[Dixielandjazz] Re: Valve Trombone a lost art in jazz

[D and R Hardie]

Dear Bill, Mick and list mates,
                                        The earliest jazz bands relied 
largely on the valve trombone,although one or two early players used 
the slide instrument. (The tailgate style seems to have emerged after 
1910 with Jack Carey and Kid Ory. (Ory converted to slide trambone 
after 1908) Mostly the early players used short  horns that may have 
sounded a little like the  so called flugelbone, though photos suggest 
that Frank Dusen and Joe Petit may have had longer ones more like the 
present ones. We have been unable to find any of the short form 
instruments here but I believe Ade Monsborough may have had one that 
now resides in a jazz museum somewhere.
                                      The aforementioned John Bates who 
plays with us is using his regular VT ( no longer having the 
flugelbone......). Although there are no recordings of the early VT 
style, interviews and biographies  suggest that the style was very 
different from the much later  style of VT players like Brad Gowans.
                                      Our experience, working from early 
scores and commentary suggests the vamping bone reinforces and 
compensates for  the rather light bass rhythm sound from the bowed bass 
and guitar. Additionally the additional scalar flexibility of the VT 
allows the player to perform intricate   melody passages in the  faster 
turn of the century  raggy songs and ragtime transcriptions. This 
facilitates the trombone taking  it's turn carrying the melody -  said 
to be a feature of early jazz performance. Comment from audiences 
suggests they have picked up on  the new sound and appreciated the 
contribution of the valve trombone.
regards
Dan Hardie
Check out the website:
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~darnhard/Bolden-orchestra.html

On Thursday, November 24, 2005, at 07:47  PM, Bill Haesler wrote:

>> Is that what a friend of mine calls a "Flugelbone". I have seen his 
>> and it
> looks and sounds like what you are calling a marching trombone.
> Bill Haesler I am thinking of John Bates' Flugelbone.<
>
> Dear Mick,
> Make that John Bates' ex-flugelbone.
> It seems that one day last year someone needed it more that John did.
> But didn't bother to ask John.
> A great pity, as Master B could coax some great sounds out of that 
> horn.
> Although John always referred to it as a flugelbone (after the name 
> the King
> company used for theirs) his was, indeed, a marching trombone.
> Kind regards,
> Bill.
>
>
>
>
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