Rousseau

The history of Rousseau mouthpieces is centered around the work of Dr Eugene Rousseau, a world-renowned saxophonist and professor. He began designing his own mouthpieces in the early 1970s out of necessity to provide his students with a high-quality option for classical performance that was not available on the commercial market.

The first Rousseau Classic R Series alto saxophone mouthpiece was introduced in 1972. This design aimed to provide a warm, centered tone with positive response, suitable for serious classical performers. The same year, Dr. Rousseau began working as a chief consultant for saxophone research with the Yamaha Corporation, a relationship that contributed to the development of many acoustic improvements in saxophones and mouthpieces.

Over the years, other models were developed for both classical and jazz musicians, including the popular New Classic and JDX series. In January 2020, Jody Espina of Jody Jazz acquired the Rousseau mouthpiece company. The “Rousseau 3.0” phase introduced a completely revamped manufacturing process, with all mouthpieces made from start to finish at the Jody Jazz factory in Savannah, Georgia, using a combination of state-of-the-art CNC technology and hand-finishing for enhanced consistency and quality.