JodyJazz Inc has announced their acquisition of the Chedeville Company, the world renowned brand of clarinet and saxophone mouthpieces.
“For the past two years we have been developing a new range of clarinet and saxophone mouthpieces specifically for the classical and concert band world,” says Jody Espina, president of JodyJazz Inc. “Having studied clarinet extensively at the University of South Florida, I was well aware of the Chedeville name and its peerless reputation in clarinet mouthpieces, and in particular the distinctive tonal properties of the legendary ‘Chedeville Rubber.’ When I became aware that they had replicated the original Chedeville Rubber formula and that the company might become available, I jumped at the opportunity. Not only does this acquisition provide us with a famous brand around which to build our classical and concert band offerings, it also provides access to the propriety rubber formula that made the Chedeville mouthpieces so popular in the first place.”
“Chedeville has been a dream vocation for me as it has allowed me to combine my professional skills as a chemist with my passion for playing the clarinet. I have dedicated many years of my life and used every ounce of my training, expertise and experience to make the sound of the legendary mouthpieces from the 20’s and 30’s available once again to today’s players,” said Dr. L. Omar Henderson Ph.D, the current owner of the Chedeville Company. “Without an heir interested in taking over the business, it was time for me to plan for the next step in the revival of Chedeville. It was most important to me to ensure it would be in the hands of someone who both shared my respect for the legacy of the brand and my passion for authenticity in mouthpiece making. I was of course already well aware of the stellar reputation for quality and consistency of JodyJazz mouthpieces but it was only after I spent some with Jody Espina personally that I knew that Chedeville had found its new home. Witnessing Jody’s personal dedication and passion for mouthpiece making first hand, I knew that the Chedeville name would not only be safe but would thrive under his leadership. This is a new and exciting chapter in the Chedeville story and I know that Jody will only take it to even greater heights.”
All Chedeville mouthpiece production will transfer to the JodyJazz factory in Savannah, Georgia. The company plans to combine the many classical mouthpiece designs currently in development with the very best of the Chedeville mouthpiece designs, using the proprietary Chedeville rubber as appropriate. All its classical clarinet and saxophone mouthpieces will be consolidated under the Chedeville brand and the company will be hiring a dedicated product manager. Work is already underway developing a full line, which will also include clarinet barrels, to be launched at NAMM 2019 and the new Chedeville.com website is currently under construction.
“In order to make the finest quality woodwind mouthpieces for the classical world, deserving of the Chedeville name, we will seek out some of the greatest talent in the world as advisors and testers of the products,” said Espina. “The guiding principle for the Chedeville brand will be to take advantage of everything we have learned at JodyJazz about design, quality, consistency, and state of the art technology over the past 18 years while honoring the traditions of the past.”
