One to watch Jamie Dodd will begin studying bassoon at the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, New York ) in August 2019, where he will learn from Professor George Sakakeeny. A Brisbane native, Jamie studied with Evan Lewis from the Queensland Symphony Orchestra for 9 years. During this time he performed with such groups as the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Q, the Queensland Youth Symphony and the Australian Youth Orchestra.
Instrument – I play on a ‘pre-war’ Heckel, #6399 to be precise. It was always a dream of mine to own a Heckel, and I was fortunate enough to purchase this instrument from Paul Nordby last November – the best high school graduation present ever! Before I had this instrument I played on a Fox Renard 220, which was fantastic, but the flexibility and warmth of my current instrument are why I love this bassoon so much.
Bocals – I actually own three CC2 Heckel bocals, one of which is a ‘pre-war’ bocal. The ‘pre-war’ crook is fantastic for solo playing, as it has a very clear, resonant tone. This bocal is also phenomenal at playing in the extremely high register. The other two bocals are very similar and are great for orchestral playing and chamber music, and I chop and change them depending on which piece I am playing in.
Reeds/Reed case – I bought one of Tanya’s stunning reed cases last year, which I keep my 4 performance-worthy reeds in. I also have a 10 reed case for those that I am still working on/breaking in. I have only started to make my reeds in the last year or two, and I am nowhere near perfecting this art. I make all my reeds by hand, using density tested Kreedo cane, which has worked fantastically so far.
Bassoon case – I own a Marcus Bonna case. It came with the instrument and it has worked great so far. I love how useful all the different segments are, especially the music pocket on the top of the case! I’m particularly careful when opening and closing the case, as I have heard numerous horror stories of people forgetting to zip their MB case shut…
With such a huge exciting journey ahead (and also a hefty excess luggage charge) I thought I would ask Jamie what’s NOT in his case as he prepares for the move to the States.
What’s NOT in my case – As I mentioned earlier, I have two very similar CC2 Heckel crooks, which is the reason why I am trying to sell one of them. They are both fantastic bocals, and the one I am looking to sell I have only owned for about 6 months. I am selling the bocal for $1000. I am also looking to sell my older Marcus Bonna case which I used with my old Fox for $400. The case is in perfect working condition, and I used it for only 2 years.
