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Contrabass list Thu, 19 Mar 1998 Volume 1 : Number 21
In this issue:
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 17:44:06 -0600
From:
"Jeffrey L. Shlosberg" <saxlaw@ibm.net>
Subject: Sub Contrabass Rumors
Tristan:
What is your source for this? Your facts sound strangely like the rumor threads that have run through various discussion lists on the Net over the past few years.
Several of the sax experts have unequivocally stated that these horns never existed. I'm afraid a hand-drawn picture will not do it for me. I want to hear from someone who has actually laid their hands on one and has a photo to prove it.
> Okay guys, I think I'd like to set the record straight for once!!!
> The Sub Contrabass Saxophone was added by C.G. Conn of Elkhart, Ind. in
> 1902; some say that there were up to ten made, though I believe it was
> closer to four (though some may have been destroyed in either of the two
> great Conn factory fires!). There is assumed to be two of these still
> in existence. It stood @10 feet tall and could be played as agily as
> any other sax of the time; it's range extended to one octave below the
> Bass Sax (Ab-1?). I am working on a book, "Odd and Underused Musical
> Instruments"; I'll try to get a picture (Hand-drawn, but it's decent!)
> to Grant for the Compendium.
> Tristan Carpenter; emerald1@megsinet.net
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Jeffrey L. Shlosberg "It's NOT cut; it's NOT dried..."
900 E. 79th Street Suite 301 -- Alan Arkin as Shel Kornpett, DDS
Bloomington, MN 55420 -- "The In-Laws" - 1979
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 19:00:24 -0500
From:
bonedaddy@Connections.ultranet.com
Subject: Conn
Subcontrabass Sax
LI>From: "Emerald1" <emerald1@megsinet.net>
LI>Subject: The Sub Contrabass Saxophone
LI> Okay guys, I think I'd like to set the record straight for once!!! =
LI>The Sub Contrabass Saxophone was added by C.G. Conn of Elkhart, Ind. in =
LI>1902; some say that there were up to ten made, though I believe it was =
LI>closer to four (though some may have been destroyed in either of the two =
LI>great Conn factory fires!). There is assumed to be two of these still =
LI>in existence. It stood @10 feet tall and could be played as agily as =
LI>any other sax of the time; it's range extended to one octave below the =
LI>Bass Sax (Ab-1?). I am working on a book, "Odd and Underused Musical =
LI>Instruments"; I'll try to get a picture (Hand-drawn, but it's decent!) =
LI>to Grant for the Compendium.
LI>Tristan Carpenter; emerald1@megsinet.net
Next time you're in Boston, stop in to Bob Drinkwater's Woodwind Repair/Eulipian Woodwind Guild. The walls of Bob's shop are absolutely covered with pictures of rare and unusual instruments and reed players of all kinds. He also keeps an extensive record collection from which he is occasionally prone to pull out an example of whatever instrument or musician you might end up discussing...and he CAN discuss, unless you happen to catch him at a busy moment with a customer. Among the clippings that are taped to the wall are a pair of photos of the Conn Subcontrabass Sax in front of Conn's showroom (I think in NYC). In one photo, it stands tall, reaching the middle of the store's marquis and in the other, it is lying prone on a flatbed truck. Really huge! Also among the collection are shots of CB Sarussaphones, soprano sarrusaphones, well, I could go on for a while here, but Rahsaan Roland Kirk is a major source of interest here, as Bob was friends with him and played with his band on the odd occasion at Jazz Worksop in Boston and was, in fact one of his pall bearers at his funeral. He recently sent 20 pages of notes to an author working on Kirk's biography. Bob's band, "Bright Moments" and his Eulipian Woodwind Guild both take their names from Rahsaan tunes. He feels very strongly about passing along the information on instruments and musician, so he's almost always up for a chat. You can find his shop in Boston, not far from the Boylston subway station, on Boylston Street above the Steinway showroom in Steinert Hall. He does great work, too - an alumnus of Haynes Flutes (Rahsaan got him the job!)
Cheers!
Bonedaddy@connections.ultranet.com
PS...Carl Fischer Music in Boston where Bob used to have his shop has closed its Boston branch next door to Steinway. The building is set to be demolished this week. They remain open in NYC & Chicago. Beacon Musical Instuments, a division bought out years ago is gone forever.
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 16:23:46 -0800
From: Grant
Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
Subject: Re: Conn
Subcontrabass Sax
At 07:00 PM 3/18/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Next time you're in Boston, stop in to Bob Drinkwater's Woodwind Repair/
>Eulipian Woodwind Guild. The walls of Bob's shop are absolutely covered
>with pictures of rare and unusual instruments and reed players of all
>kinds. He also keeps an extensive record collection from which he is
Boy, I wish I'd known about this last October, when I was in Boston! My wife probably walked right past it while I was at work (she marched the kids up and down the Freedom Trail), and didn't notice it. Or maybe she noticed it, and made a mental note to make sure that I never came anywhere near it ;-)
>clippings that are taped to the wall are a pair of photos of the Conn
>Subcontrabass Sax in front of Conn's showroom (I think in NYC). In one
>photo, it stands tall, reaching the middle of the store's marquis and in
>the other, it is lying prone on a flatbed truck. Really huge! Also among
Yep, this sounds like the subcontra "promo" sax that's been mentioned from time to time. As far as I know, they only made one and shipped it around the country for publicity.
>the collection are shots of CB Sarussaphones, soprano sarrusaphones,
>well, I could go on for a while here, but Rahsaan Roland Kirk is a major
>source of interest here, as Bob was friends with him and played with his
Not too often someone walks in with a stritch or a manzello, eh? :-) Sounds like my kind of place...
Grant
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 22:05:55 EST
From: PaulC135
<PaulC135@aol.com>
Subject: Re: list V1 #20
<<From: "Emerald1" <emerald1@megsinet.net>
Okay guys, I think I'd like to set the record straight for once!!! =
The Sub Contrabass Saxophone was added by C.G. Conn of Elkhart, Ind. in =
1902; some say that there were up to ten made, though I believe it was =
closer to four (though some may have been destroyed in either of the two =
great Conn factory fires!). There is assumed to be two of these still =
in existence. It stood @10 feet tall and could be played as agily as =
any other sax of the time; it's range extended to one octave below the =
Bass Sax (Ab-1?). I am working on a book, "Odd and Underused Musical =
Instruments"; I'll try to get a picture (Hand-drawn, but it's decent!) =
to Grant for the Compendium.
Tristan Carpenter; emerald1@megsinet.net>>
How do you know about this instrument?
Paul Cohen
End of list V1 #21