[Dixielandjazz] Randy Reinhart-left hand trumpet

[Elazar Brandt]

Being a new and aspiring trumpet player myself, and I'm sure I'm no match for
Randy, nevertheless I have found it surprisingly easy to switch hands and play a
trumpet or cornet with the left hand. The mirror-image fingering doesn't seem to
bother the brain very much. The main problem -- and this is where I'm sure
Randy's performance would leave me in the dust -- is the left fingers, being
unpracticed or less-practiced, don't have the dexterity of the right ones.

I have a routine where I accompany myself on the opening lines of Basin Street
Blues -- cornet in the left hand and marching trombone/baritone or bass trumpet
in the right. Doesn't work (for me anyway) to play them at the same time, but
it's not hard to do the call/response, and it impresses the audience as we play
our Dixieland style with our 2-piece band (we do swing/big band pieces with 4
players, sometimes 3).

Elazar

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robert S. Ringwald [mailto:robert at ringwald.com]
> Sent: Friday, June 04, 2004 7:14 PM
> To: DJML
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Randy Reinhart
>
> A couple of years ago at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, Randy had broken his
> right arm or wrist.  Not sure which, but it was in a cast.  He proceeded to
> play the entire festival on trumpet, with his left hand.  Trust me, you
> could not tell the difference.