What Happened to New York’s Famed Music District?
- By Jay Metcalf
- Saxophone Players and History, Saxophone Repair and Maintenance
Level up your saxophone playing today!
Saxophone repair shops seem to be an endangered species these days. There was a time where you could take your sax to any number of places in times square. It felt like a saxophone wonderland!
I used to work at one of these repair shops on 48th St, Rod Baltimore’s NY Woodwind and Brass. While many of them are now closed, I returned to Music Row in the Times Square District of New York City and visited with Roberto of Roberto’s Winds. We talked about repairing saxophone in the heyday of Music Row and how things have changed in the last 30 years.
If you have any good memories of visiting and explore old saxophone repair shops, let me know in the comment below. I’d love to hear the old stories.
If you want to see an iconic saxophone repair shop across the pond… Check out the “Best Saxophone in the World.” I visited I.K. Gottfried in Copenhagen, Denmark where I used to work and take a look at the ever-so mysterious Selmer Mark VI.
If you like repair videos are want to learn more about the ins and outs of the mechanics of your saxophone… Check out these “Quick & Easy DIY Saxophone Repairs.”
Also be sure to follow BetterSax on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube to stay up to date with us for news, giveaways, and other saxophone tips and tricks.
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Jay Metcalf
As the founder of BetterSax.com Jay’s mission is to help developing saxophone players break away from traditional music learning methods and discover a more efficient, practical and fun way to become a Better Sax player.
The BetterSax YouTube channel’s videos have been watched by millions and thousands of students have made meaningful progress on their instrument thanks to BetterSax courses.
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3 thoughts on “What Happened to New York’s Famed Music District?”
Hi Jay. It’s Susan Eberenz. Remember me? Anyway I loads of stories and memories of music row from my first visits to Charles Ponte’s around 1965 and from when I first started working for Rod Baltimore in 1985. I hope you’re doing well.
Hey Susan, great to hear from you. I saw Rod a couple years ago at the NAMM show. Was fun catching up. Just saw Fred last week at Sweetwater where he now works. Hope you are well.
Hi JAY my recollection of 48th Street was Chas Ponty, Art Shell, Rod Baltimore and a bustling street of running into any musician you might not expect to meet at Manny’s music.. I was part of a jam session at Rod’s previous store opposite Sam Ash with Big Nick Nicholas and Art Webb the flute repairman at the time. I now go to Roberto Winds for minor repairs but for overhauls I go to a great guy Bill Singer in NJ. I sure miss the aura of that musical atmosphere. Nice playing Jay on the Bari.