@BigDub said in Blessing Artist gifted to me:
@tjveloce said in Blessing Artist gifted to me:
@BigDub said in Blessing Artist gifted to me:
I think the case was made by the Hopeless company if I am not mistaken. Or, it’s a Conn Artist's case. Not sure.
Really? Hopeless? That was a brand? Or are you pulling my leg?
-tj
It was a "Hopeless Case". Humor. Pulling your leg, yes.
"Con Artist", that is not a case either..........
Man....I'm dense today. I blame lack of sleep!
-tj
The owner is local and a friend. Today I dropped off my Miyashiro to let him play for a week or so, and in exchange he let me take the Committee home.
I must say that it’s a damned fine horn. Playing it back to back against my 56 Deluxe Large Bore is interesting. We all rave about the Large Bore’s timbre, warmth and touch, and we buy in to the idea that only pre-1960 Committees are the best. This horn dispels those ideas.
At least for me, this horn retains nearly all of characteristics of my 56 Deluxe but has slightly easier to center intonation and without some of the distortion evident in certain valve combination slurs. If the “Committee flavor” is a 9 on my horn, this one is a 7 or an 8. It’s also curious how much heavier the silver plated horn is than my raw brass horn.
I don’t need two Committees but I want it. I talked to Shawn at Brass Cellar about it and he was impressed with its condition (from pictures) and wondered if Charlie had restored it (I don’t believe it was done by him)
-tj
A little known fact is that DEG designed this for the Santa Clara Vanguards “backfield” moments, allowing the corps to face the audience while their horns were faced backfield. Then, in a cruel twist of fate they realized that the hornline would have to march backwards for the push, and that didn’t work out so well.
I agree....and there's just something about vintage horns, including the fact that they have so much character and mana from their previous lives. But I like lots of vintage things.
-tj
That's super cool! What style of architecture is your home? We live in a Craftsman that was built using the Gamble House in Pasadena as inspiration. I love Craftsman aesthetic but also really love Spanish Villa and Mid-Century Modern.
-tj
@Bob-Pixley said in The new Martin Committee "thread" from a TM emigrant:
@tjveloce said in The new Martin Committee "thread" from a TM emigrant: ...Oh, by the way, I found a woman who can do the engraving through Robb Stewart, and I spoke with her.
So who's freshening up the engraving? Is Sherry Huntley still doing small jobs on the side?
She did my Committee quickly and with great finesse.
Her email address is artisticengraver@sbcglobal.net
-TJ
I struggled for a few minutes trying to decide where to post this topic. There were not obvious places in “Pedagogy” and “Instruments” didn’t really seem proper either. I ended up here because my belief is that the jazz idiom (the one in which I play) seems the most open to individual expression through timbre.
The question, or at least the discussion is, “what is the sound that you aim to produce when you play your horn, and how did you decide that’s how you wanted to sound?” “And then, how do you achieve that sound?”
It’s easy to go down a philosophical rathole here, because not only are there myriad components that determine our sound, some of which are beyond our control (our physical attributes such as body type, dentition, etc.) but also influences and equipment. If you grew up listening to Ray Nance play in the Ellington band you might like his sound. If you grew up listening to Miles in the early days, another kind of sound quality might have melted your butter. And of course in the modern era, recording techniques have sometimes artificially effected the sound coming out of the bell of a horn that can be tricky to record accurately.
My belief is that few of us possess the innate ability to produce a “natural sound.” I believe the trumpet is a complex and physically challenging enough instrument, that only the truly exceptional may be able to create a sound that is consistent with what listeners want to listen to, and that is entirely independent of outside direction. If you practice Irons, Abrams, or Clarke’s, or any of the other myriad fundamentals books in print, you will, inevitably, develop a tone that comes from playing those exercises.
My view is that we hear a trumpet player whose sound moves us, and then we hear others whose sounds don’t. Since listening, not just to others in the ensemble, but to ourselves as well, is so important as a musician (especially a brass player), we begin to attempt to make the sound that comes out of the horn mimic what we hear when we listen to Wayne, or Chris, or Maynard, or Miles. Fine, so I’m joking about Miles, no one could sound like him.
Please weigh in on those thoughts, and then if you so desire, share what the sound quality you aim for, and how you get it. It’s a given that regardless of the many different qualities a trumpet can make, all require a certain approach. Moving lots of warm air with a taut embouchure, relaxed body, and effective breathing are imperatives. Past that, how do you get the sound you want?
Personally, the first trumpet players I really listened to were those in Kenton’s early bands, and as a soloist, Herb Alpert. Despite being impressed with young Maynard’s theatrics, as a soloist, there was something about Herb’s soft, understated, almost always round (El Solo Toro is one exception) tone that I dug, even at age 7. Later, when I heard Miles for the first time, I felt like I’d rediscovered that sound.
And so the sound that just slays me when I hear it, the one that feels like my voice, is that warm, round, soft, compact, never edgy, tone that touches you in a way you can’t describe. The attacks are analogous to a soft mallet on a vibraphone, rather than a stick on a tom. Dominick Farinacci has it. So did Lee Morgan, Kenny Dorham, Miles in his early days and on many of his ballads, and Chris Botti.
Personally I find it easier to produce a sound that is not what I want than it is to do the opposite. Playing with the kind of “touch” I describe requires a restrained intensity in order to produce. Lots of air support but less volume, attention to every attack, and the tonal quality once its being made. Relaxed body and open jaw, but firm embouchure and a constant evaluation of the sound.
Since my Miyashiro has been at Yamaha for repair I’ve been playing my Committee exclusively. Where I used to use it only for solo work, it’s become my daily ax for the past 3 months. The Yamaha just worked better in the big band as far as ensemble sound, and is a more efficient horn. But that doesn’t make it necessarily better. The last time I blew notes through a Miyashiro (not mine) it felt foreign to me. What used to be a bat with a couple donuts on it, is now my “normal.” That horn, with a Monette B6 S1 mouthpiece in the lead pipe helps me make notes that I consider “pretty” and which help get me to my desired quality of sound. When I play other horns, it’s nearly impossible. Of course, there is nothing that sounds like a large bore Committee, but some come closer than others.
Please share your thoughts on these ideas, and respond if you so desire with the qualities that inspire you.
-tj in the Cruz Mtns
@OldSchoolEuph said in Martin Committee Club:
@tjveloce Wow- that house is amazing. Any more interior pics (trying to steal your plans ...)?
Thanks OS Euph...we are blessed to call this place home. This is probably the easiest way to share photos of the home and property.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/21854-Bear-Creek-Rd-Los-Gatos-CA-95033/16160474_zpid/
-tj
With regard to my Miyashiro, I’m happy to report that my local shop (the one from which the horn was purchased) has sent the horn to Yamaha to have the lead pipe replaced under warranty.
It will be interesting to see what it looks like when it comes back. I assume they will not re-lacquer the entire horn after the new lead pipe is brazed/soldered on.
-TJ
I don't know how I missed this band but I'd never heard of them until I was looking at the results of the Grammys a few weeks ago. Since then I've probably listened to this record 40 or 50 times. I can't get enough of it. While I'm sad The Phat Band didn't get a nomination (The Gordian Knot is outstanding) I'm happy that someone is representing modern big band jazz with pride and ability.
Dig. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMHLjUzaCsWA0lS4AVtMroqiDJ2NjNqTE
-tj
@Dr-GO said in Martin Committee Club:
@tjveloce said in Martin Committee Club:
...share photos of the home and property.-tj
This room DEFINITELY says TRUMPET PLAYER lives here. Trumpet on the floor next to the piano to transcribe those trumpet parts... And Miles on the wall... That says it all tj-Committee Club Member extraordinaire!
Thanks Doc-my office usually has a lot more in it trumpet related, but if all you're going have is one horn, why not have it be a Committee?
-tj
I stopped looking once I took delivery of my Harrelson. There is no better modern horn that I have played, with a range of versatility, amazing dynamics and slotting control and design options that allow for fine adjustments. With that said, my Martin Committee still is the one. That horn really understands me.
Same for me. My Benge is like a well worn pair of boots, my Yamaha is like a well built tool or Bob Kramer knife, but my Committee helps me make the kind of sound I yearn to make, and the way it feels in my hands, resonates on my chops, and the feelings it evokes are unparalleled.
-tj
@Kehaulani Normally we do too.....but our property has a view that cannot ever be taken away, which counts for something because we put up with a good amount of risk (we're in wildfire country) just for that view.
-tj
I’m sorry we didn’t connect. I spent a lot of time with Josh and Kyle in the Adams area. I played almost every single horn on their racks but am in love with the A4. I love their Sonic Flugelhorn as well as the F1 lightweight. The large bore heavy weight A4 felt more like my Committee than any other horn that I played, but their “Committee” was delightful as well (it was a medium bore).
Other horns that impressed where the Schilke “Committee and their flugelhorn, and some of the BAC models.
My first NAMM was a great experience. It’s probably not an every year event for me but I do hope to attend again in the future.
-tj
In 1982 my father bought me a Benge MLP for my 16th birthday. We flew to a music store in Burbank and I played a few different models before settling on the MLP. I played it throughout high school and college, and then it slept in storage for the lost years where I wasn’t playing.
When I returned to the trumpet it was the one I started with, but a number of circumstances led me down a path that brought other horns in to my collection of “daily weapons,” most notably my Yamaha Miyashiro which has been my big band/ensemble horn of choice.
A couple years ago I took the Benge to Denver with me, so I’d have a horn to play when I was out visiting my Mother In Law, but then the pandemic happened and I’ve not travelled to Denver since. When Mom came to spend the holidays with us she brought my old Benge with her and the reunion was an unexpectedly fantastic one.
The horn has always been a very good one but I forgot how good it is. After 4 years of mostly being on the Yamaha (and 2 or so on the Committee) it’s more like the Martin than the Miyashiro. That was a big, and welcome surprise. I’m really quite surprised that the Benge has a more compact and softer core sound to it, one which I absolutely love. I spent all day getting to know it again, and promptly put the Miyashiro in its case. I’m going to use the Benge in big band rehearsal tomorrow night and see how I do with it. As far as ease of play, intonation, and dexterity, it gives up little (if any) to the Yamaha.
BTW-it’s a Los Angeles built example, most likely made in 1980 or 1981.
-tj
I was recently made of aware of this horn by the good people at ACB and I’m obsessed with playing one. If it works for me as advertised, it may just be the horn I’ve been looking for. Fans of it say that it’s round, dark, and warm, while being a very efficient instrument.
There are some cool videos on YouTube by Joe Babiak, a recent convert to Martin’s horns.
Now if I could just find buyers for my Miyashiro and Olds.
-tj
@dale-proctor Got it….thank you again. Based on a few of the usual sites this one appears to have been built sometime between 71 and 74. It plays much better than its appearance or mechanical condition would suggest.
-tj
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