[Dixielandjazz] Trombones - which to choose?

[dingle at baldwin-net.com]

Luís Henriques wrote:

>Hi trombone players,
>
>just a curiosity question:
>
>Which trombones are better for OKOM?  Trombone in Bb or in C?  What
>about the models?  I've been looking at eBay and there are really cheap
>trombones there!  Do you recommend anything in particular (from these
>inexpensive models)?
>
>Thanks a lot.
>
>  
>
The only musician of the trad jazz era that I knew of that used anything 
but a B flat rombone was Brad Gowans, the fine valve trombonist.
He had a trombone made for him that was in C rather than B flat. That 
way he could read off the paino parts without need for tranpostion. He 
also had a combinaton slide - just four positions. That way he could 
play glisses, slurs and do some amazing melodic tricks by just  kicking 
in a one postion change while still playing the valves as if in the 
original keys. I was lucky enough to meet him and talk to him about his 
horn when he moved to the L.A. area in the post WW II period. Tasty 
player with innovative ideas. He remains one of my heroes of that 
instrument.
Generally speaking, most trombonists in jazz play B flat trombones. 
There are some made  in other skeys, usually used in concert and 
classical music when a composer writes something for it. Like the 
trumpets in E flat, G or other keys often used in Baroque music.
But B flat is the norm to expect in most jazz band trombones.
Don Ingle