5 saxophone players join forces to be a Musical Mafia

Out of the dark, murky club, the voices start singing. More voices join in. Some are thin and high, some are low and booming. Soon, all the voices are singing. \nBut this is no traditional group. The voices sing, but the voices are all those of saxophones. \nStarted in April 2003 by saxophonist and composer Benjamin Himpel, the Saxophone Cartel has grown and transformed into a unique, energetic band. With six members originally, the band has decreased its size to five, but the creativity they allow is what initially attracted members.\n"The originality of the music and high level of all the players was a strong incentive to join," senior member Peter Sparacino said. "The creative atmosphere has been an inspiring one."\nCurrent members are Matt Cashdollar, Michael Eaton, Morgan Price, Colin Renick and Sparacino. Cashdollar, Eaton, and Renick have been with the band since the beginning. Each member coming from a different musical background adds to the diversity of the group. Eaton brings a strong classical and jazz background to the band, while Renick, Cashdollar, Price and Sparacino add R&B, funk, rock and hip-hop experience to the group. Each member not only plays with the Saxophone Cartel, but many play in other ensembles and bands that develop their proficiency in many kinds of music. This kind of individuality is exactly what Himpel hoped for when starting the band. \n"I don't know Ben's process in selecting people for the band, but I think he wanted to pick top players who had the creativity, instrumental technique and open-minded qualities he was looking for," Eaton said. "Any individuality in our group is a result of our personal interpretations and original works."\nBut the sound the band creates isn't simply because the band is comprised of saxophones. It's the sound each member creates with the saxophone while performing the original compositions. \n"The cool thing is that each person has a fairly distinct set of interests, and an individual enough voice on his horn that the band draws upon the diversity to achieve its sound," Eaton said.\nHimpel, a Berlin native, was inspired by the German band Kölner Saxophon Mafia. This band and their individual sound influenced the pieces he wrote. \n"Ben unintentionally adopted the strategy of taking an uncommon influence to craft his music, which is one way of sounding more individual," Eaton said.\nHimpel's pieces are in the Saxophone Cartel's book and performed regularly. Their sound is also influenced by well-known saxophone ensembles World Sax Quartet and ROVA.\n"In terms of comparison, we adopt elements of all these big three sax ensembles (Kölner, WSQ and ROVA), but we have enough of our own influences that we don't sound the same," Eaton said. \nAdditionally, Cashdollar and Renick compose music for the band. Although they do perform covers of songs, they write most of their work themselves. \nAnother unique aspect of the band is its incorporation of other instruments in addition to the many different types of saxophones. Each member is a multi-instrumentalist with the ability to play soprano, alto, tenor and baritone sax. Renick adds bass to their work with his bass clarinet. Often times, Cashdollar will throw his didgeridoo into the mix for fun improvisation. The group takes this variety and blends flawlessly in each of their songs. \n"There's really no limit except people's curiosity or interest, and playing other instruments can really change the colors and textures," Eaton said.\nAfter playing several live performances on Bloomington's local radio station, 98.1 WFHB, the Saxophone Cartel was asked if they would like to record a CD. Without hesitation, they began work on their first CD in March 2004. It took about 18 hours of studio recording time followed by a couple months of mixing and editing with their recording engineer, Mike Charstil. But it wasn't until a year later that they found a producer to fund the production of the CD. At a gig, Eaton announced the band was looking for funding, and WFHB co-founder Jeffrey Morris responded. With the help of Farm Fresh Studios and Bellwether Manufacturing Co. in Bloomington, Caught in the Act was finished. It was a long process, but the band members are happy with the result. The official CD release party is scheduled for August 4 at Bear's Place.\n"It is an amazing group to see. Their ideas are fresh. Each person brings their own personality and color to the group, which makes them so different from conventional saxophone groups. Each person has the opportunity to shine in their own way. The members have unlimited imaginations, and a big future in music," said Cameron Collins, former IU saxophone major who is currently playing professionally.\nNot only have they been recognized by the Bloomington music community, the Saxophone Cartel has gained popularity regionally as well as nationally. Most recently, they won a spot to perform at the North Sea Jazz Festival, one of the oldest and most respected jazz festivals in the world. They have also opened for internationally recognized, San Francisco-based saxophone quartet, ROVA. Additionally, they played at the Biennial Conference for the North American Saxophone Alliance, the national saxophone professional and educational organization in Greensboro, N.C. The band is hoping to get more gigs at festivals around the United States and even some in Europe.\n"We are making plans for 2006 summer festivals in the US and Europe. The World Saxophone Congress will be held next summer, and we are going to work on getting a small tour through several countries," Eaton said. "The best-case scenario would be to become established as a nationally or internationally known saxophone ensemble, like ROVA or the World Saxophone Quartet is. We could continue our own solo careers and also take time to play as the Sax Cartel, hopefully several times a year."\nTo catch the Saxophone Cartel in action, visit their Web site at www.saxophonecartel.com.