Frank Walden

Saxophonist

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12 Reviews (8 Verified)
Frank Walden on SoundBetter

Saxophonist to Amy Winehouse, Tom Jones, Mark Ronson, and many more. Now offering remote sessions on all saxophones and woodwinds including clarinet, bass clarinet and flute.

After many years of touring (10 years with Tom Jones alone), as a father to two young kids I'm ready to spend a bit more time at home. In pursuit of this I have finally got my home studio setup sorted, and am getting a lot of pleasure from remote sessions. I play all the saxes and am ready to help you get the sound you're looking for - whether it be a full horn section or just a sax solo. Am also happy to work with you, writing horn arrangements to get the sound you want.

Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.

Credits

Discogs verified credits for Frank Walden
  • Nick Haward Quartet*
  • Amy Winehouse
  • Amy Winehouse
  • Amy Winehouse
  • Bandaged
  • Simon Mulligan Quartet
  • Miranda Barber
  • The Feeling
  • Helene Fischer
  • Jon Lee (5)
  • Skip The Use
  • Hackney Colliery Band
  • Amy Winehouse

12 Reviews - 2 Repeat Clients

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  1. Review by Nicolas M.
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    Frank is such a fantastic and experimented sax player and even more importantly a pleasure to work with. I needed very intense and fast saxophone solos for a video game cue I was working on and he just nailed it, providing me several takes to choose from. Thoroughly recommended.

  2. Review by Jasper W.
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    Great work on the song, gave me a ton to work with, incredible turnaround time.

  3. Review by Andrew G.
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    Frank was fantastic to work with. He was exactly what you want when you hire a session player: efficiently nailing the brief; and he was versatile and flexible when I needed a couple of tweaks. He provided great sounding stems that will easily mix into the project. Would 100% hit up again next time I need some saxophone. Thoroughly recommended.

  4. Review by Chris M.
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    A pleasure working with Frank, versatile and excellent results.

  5. Review by Murray Sheridan
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    Frank was so easy/ polite to work with and delivered great sounding Sax. Will def work with him again

  6. Review by Chris M.
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    Was excellent working with Frank, great playing and have varied options, good communication and fast response, very enjoyable and would recommend Frank for any sax parts

  7. Review by Jack R.
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    Excellent and flexible player. Highly recommended!

  8. Review by Steve B.
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    Frank is the complete package!
    He is very professional and his playing is exactly what I was looking for. Not only did he exceed my expectations and go above and beyond, but he also works extremely quick and understands
    INSTRUCTIONS incredibly well.
    I recommend anyone looking for a professional saxophonist to contact Frank!

  9. Review by Paul Jones
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    Frank is the real deal, versatile, tasteful and so easy to work with. I've had the pleasure of working alongside with Frank on several different projects over the years and he always delivers. Look no further!

  10. Review by Adrian Zag
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    I've worked with Frank several times now, and he is a stellar saxophonist with a superb tone, killer licks and superb musicality. As if that wasnt't enough, he's a truly wonderful guy and great fun to be around! An all-round gentleman, and truly stellar talent. Thoroughly recommended!

  11. Review by Adrian Zag
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    I've worked with Frank several times now, and he is a stellar saxophonist with a superb tone, killer licks and superb musicality. As if that wasnt't enough, he's a truly wonderful guy and great fun to be around! An all-round gentleman, and truly stellar talent. Thoroughly recommended!

  12. Review by Joe Auckland
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    I have worked with Frank for many years. He's a wonderful musician with a great understanding of a huge variety of genres. His saxophone playing is superb and his brass arrangements always really hit the spot. His experience and depth of knowledge are apparent in everything he does. Highly recommend!

Interview with Frank Walden

  1. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  2. A: I will dive right into your track, and give it all the love, because I LOVE doing this - contributing to other people's music from my own little studio, with no distractions, taking as long as I need to to get the right take. This is why I don't specify maximum numbers of revisions etc. I take real job satisfaction in getting it right!

  3. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  4. A: I get a real kick out of the variety and unpredictability of the musical demands/situations you find yourself immersed in. That and perhaps even more the profound pleasure of creating a sound that wasn't there until you came along and added it to the track.

  5. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  6. A: I've spent twenty years on the road and loved (almost!) every minute of it. Having kids though has changed everything - it does that? Who would have thought! I still adore touring BUT I can't be disappearing from home for weeks on end while my kids are young. So I finally took the time to build a home studio - and get to know Logic a little better! It is hugely satisfying to be able to drop my kids at school, come home, neck an espresso (home-roasted beans, if you please), head out to my 'bunker' (as my better half class it), and make music.

  7. Q: How would you describe your style?

  8. A: Like pretty much every saxophonist out there, I am a jazz musician at heart. BUT I had an epiphany, thank the lord, as I quit my teenager years, and suddenly understood that, in the words of Duke Ellington, "There's only two kinds of music - good music and bad music." I take pleasure in so much music! Specifically as a saxophone player, I hope to be a synthesis of the history of the instrument - yes, jazz is at the base, but it's overlaid with rhythm n' blues, soul, pop, all kinds of dance music. Michael Brecker was the great modern master of this; I don't set out to sound like him at all costs, but in a commercial context his sensibility is a big influence.

  9. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  10. A: Ooh, this is a hard one. Stevie is still going, and that would be a pretty joyous experience! Sting would also be awesome. I'll await the call! (I do also like to work with artists whose names don't begin with 'St'!)

  11. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  12. A: I would say that I play saxophone in a commercial idiom WITHOUT sounding cheesy, if that makes sense?! If you want Kenny G, or a real 'smooth jazz' sound, I'm not your man! I really enjoy making almost all kinds of music - highly commercial, unpretentious music, as much as more niche stuff - BUT crucially I hope to bring musical integrity to any situation.

  13. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  14. A: I keep it pretty simple. My studio is purpose built in my back garden, so I have the luxury of a space that doesn't need to serve any other purpose. It's a great-sounding room, carpet, acoustic panels, really nice and dry. I use a Sontronix cardioid condenser mic (nothing fancy or vintage, but it really sounds great for saxophone), a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface, and Logic on my Mac.

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Until The Night by Elio Pace

I was the saxophone soloist in this production

Gear Highlights
  • Selmer Mk vi tenor saxophone (1960)
  • Selmer Mk vi alto saxophone (1961)
  • Cannonball baritone saxophone
  • Selmer Mk vi baritone saxophone
  • Yanagisawa soprano saxophone
  • Yamaha flute
  • Yamaha Bb clarinet
  • Yahama bass clarinet
More Photos
  • Back to Black movieOct 02, 2024

    I had a lot of fun contributing to the soundtrack for the Amy Winehouse biopic, Back To Black, at Abbey Rd with Giles Martin. Almost as an afterthought, Giles got me to do a pass on There Is No Greater Love, blowing behind the vocal. And what do you know - the whole thing made it into the movie! The scene has now turned up on YouTube - have a watch…


    https://youtu.be/f8rYNap-jO0?feature=shared