would look like.”
When she does enter the studio, Hellmuth will likely push beyond the traditional approach that jazz artists often follow. “A live album would be sick, but I’m also thinking about what it really means to record in today’s world,” she says. “Every time I’m in the studio these days, I also try to utilize production technology to create works that are specifically made for that setting. Maybe that means using effects in real time, and maybe it means using production tools and studio processing after the music has been recorded.”
“It’s a really magical space and feels like a new form of composition on top of the traditional forms that jazz artists use.”
For more on Hellmuth and her music, visit aldenhellmuth.com. To learn about D’Addario Woodwinds’ saxophone mouthpieces and reeds, visit daddario.com. DB
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