Klarinet Archive - Posting 000139.txt from 2007/12

From: kurtheisig@-----.net
Subj: RE: [kl] Tarogato
Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2007 18:24:43 -0500

Danny,

Dante Profumo owned:

During the 30's he had played with the Chicago Symphony and Xavier Cugat. For some reason, which he never explained to me, he joined the Army Band, 10th Cavalry Regiment. The Army was poor in the 30's, and as the librarian he purchased much of the music himself. When Patton formed the 2nd Armored Division 2 bands were combined and the library was surplussed, with Dante as the owner. He got tired of haulage and storage and donated the library.
Danny, you have played some of the pieces in Santa Cruz with The Hastings Band (now Heisig-Hastings Band), for that is where Dante donated it. Later it went to the now defunct Local 346, and I purchased it from the Union after I became conductor. For those interested in old band libraries, much of it can be seen at Kurt Heisig Music in Santa Cruz. previous conductors had just dumped the music on the floor of the Union Hall after performances and It is getting much closer now to being sorted and usable. (Volunteers for sorting are WELCOME!)

Dante told me with relish about the time he was leading an Army Band---presumably a dance band--and a distinguished guest asked for a GERMAN number! Off the tops of their heads they did one and der Deicke (spelling?) handed them a tip---a ten dollar bill. Goering himself!

In a community band I conducted he brought a Heckelphone in to play sometimes.

I forget which of the low woodwinds--a sub-contra bass clarinet?--Dante told me about, but whenever they needed one for the movies or tv in LA, he was the only one that had one, so he ALWAYS was the player, and he told me for that horn he had to own that VW bus, and would carry it to LA in that bus.

Kurt

-----Original Message-----
>From: Daniel Leeson <dnleeson@-----.net>
>Sent: Dec 23, 2007 9:40 AM
>To: klarinet@-----.org
>Subject: RE: [kl] Tarogato
>
>I know what a contrabassoon looks like, independent of the material from
>which it is made, though different materials may force a different
>appearance. What I saw, and what the owner confirmed, was metal
>contrabassoon. When I asked the owner where he got it, he said that it had
>belonged to a basoonist with one of Belgium's main orchestras. The Belgian
>had died and the new owner, Dante Profumo, bought it. Profume played
>everything. I worked with him when he played basset horn on one job. On
>Another he played heckelphone. On others he played clarinet, regular
>bassoon, and English horn.
>
>His playing was not great, but he owned one of everything. I jokingly asked
>him if he owned a bass clarinet in A, and said that he had two of them.
>Don't know where they went after he died.
>
>Dan Leeson
>dnleeson@-----.net
>SKYPE: dnleeson
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Jacob Lindsay [mailto:jacobmakesnoise@-----.com]
>Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2007 9:28 AM
>To: klarinet@-----.org
>Subject: RE: [kl] Tarogato
>
>
>Was it a contrabass sarrusaphone, or really just a
>metal contabassoon?
>
>There are some great recordings of Gerald Oshita
>playing sarrusaphones with Roscoe Mitchell and Thomas
>Buckner.
>
>Back on the Taragoto angle, Peter Brotzmann is another
>player who uses that (plenty of recordings), though
>certainly not traditional.
>
>
>--- Daniel Leeson <dnleeson@-----.net> wrote:
>
>> I remember Dante well. We did a performance of
>> Strauss' Alpine Symphony and he played a metal
>> contrabassoon. I had never seen one before, and
>> have not seen one since. He was not a particularly
>> elegant player, but boy was he versatile!!!
>>
>> Dan Leeson
>> dnleeson@-----.net
>> SKYPE: dnleeson
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: kurtheisig@-----.net
>> [mailto:kurtheisig@-----.net]
>> Sent: Friday, December 21, 2007 11:44 PM
>> To: klarinet@-----.org
>> Subject: RE: [kl] Tarogato
>>
>>
>> Danny,
>>
>> Remember Dante Profumo who used to play such things
>> as the Tarogato and contra bass bassoon in our area
>> and in the LA studios?
>>
>> He used to keep Wagner Tuben to rent to symphonies
>> when they needed them.
>>
>> He used to own a VW bus just to transport the larger
>> horns.
>>
>> Kurt
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> >From: Daniel Leeson <dnleeson@-----.net>
>> >Sent: Dec 20, 2007 12:14 PM
>> >To: klarinet@-----.org
>> >Subject: RE: [kl] Tarogato
>> >
>> >The Canadian instrument maker, Steve Fox, who made
>> my basset horn also makes
>> >taragotos.
>> >
>> >Dan Leeson
>> >dnleeson@-----.net
>> >SKYPE: dnleeson
>> >
>> >-----Original Message-----
>> >From: Fred [mailto:fred.sheim@-----.net]
>> >Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2007 12:00 PM
>> >To: klarinet@-----.org
>> >Subject: [kl] Tarogato
>> >
>> >
>> >I just got itchy to get a Tarogato- don't ask me
>> why. My question
>> >is, is it like a wooden soprano sax? I have a
>> soprano sax. Do I
>> >need the full system or the simple system? Where
>> would I get one anyway?
>> >
>> >Thanks in advance.
>> >
>> >Fred
>> >
>> >
>>
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>
>
>Jacob Lindsay
>http://www.bayimproviser.com/artistdetail.asp?artist_id=44
>
>
>______________
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