[Dixielandjazz] Re: Turk's Horn?

[briantowers]

Jim,

Well, thanks a million for that veritable mine of fascinating information.
We slavering trombonists out here on the DJML (there are quite a few of us)
really appreciate this sort of inside scoop.   Thanks also to Dottie Lawless
for the input on Turk's mouthpieces.

Over the years I have moved away from the slightly larger bore trombone
(i.e. King 3B) and find the regular bore to produce a brighter, punchier and
more immediate sound - for myself anyway.  My main horns are a Reynolds
Emperor and a Bach Stradivarius -both regular bore.  I prefer the Reynolds
these days.

Cheers,
Brian Towers,
Hot Five Jazzmakers, Toronto, Canada
Band web site:            http://hotfivejazz.tripod.com
Newsletter:                  http://hotfivejazz.tripod.com/TJM

----- Original Message -----
From: <JimDBB@aol.com>
To: <dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 1:37 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Re: Turk's Horn?


> In a message dated 9/11/02 8:28:08 AM Central Daylight Time,
> briantowers@msn.com writes:
>
>
> > Cary,
> >
> > The photos do not indicate that his horns are particularly big, that I
can
> > tell.   I think the truth lies more in his mouthpiece, his chops and a
huge
> > lung capacity but I am only guessing.
> >
> > Kid Ory's horns in photos always look like small bore to me and he had a
> > lovely wide tone too.
> >
>
>    Turk Murphy played a Conn 32H.  The 32H was a large bore tenor trombone
> that Conn stopped making many years ago.  It was a damn good horn but a
bore
> size more used by symphony trombonists that jazz guys. I found that out
the
> hard way.
> A dealer friend of mine found one in good shape and I took it to play on a
> recording date.  I had played around on it briefly and it felt good and
had a
> good slide.  The recording date was going along fine and I was playing
> decently when all of a sudden the larger bore hit me.  I had to really dig
in
> and sweated getting through the rest of the session.
>
> The larger bore size is not necessarily a problem as it is mainly a matter
of
> getting used to it.  I have found that larger bore horns work better in
> concert hall situations where you have good accoustics and resonance and
> smaller bore horns work better in clubs which have, usually poorer
accoustics
> and less resonance.
>
> Another dealer friend of mine once acquired a mint 32 H trombone and I
called
> Turk and told him about it as I knew that he would pick it up.  He
did...for
> $400.
>
> Turk played an old Conn mouthpiece that I suppose originally came with the
> horn.  It is a little unusual and fairly deep.  I found one a few years
back
> and gave or sold it to Tom Barlett.  I Forget the exact name of it.
>
> Kid Ory played a Williams Model 4 trombone.  Williams was a small company
> that made three models.  They had great slides and the bell was set a
little
> closer so that theoretically you can hear yourself better.  I always
wanted a
> Williams because two of my fovorites, Ory and Teagarden, both played the
> Williams model 4. Old man Williams died and his son Bob took over.  He
then
> died and that was the end of the Williams until about 12 years ago.  A
young
> classical trombonists, Joe Armstrong, fell in love with the Williams,
> contacted the family and puchased the remaining parts, plans etc.  He
started
> making the Willams again and the reports on the new Williams were very
> favorable.  I called Armstrong up and found that the price was $1200.00
and
> the only made so many models a year.  The price was stiff for me then  but
I
> got it together and bought one. It was and is a delight...the best slide I
> ever had and slides are an ongoing problem to trombonists.
>
> Spiegel Willcox used to come in Chicago and would always come and play
with
> my band.  He fell in love with the Williams trombone.  He is now in his
80s
> and he is going to buy a new trombone?  I gave him Armstrong's number and
a
> few days later Speigel called me, raving that the price of the Williams
had
> gone up to $1800.  Speigel never did buy one.  The price went up even
higher
> and a few years later and then Joe Armstrong stopped making the Williams.
I
> understand the the Callichio trumpet Co. now makes them.
>
> The question remains...why would anyone want to play a trombone?
>
> Jim Beebe
>