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Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 18:44:50 -0700
From: Grant Green
Subject: [CB] CD Review
Just found another CD by The Bassoon Brothers - "Captured" (2002 Crystal Records , CD875). Still the usual suspects, including another tromboon feature as well as a fagottino (the Wolf tenoroon ). Characteristically tongue-in-cheek, it includes tracks like "Fanfare for the Common Bassoonist", "Louie, Louie, Roll out the Barrel", "Purple Haze", etc. One track ("Pigs" by Alan Ridout) is performed completely on contrabassoons - a contrabassoon quartet.
Enjoy!
Grant
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Grant Green contrabass.com
Sarrusophones & other Contrabass Winds
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Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2002 04:09:35 +0100
Subject: [CB] Dumb stuff in our horns
From: Simon Bull
Here's one from my Dad, who played bari most of his career. (He's retired now, and took up the trombone as a hobby - no reeds, no keys, no doubling, says he should have done it fifty years ago. Yes, fifty.)
One night on a gig many, many years ago his bari started acting up. It played fine, no problem, for a couple of tunes, then he would lay it down (no stand) to play clari or alto, and when he picked it up again, NOTHING. No air would go down it, the thing was just sealed up. He would bang it around a bit, and it would start working again. This went on for a few days, until finally the jokers in the trumpet section owned up; one of them had rolled a coin up the horn, which had jammed up at the top somewhere, but rotated when the horn was tipped over. When the coin was parallel to the bore, no problem. When it turned through 90 degrees...
Saw a reference to bari cleaning on one the lists. My gal has found herself a solution to this. She is a legit clarinetist who is dedicated to swabbing out every horn, every time, even when she has to play bari. It's like a normal sax pull-thru, but with a longer string, and on the end a piece of padded chain, like bath plug chain with cloth around it. Drop the chain down the bell, hold the pull-thru bit, and tip the sax upside down quickly. The chain has enough weight to spin itself through the curves, and comes out
where the crook goes. Pull out, and repeat. Presto, dry baritone!
There was a question recently about the brightness and loudness of a Tubax . With a baritone mouthpiece, yes, it's brighter than a CB sax. (The bass sax m'piece is still a work in progress) Volume is a problem, though. At least, it is for me, so far. Playing in a quartet with tenor, bari and bass , I have to blow my a** off to match those guys, and they are taking it easy on my behalf. What we haven't yet done is take this out of the rehearsal room, so maybe it will be different on stage. If anybody is looking for a sax quartet with a difference...
And back to extensions for low clarinets. I can't speak too highly of the extension that Benedict put on a Vito BBb bass for me. Three thumb keys down to low C, with all three toneholes on the new bell, pointing upwards, and a really good adjustable peg. Great. Wasn't cheap, but boy, does it work. Photos were around at one time, but I could take some more, if wanted.
Simon
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Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 19:10:12 -0700
From: Tom Welsh
Subject: [CB] Matthias Ziegler US tour = September
Hi Friends,
Once upon a time, everyone in this discussion was kind enough to discuss the music of Matthias Ziegler , contrabass flute player from Switzerland. Here's a quick & early announcement of a September tour we're working on for Matthias, who will perform his excellent solo program:
September 2002
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15 : Chicago
16-17 : Seattle-Tacoma
18-20 : San Francisco/Bay Area
21-22 : Los Angeles
23-26 : New York City
Some dates & events are fixed, others are still a bit fluid. If anyone in these areas wants to arrange something with Matthias Ziegler please write to me directly. I'll post again with complete details as we get closer to the dates.
Best,
Tom Welsh
New Albion Records
http://newalbion.com/NA104/
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Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2002 01:46:39 -0700
From: Craig Durham
Subject: Re: [CB] Dumb stuff in our horns
Simon,
Good story. The dumbest thing I've had in a horn was a chamois swab in my contra-alto. I was going to pull it all the way through from the neck to the bottom, forgetting that the "octave" vent protudes into the bore. Fortunately, I could just reach the swab with a hemostat (think very long locking pliers). Even at that, it was touch-and-go - almost cost me a trip to the tech!
Anyway, I remember seeing pictures of your extended bass - that's what set me thinking about something similar for my contra-alto. It would have to be something like that - it's hard enough finding a chair the right height for this thing as it is. I certainly don't need to have the mouthpiece any further from the floor.
Craig
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