Klarinet Archive - Posting 000061.txt from 1994/10

From: Timothy Tikker <tjt@-----.ORG>
Subj: Re: Manzello, Stritch, Sarrusophone
Date: Fri, 7 Oct 1994 13:59:28 -0400

On Fri, 7 Oct 1994, David Lechner wrote:

> I was intrigued by Jay Heiser's message regarding the Keilworth straight
> alto sax and the horns used by Rahsaan Roland Kirk. This was the subject
> I alluded to some weeks back when I posted a message asking about the
> existence of a saxophonists' list and raising the question of how far the
> discussion was normally allowed to veer away from clarinets.

For the definitive story see: Paul Cohen, "Vintage Saxophones
Revisited: Rahssan Roland Kirk, His Manzello and Stritch" in _Saxophone
Journal_, Nov/Dec 1993, pp. 6-8. In summary:

The Manzello was a King Saxello (c. 1926-30s), a basically straight sprano
saxophone with on outturned bell; the Stritch was a Buescher straight
alto (c. 1927-29). Kirk had them modified to allow him to play them
simultaneously. Ironically, Cohen found that a New York wind shop had
acquired them when Kirk died, restored them to original condition
(thereby denuding them of a greater historical value!) and promptly sold
them!

The article refers to the Spanish-American war bit, which is of course
completely spurious.

As to sarrusophones: one of my fascinations! I've seen the ones behind
glass at the Met in NYC, and once honked on the not-dissimlar reed
contrabass owned by an instrument maker here in Oregon.

I have a tape of the Bechet recording you mention, and love it! I do
wonder, though, if Bechet was playing a sarrusophone with the little
single-reed mouthpiece. Obviously, his was one of those Conn E-flat
Contrabasses: the tune is in E-flat, and those Conns were the only
Sarrusophones manufactured in the US.

> Actually, I'd be curious whether anyone knows of _any_ other recording of
> _anyone_ playing _any_ member of the sarrusophone family in any context.
> I believe I remember seeing a medium sized one (tenor, maybe) in the
> instrument collection at the German National Technical Museum in Munich.

The Met has most of the family on display.

The only other Sarrusophone recording I have is of the Paul Winter Consort
at St-John-the-Divine Cathedral in NYC: _Callings_, Living Music Records
LMR-1 (2LP set; there's probably a CD version by now, which may or may
not include Sarrusophone cuts). "Blues' Cathedral" features Winter on
E-flat contrabass and Nancy Rumbel on C contrabass. They play a duet,
depicting a blue whale love song! The sound in that cathedral acoustic is
amazing! But the whalesome pace is a far cry from Bechet's agile tune!

   
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