Vol. 2, No. 33

CONTRABASS-LIST

An email list for discussion of bass and contrabass instruments of all kinds. To subscribe, send a message with "subscribe" in the subject line to contrabass-list-request@contrabass.com.

To post, send your message to contrabass-list@contrabass.com.
See the Archive for back issues.

Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 17:33:50 -0400 (EDT)

Contrabass-list Digest Volume 97 : Issue 33

Today's Topics:

Date: Tue, 29 Apr 1997 11:27:00 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
To: contrabass-list@contrabass.com
Subject: CD Review


CD Review:

Kelly Brand Sextet "A Dream In A Stone" (1996, Koch Jazz, KOC 3-7818-2)
Great, straight-ahead jazz. The sextet is trumpet, tenor sax, bass trumpet, piano, bass, and drums. Vocals on one track. Great stuff! Makes me wonder why the bass trumpet hasn't replaced the tenor trombone everywhere else. ;-)

Grant

Date: Tue, 29 Apr 1997 12:20:08 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
To: "Sydney R. Polk" <jazzman@rahul.net>
Cc: contrabass-list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: Ohlone College Wind Ensemble Concert 4/27


At 02:57 PM 4/22/97 -0700, you wrote:

>The Oholone College Wind Ensemble is playing at the Jacskon
>Theater in the Gary Soren Smith Center for the Performing
>Arts at Ohlone College in Fremont, CA, Sunday April 27
>at 2 PM. We are playing an all-English concert featuring
>works of Malcolm Arnold, Gustav Holst, and Percy Grainger among
>others.

So Syd, how was the concert? Would have gone, but we were in Washington state at the time.

Grant

Date: Tue, 29 Apr 1997 17:48:48 -0700
From: "James E. O'Briant" <jobriant@garlic.com>
To: contrabass-list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: contrabass-list Digest V97 #32


Somebody or other wrote:

>> Isn't their a BBBBflat Sub-Contrabass Tuba?

Daryl Fletcher replied:

> The 1994 Guinness Book of Records lists as the largest brass
> instrument, "...a tuba standing 7 1/2 feet tall, with 39 ft of
> tubing and a bell 3 ft 4 in across. This contrabass tuba was
> constructed for a world tour by the band of American composer
> John Philip Sousa."

> It doesn't say anything about the key or where this beast is
> now. There isn't a picture either, but I think I remember a
> picture from an earlier edition showing it as a huge rotary
> valved instrument.

> I know that we have at least a couple of experts in brass
> instrument construction on the list who could give us an idea
> of what key it's in based on the measurements.

Actually, there are two of them, pitched in BBB-flat. There has recently been some extensive discussion of these instrument on the tuba/euphonium mailing list. One is at Harvard University, and the other is at the Carl Fischer music store in New York City. Apparently both are in rather dilapidated condition.

-- Jim O'Briant
Tubist
Composer
Arranger
Conductor
Publisher of Music
Gilroy, CA, USA

Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 17:31:55 -0400 (EDT)
From: WilPryde@aol.com
To: contrabass-list@contrabass.com
Subject: More Questions.


Does anyone on this list make brass instruments because I have heard that making your own instruments(Especially if you are a Tuba player :-) can some-what reduce the price,AND you can make it suit your individual needs better. AND If any one does can you send me a few things:

  1. An estimate on how much a BBBBflat monster Tuba would cost.
  2. The list of materials needed to make ANY type of Tuba.
  3. Any reading that would enable me too become at least slightly proficiant at this.

AND I was wondering if someone could explain what the Sub-Octo-Contrbass prefixes mean.

Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 14:59:00 -0700
From: angelaj4@juno.com (Angela J Combs) (by way of Grant Green <angelaj4@juno.com>)
To: contrabass-list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: Contrabass-L No. 87


Could someone who knows something about octobass flutes fill me in on them? Are there any recordings available with an octo? Thanks!

Angela Combs

Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 15:06:17 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
To: angelaj4@juno.com (Angela J Combs)
Cc: contrabass-list@contrabass.com
Subject: Re: Contrabass-L No. 87


At 05:49 PM 4/30/97 PST, you wrote:

>Could someone who knows something about octobass flutes fill me in on
>them? Are there any recordings available with an octo? Thanks!

>Angela Combs

Apparently there are a few octocontrabass flute makers out there. Kotato makes a double contrabass (same register as contrabassoon). The Piacere Flute Ensemble uses one on a CD ("Piacere Flute Ensemble", 1995 Tokyo Sound City Planning Co., Ltd., TSC CD 0029). The CD is all flute choir, with "Pictures at an Exhibition", "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" and others. The Big Flute discography is at http://www.contrabass.com/pages/dis-cbfl.html .

Grant

Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 16:06:39 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
To: contrabass-list@contrabass.com
Subject: FMP CDs?


Hi,

Just surfing earlier, and ran across FMP's catalog. One CD in particular caught my eye: "Holz Fur Europa, Comite Imaginaire" (if the characters come through, that should be Holz für Europa: Comité Imaginaire), FMP CD84 (July 1995, Berlin). The musicians are:

I'm still trying to imagine a contrabass clarinet trio....

Anyway, has anyone heard this CD yet? I'd order it just out of curiosity, but ordering direct from FMP requires one to prepay in Deutschmarks, which I find to be a bit of a hassle. Their web site is http://www.pro-web.de/fmp .

Francis, they carry a lot of Peter Brotzman: you might like to check out the label.

Grant

Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 11:21:30 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
To: contrabass-list@contrabass.com
Subject: Concerts!


Hi,

Two upcoming concerts, for anyone interested in the classical band repertoire:

San Jose Wind Symphony, & Los Gatos HS
Friday May 2, 1997, at 6:30PM, Los Gatos High School
Guest Conductor: Steve Wozniak (yep, the Apple founder)
The SJWS will play "Les Preludes" (Liszt), "Themes Like Old Times", "Concertante" (featuring an alto sax soloist), "Valdres", and "Olympica" (Van der Roost). Dessert is served starting at 6:30, music begins at 7:30. SJWS goes on at around 8:15PM.
San Jose Wind Symphony, with Charles Daval, trumpet soloist
May 17, 1997 at 7:30 PM, Mountain View Center for Performing Arts
The SJWS will play "Little English Girl" (Delle Cese), "Les Preludes" (Liszt), "Amazing Grace" (Newton), "Concerto for Trumpet and Symphonic Band" (Arutunian), "Fandango" (Perkins), "Toccata Marziale" (Vaughn Williams), Symphony No. 1 "Lord of the Rings" (de Meij), "La Virgen de la Macarena" (Monterede), "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot (Puccini), and "Olympica" (Van der Roost).

I'll be playing contrabass clarinet, as usual.

Grant

Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 14:40:54 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
To: contrabass-list@contrabass.com
Subject: Contramania strikes again!


Contrabass Mania strikes again!

A deal too good to pass up: Joe Murphy's contrabass trumpet (yes, one of the few contrabass trumpets in F made by Carl Kleinsteuber). Just arrived today, with a PT-60 mpc (which JM threw in at a reasonable price). Its sitting in the corner of my office at present, until I can find a case to fit it.

Now I just have to learn how to play it ;-)

Daryl, you have one of these, and experience on tuba. How would you approach learning the CB trumpet? In years past, I've played trombone, bass trombone, trumpet, and French horn, but its been quite a while. I can tell right off, just from putting the mpc on my face, that its going to be different. Is there a good method book for tuba (or cb trumpet ;-) ) that you'd recommend? Anyone else?

Blat Green

BTW: Carl, it looks like a great horn. You have a real talent for horn-building there. I'm listening to "Gravity" right now for inspiration. GDG


Next Digest>

Back to Index^

Previous Digest<