[Dixielandjazz] C Melody Sax and the Eb Alto sax

[J. D. Bryce]

The C Melody is an interesting horn. Around 1910 most bands had a violinist.
As the saxophone, and jazz-influenced music became more popular, bands saw a
need to adapt.  Since the C Melody is pitched in concert key, many bands
simply had their violinist learn the instrument and then simply play the
violin part on the horn.  This is somewhat of an oversimplification, but
still essentially true.

By around 1925, most white bands had begun to fully absorb the jazz idiom
and had begun to use sax sections, usually 2 altos and a tenor.  This was
relatively standard between 1925 and 1930, with two notable exceptions:
Ellington used 5 saxes (2 altos, 2 tenors and a baritone; and Fletcher
Henderson used 2 altos and 2 tenors. The C melody was not adaptable for such
section work and fell out of favor.  Most manufacturers stopped making them
by the mid-1930's.

Frankie Trumbauer was often photographed with a Conn straight-necked model
that looks like a large alto. C melodies from Buescher and Martin had/have a
goose neck and so looked like a small tenor.

There is a legend, which if it isn't true, it ought to be. The story goes
that Lester Young was so impressed with Trumbauer's sound on radio and
recordings, that he tried to sound like it.  But Young played tenor, and
thus evolved a lighter, more airy sound that eventualy came to display the
gruff, masculine sound that was so prevalent on tenor.  Young offered an
alternative to the sound featured so stunningly by Coleman Hawkings and
other tenor men of the 1930's.

As a tenor player, I enjoy Young and his disciples like Getz, Sims etc. But
the Hawkings sound, as well as guys like charlie Ventura and Ben Webster
just bowls me over.  It's an old sound, but still wonderful.

I have a both a Buescher and a Conn C melody.  I wouldn't part with either.

J. D. Bryce
Waldorf, MD

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike C." <mike at michaelcryer.com>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 13, 2005 2:11 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] C Melody Sax and the Eb Alto sax


>   Frankie Trumbauer played a C melody saxophone. Why is this horn no
> longer being used and the Eb alto is? What were the major differences
> between these two horns(Other than their key)?
>
> Thanks,
> Mike
>
>
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