For a couple of decades now, one of the hottest spots for reed players to visit in New York City isn’t a nightclub, bar, studio, or even university. It’s Vandoren’s Advisory Studio. Located on 54th Street just around the corner from the Ed Sullivan Theater, the studio provides a unique environment for musicians to meet up with each other, participate in masterclasses, relax with a fresh cup of espresso, and to try out new Vandoren products, which are always on hand.
“It’s become a mecca in New York,” says Michael Skinner, president of DANSR, which handles all of Vandoren’s U.S. operations. “It’s where we meet thousands of musicians on a yearly basis.”
The studio is a prime example of a mission that DANSR has picked up from Vandoren president Bernard Van Doren – “Stay close to the musicians.” Whether it’s through the Advisory Studio, in-depth work scouting emerging talent through the “Generation Vandoren” program, or hosting the most freewheeling jazz jams of the year at various “Vando Jams,” the industry-leading company always makes it a point to work directly with musicians.
“Be close to these musicians of all calibers – professionals, teachers, and students,” says Skinner. “Understand them. That’s a phrase I’ve never really forgotten. We try to communicate on that level and we try to problem solve on that level and it’s really been a great model for us.”
Skinner and the rest of DANSR – the company was co-founded by Skinner with colleagues Greg Grieme, and Bill Gray – are celebrating their tenth anniversary this year, while Vandoren celebrates its 110th. The company has battled through a tough economy – the 2008 recession was hardly on their radar when forming in 2004 – and hits the 10-year-mark right on schedule for its original growth projections. In the process, they’ve picked up distribution for Denis Wick brass products and Jones double reeds as well as solidified a partnership with BGE Financial, while helping Vandoren expand into its two-year-old Juno student lines of reeds.
“All in all, we’re in a great position,” says Skinner.
ROOTS
Vandoren’s relationship with Skinner goes back well beyond the founding of DANSR. In the ‘80s, Skinner was working as a professional saxophonist in New York, eventually connecting with D’Addario and, through them, began picking up gigs as a clinician at Vandoren events. As he transitioned into a role as marketing manager for Vandoren products, he met Bernard Van Doren.
Skinner went on to work with Yamaha for ten years, during which he met newest partner, Gary Winder, as well as Grieme and Gray, who were working closely with Yamaha for financing instrument sales. He returned to D’Addario in 2001, where he served as educational director until forming DANSR as the sole conduit to the U.S. for Vandoren.
Since then, the partnership has been grounded in a unique trust.
“There are cultural differences between what sells in Europe and what sells in the U.S.,” says Skinner. “Vandoren has been very open to suggestions and they’ve acted on many more of them than I would have anticipated.”
Recent product developments with American spins on them are many, including sample packs of reeds (the Vandoren blue box and traditional three-cards, as well as the newer Jazz Mix Card, which presents four different reeds), the free-blowing AL3 classical saxophone mouthpiece, and the equally popular V16 jazz mouthpieces designed to capture the open, round styles of ‘40s and ‘50s players.
But perhaps the most important and long-term adjustment has been the company’s evolutionary steps toward the student market.
EMERGENCE OF JUNO REEDS
From the early days in his partnership with Van Doren, Skinner says he made it a point to advocate for more attention to beginners. “I drew a pyramid and said, ‘Here’s your market at the top of the pyramid, and the largest market is down here at the bottom in the United States. We have to get you to the bottom of the pyramid.’”
Van Doren was receptive but pragmatic. In jumping into a larger market, he wanted to make sure the company had the resources and research necessary to do it gracefully. “Vandoren competes in this market only on performance and quality,” says Skinner. Nearly 20 years after Skinner first made the suggestion, Van Doren was finally satisfied enough with his access to Southern France cane and a fine-tuned reed-cutting process that he felt ready to begin student reed operations.
“Something I learned at Yamaha a long time ago is that they design their lines in what for me was a unique way,” says Skinner. “They designed their professional instruments first. That called for vertical integration. The features that they developed for their professional lines ultimately trickled down to some degree to the student line. That’s basically what we did with going from Vandoren to Juno.”
“The Vandoren reed provides a high level of performance in every aspect. What you learn in that whole process – how you cut a reed, how many nuanced angles you can cut with, using state of the art equipment, and tremendous design work from your staff – you can use on a student reed. You do that in a way that allows you to cut at an efficient rate so that the price point is good but still working with high quality reeds and good cuts that vibrate and sound beautiful.”
FURTHER ADVANCES
Beyond the Juno line, which in its second year is poised for significant growth, the DANSR family has ushered in a variety of new changes. Denis Wick took control of its own factory two years ago, controlling all aspects of the production of its mouthpieces, mutes, and accessories. Skinner says the consolidated production means the company is enjoying unprecedented control over its precision, efficiency, and deliverability. “I think we’re on the front end of a really nice growth spurt for Denis Wick, he notes. Meanwhile, the company sees its 2012 acquisition of Jones as completing its reed offerings for professional and student markets.
At the same time, outreach efforts of Vandoren continue to expand, constantly uncovering new talent and working to develop a new culture of music throughout the country. While a number of world-famous artists already call Vandoren home (Branford Marsalis, David Sanborn, Stanley Drucker, and Paquito D’Rivera, among many others), developing artists are highly sought after. The company’s Vandoren Emerging Artists program receives audio auditions from across the country, involving a diverse group of judges to choose the most promising jazz and classical talent between 18 and 23 years old.
“The whole idea is for us to identify emerging, young, strong performers that we’d like the opportunity to work with to push their career forward,” says Skinner. In that process, Vandoren commissions works that they perform at the Music For All Chamber Music National Festival in Indianapolis. “We commission a number of works a year to extend the repertoire,” Skinner notes. “This year, Vandoren artist Jon Manasseis premiering a piece we commissioned and is composed by Vandoren artist Gordon Goodwin from the Big Phat Band. We’ve also done a couple with Paquito D’Rivera. We think expanding the literature is part of our responsibility to the music community.”
The previously mentioned Generation Vandoren involves the brand’s younger artist endorsees (those under 30) leading clinics and camps for high school students. The goal here is to give students face time with professionals they can relate to (“I’m just an old guy – I don’t even tweet that much!” says Skinner, who believes exposure to young, high level performers is the most effective form of outreach there is).
It’s all in line with Skinner’s adherence to Van Doren’s original dictate – “Stay close to the musicians.” Whether it’s listening closely to players’ and retailers’ suggestions and requests or continuing to grow the repertoire, DANSR has maintained a culture guided by its relationship to artists.
