This is a recording of many transcriptions I have worked on/performed over the past several years and also features an original work for Saxophone my my friend and outstanding composer David Biedenbender which I have had the pleasure of performing on numerous occasions. Caprice 30 is from 30 caprices for flute solo by Sigfrid Karg-Elert, a stand part of the flute repertoire.The 30th caprice highlights Karg-Elert’s finest melodic and technical writing in the series of the 30 caprices. It is a chaconne starting with descending series of 4 simple notes which act as the harmonic structure and bass line throughout the piece which then quickly goes through 17 variations until reaching a virtuosic, energetic finish. The Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso is stalwart showpiece for violin and orchestra, and has been played by almost every great violinist that one could imagine. I was fortunate enough to be able to perform this piece many more times with the Navy Band on two of our national tours, doing my own transcription of the violin part. I thank Dave Miller very much for making this chamber group arrangement for the recording, and I thank all my friends who played for me for the recording, including Andrew Skaggs as conductor. Images and David Biedenbender's music in general is starting to become widely performed by saxophonists across the country. I had the pleasure of being the second saxophonist to perform this piece, having played it in December 2008 at the University of Michigan. It is a challenging yet very rewarding piece that will surely be a cornerstone in the repertoire. Joy Mentzel does an outstanding job playing piano with me on this difficult and rewarding piece. Charles Loeffler’s Two Rhapsodies is a beautiful, haunting set of contrasting movements based on two poems by the French poet, Maurice Rollinar which act as a vehicle for tonal imagery in each of the movements. Originally set for oboe, viola and piano, I play the oboe part here on soprano saxophone which has a very similar timbre to the oboe and seems to work nicely in this setting. My lovely wife Megan Yanik joins me on viola with Joy Mentzel once again on piano. Finally, the album ends with the blistering Scherzo-Tarantelle by Henryk Wieniawski, another signature piece in the violin repertoire which I transcribed for saxophone. This is a very demanding show piece that is sure to win over audiences as a closer or encore. Joy Mentzel again joins me on piano. Overall I had a lot of fun making this album and performing this music over the past 2-3 years, I hope you enjoy it. If you would like to purchase any of my transcriptions from me, they will soon be available at my website or you can email me at jyanik33@yahoo.com.