Klarinet Archive - Posting 000739.txt from 2003/07

From: Karona Poindexter <poindka@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Iggy Genussa
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 03:49:29 -0400

Does anyone know if he passed his knowledge of making mouthpieces to an
apprentice. My one and only mouthpiece is the one I bought from him
and there has been nothing like the one I bought. I would like to get
another one. I was trying to do this before he passed away.

He will be greatly missed.

Karona

On Thursday, July 24, 2003, at 05:45 PM, CLARK FOBES wrote:

>
> Tom,
>
> Those were some wonderful memories of Iggy. I did not meet him until
> the
> summer of 1991 at the Clar Fest in Flagstaff. I never heard Iggy
> play, but
> many people have told me about his wonderful sound. He was appointed
> principal clarinet of the Chicago Symphony under Reiner? shortly after
> he
> graduated from Curtis (I believe). He loved playing in that orchestra,
> but
> they would not offer his wife (a violinist) a job , so he moved to
> Baltimore to play with that orchestra.
>
> When I first met him he came right up to me (I had a booth in
> Flagstaff and
> was just starting to make mouthpieces) and he said in his animated way
> "Hi,
> I'm Iggy Genuusa. How old do you think I am?". I would have said "Old
> as
> dirt?", but I was polite and suggested 60. He replied "I'm 70 years
> old "
> and seemed really tickled by that.
>
> He recognized that I had a great spot and the next day his table was
> set up
> right next to mine and he had no qualms about working everyone that
> came to
> his booth AND mine! In those days he was selling mouthpieces faster
> than
> the Good Humor man on a hot day. We spent a lot of time talking during
> those three days and I recognized that he had a lot of good ideas about
> mouthpieces. He encouraged me to have Babbitt make me a mold and the
> day
> after the conference I was on the phone with Jim Green. During the
> next 10
> years we would see each other at conferences and he would always ask
> me how
> my business was going - He never got my name right and always called me
> "Scott".
>
> Iggy was on of the great characters of the "old school" and will be
> missed
> by many of his students and friends.
>
> CLARK FOBES
> reedman@-----.com
> Why Wait? Move to EarthLink.
>
>
>
>
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>
>

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