Author: jack
Date: 2021-09-15 04:25
Sorry I stated you did not try MK VI alto or tenor, but this is what you inferred in your comment on MK VI soprano.
The timbre and weight of the tone is much different on 50's MK VI (and including The Martin Alto-tenor, certain Conns, etc) compared to the later models you must prefer. This sound is the sound of the big bands and the swing era. considering that this is the sound the legends (Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, etc) and routine players as well strove for and established genius careers playing on, I give all due credit to these original instruments and am in full accord with crediting them their legendary (not mythical) status.
You make the point that currently produced instruments are better ergonomically (true for Yamaha Custom for instance) although some well regarded brands are not much better ergonomically, if at all and some are worse. But that is not the point at all. It's the music they made and the tools used to produce that sound. Can you imagine Ben Webster producing the squawky sound that is so popular today? On clarinet, for instance, some players use Albert system simply because they want the early thick New Orleans sound (think Sidney Bechet, Johnny Dodds, Edmond Hall - simply can't get that sound on a modern, technically advanced clarinet. Artie Shaw got a sound on his Conn 444N that nobody has yet duplicated. So these instruments also deserve legendary status although not in favor today).
Martin Frost has lately recorded on newly constructed period instruments to get a certain sound he wants.
A 30's Alfa Romeo auto is legendary because it was among the pinnacle of racing cars in it's day and helped establish the careers of legendary drivers, not because it can outperform a current Ferrari. The legendary horns are legendary for the same reason, but also because that in the hands of those looking to produce the legendary sound of their era - they easily outperform currently produced instruments.
Post Edited (2021-09-15 04:28)
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The Clarinet BBoard
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