The year 2025 marks the 25th Anniversary of the founding of the Savannah-based JodyJazz Inc., a world-famous manufacturer of premium saxophone and clarinet mouthpieces. The company will celebrate its 25th Anniversary with a special concert featuring JodyJazz Artist and internationally acclaimed saxophonist Kirk Whalum during the 2025 Savannah Jazz Festival.

Founded by Jody Espina in New York City in the year 2000, the company relocated to Savannah in 2008 and moved to its current premises in Garden City in 2011. Now running five CNC machines and with a staff of 23 employees, JodyJazz continues to expand its operation and its reach into every major market around the world.

The birth of JodyJazz may be traced directly to when company founder Jody Espina met the legendary saxophonist and mouthpiece maker Santy Runyon. This fateful meeting took place in 1999 in New Orleans. Runyon was an acclaimed saxophonist and teacher, and the owner of the Runyon mouthpiece company. Espina was a professional saxophonist and jazz educator in New York City.

"When I first met Santy Runyon, I had no idea that encounter would lead me into the mouthpiece business," said JodyJazz Founder and President Jody Espina. "I look back on those days fondly. Santy was the teacher of my boyhood teacher, Junie Ferrell. I instantly recognized this unique energy and spirit in Santy, and I think he could feel my passion and thirst for knowledge."

After meeting Runyon, Espina started playing a Runyon mouthpiece. After a couple of months, he asked Runyon to customize the mouthpiece to his own specifications. Espina fell in love with the mouthpiece and was fascinated by how the mouthpiece was transformed by Runyon’s custom handwork. As word about this special mouthpiece spread around New York, Runyon proposed to Espina that he start selling them and suggested he call it the “JodyJazz” mouthpiece.

Soon saxophonists from far and wide were flocking to Espina's New York loft to buy the mouthpieces. Although fully occupied as a player and teacher, Espina saw the potential in a real business in mouthpieces, and in 2000, JodyJazz Inc. was formally established. In 2008, Espina moved the operation to its current home in Savannah, Georgia, and in 2015, greatly expanded its manufacturing capabilities and capacity with a major expansion of its premises, including additional factory space, a showroom, a performance area, and new offices.

Today, JodyJazz is considered one of the world's preeminent mouthpiece companies. JodyJazz mouthpieces are played by many of the world’s leading saxophonists and clarinet players and are sold in over 60 countries across the globe.

To celebrate this special anniversary, the 2025 Savannah Jazz Festival will honor JodyJazz with a special 25th Anniversary concert featuring critically acclaimed jazz saxophonist and songwriter, Kirk Whalum. The Jazz Festival will take place September 19th – 21st, with Kirk Whalum headlining the festival on the night of Saturday, September 20th.

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