Here's a dot
. an octave and a half above high C for the legendary jazz trumpeter
Maynard Ferguson, who has
passed away at 78. Building on the experimental wanderings of Miles Davis, Ferguson fused jazz and rock in creating what is quite probably the signature big band sound of the psychadelic and disco eras. (
See, e.g., "Rocky" (.wav).) He was well-known for astounding technical proficiency and his tight-lipped
embochure created one of the largest ranges of any trumpeter. (
Here's Ferguson playing and conducting "Round Midnight" in a very early clip
[youtube]). But legions of former high school trumpet geeks
full disclosure: I am one will remember him best for his commitment to signing promising young players for his tours and his reaching out, with
tireless touring at tiny venues, to high school and college bandies and drum corps-types who at one time or another came across his repertoire.
posted by Saucy Intruder
on Aug 24, 2006 -
32 comments
The
tromba marina, also known as the
marine trumpet or
nun’s fiddle, is an obsolete,
4-7 foot tall, single-stringed instrument in the viol family. Played with a bow, the tromba marina sounds strangely trumpet-like
(for mp3's, scroll down to the bottom of the first link), hence the name .
Buy one here or
make your own. You can also see one up-close in the
Musical Instrument Gallery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
but they don’t bother putting an image on their webpage, and the gallery’s carpet smells intensely of mildew.
posted by unknowncommand
on Aug 4, 2006 -
5 comments
