Groovyhorn

Larry,

You mentioned Charlie Davis with his Bach Sterling Bell. I have the Sterling Bell promotion CD with Larry Hall, Gary Grant and Jerry Hey. On the CD they play two big-band style tracks. Very brilliant trumpet playing, with a lot of projection I think. Do you know if all these guys play their Bachs in every situation. I mean also on commercial work etc.?? I thought I read somewhere that Gary Grant uses a Calicchio sometimes.

Larry Gianni

GH,

You are correct to assume that all these players, including Charley, use the Calicchio as their primary trumpet. Jerry Hey, Gary Grant and Larry Hall were brought into the Bach flock by Charlie in the mid-90's, when Charlie was offered an endorsement deal and asked to try to get other West Coast players involved. They were given the 37 sterling silver bell trumpets , along with Warren Luening. ( Warren, Jerry, Gary and Lew Soloff appeared in the Bach ad , as the millennium Barbra Streisand trumpet section ) . The Bach's with the sterling Silver Bells were the closest ( they all had custom-made lighter weight SS bells that the normal 37's SS bells, plus Charlie had picked them out personally at the Bach plant ) sound , out of a Bach trumpet, to their Calicchio's, which they had been playing since the early 70's. Warren Luening was really the only player of the bunch that had favored a Bach as him main trumpet and held a Calichhio in reserve. the others played Calicchio's 1s/2's and 1s/3's and held a Mt V Bach in reserve. The first Calicchio , that I bought when coming to LA ( 1979 ) was from Gary Grant.

A little History:

Gary had bought 2 consecutive numbered 1s/2's from
Dominick around 72 - 73( he's actually has 6 registered to him )and played them for a year or so trying to decide which one he would eventually sell. ( of course, this was all pre-internet days when most used trumpet sales of this nature were word of mouth situations - also Calicchio never had even a catalog they sent out - just a piece of paper , in the shop, that had the bells and leadpipes , no models and the prices. ) I guess when we met and I asked about the spare Calicchio he had, Gary decided " here's some fresh meat " and sold me one of them for probably a higher price than any of the locals would have payed. That didn;t matter to me at all, , I was happy to get it and I was smart enough to know that Dominick knew that both these trumpets were for Gary and he would have put some special care into both of them, plus Gary had brought each of them back over time for some fine tuning.

They were both made in a great calicchio production period - and he always wants to buy it back when I see him - problem is that he wants if for the same 79' price I paid for it. ( you know how cheap trumpet player's can be )

Long story short - All these players are primarily Calicchio players , with the exception of Warren Luening - and made there name and careers with a Calicchio in their hand. They are also smart enough to not force a Calicchio sound into a playing situation where a Bach sound would be better fit or be more comfortable. ( Larry Hall played 3rd trumpet on the run of the producers and I'm sure he played his Bach in that situation , with Rick Baptist and Wayne Bergeron playing first and second)

Calicchio trumpets never really had a big ad campaign or high profile endorsers, so I 'm sure when Bach offered a little exposure to these cream of the crop players, ( plus a free trumpet, you know how cheap trumpet players can be ) they decided their would be no harm in doing it.

When Gary played for the Super Bowl pre-record he was using his Calicchio on that session. I imagine that would have been a easy decision because his section mates were Wayne Bergeron, Dan Fornero ( Stomvi Master ) and Harry Kim ( Schilke X3b ) - all very strong commercial players with very bright, "hot " equipment, plus recording a " pop" type soundtrack.

I'll talk more on this when I get more time to write. Maybe here's another topic for the future>

Pro players are not as attached to their equipment as , say, some amateurs are. They see it as the best tool for a specific playing situation and they do change gear according to the playing environment put before them. they be dumb not to.

LG

Larry Gianni

double post - deleted

Tootsall

Larry, are you saying that a pro will know who he is playing WITH on a specific gig and will take along the "appropriate axe"? Or is he/she more likely to just grab a gig bag with two or three horns in it "in case"?

Note: I'm talking about recording/jazz/showtunes here rather than classical. (where I suppose you can take any trumpet you want as long as it's a Bach! :) )


Oh hey... and thanks for a tremendous thread! An eye-opener for inquisitive minds!

Larry Gianni

Toots,

I think I’ll try to explain what I mean a little different way. Let me give you a few hypothetical scenarios and ask yourself if you would choose a certain mouthpiece/ trumpet combination based on a consideration of style of music, players you be playing with or type of venue you’re playing in. One more thing, this really goes for pros, semi-pro, semi-amateurs, amateurs and college students. The only pre-request is you have a couple different trumpets you feel comfortable on and a couple of mouthpieces, with say, different cups or backbores that will change your sound quality.

OK, here we go.

You’ve been hired to play the musical “ Les Miserable “ ( this can be pro or amateur ) and you know who your fellow section mates with be, and you are told they will be using “ C” trumpets thru-out the run , even thou the parts are written in Bb. What trumpet would you choose?

You’re playing Fri and Sat. night in a rock/pop band at a local club, but Sunday you have an Easter presentation with two other players. Would you choose the same trumpet that you played Fri and Sat. night for the resevered Easter presentation?

You are higherd to play on a movie soundtrack and the principal player will be Malcolm McNabb who’s usual arsenal , that he brings to any recording , is 8 trumpets – 2 Bb, 2C's, 1 Eb/D , 1 A/Bb pic. 1 cornet and a flugelhorn. Even if the parts are written in Bb, Malcolm prefers his Eb/D because of its quick response and even scale and how it warms up fast.(the part about Malcolm is actually true)

You are called to sub on a Big Band job and you’re told Chuck Findley will be playing lead trumpet. You really know nothing else, except you will be in the section and your sound will have to support Chuck’s volume and intensity thru-out the night.

Sat. and Sun afternoon you have an outdoor concert with the concert band you usually play with but Fri and Sat night, you been hired to play a very “hot “Salsa band, that’s traveling from NY and they wanted to augment there usually horn section with a couple more brass players for a 3 big concerts in your area.

Ok, I could go on an on, but what I’m trying to get at is – is it the music that dictates what instrument you bring and play, or is it the players your playing with dictate this, or is it the acoustics’ of the venue dictate what equipment you ultimately bring and play.

It’s not all that uncommon to see 2 Bb’s on a trumpet stand in front of a player when in one performance or even rehearsal. the player can then and there decide if a different trumpet would better suite what they have to play next.( plus 2 -3 mouthpieces on the rim of the stand as well) in one particularly performance.

John Madrid, former lead player for Buddy Rich and then for Wayne Newton in Las Vegas for a number of years, actually had to different trumpet/ mouthpiece set-ups in front of him on the stand and played each one according to how high ( range wise ) the parts would take him. At certain range of the part (I think Hi G), if the parts went higher, or he felt like really letting loose, which was not uncommon, if he could physically manage it, he would pick up a change of equipment and play what that set-up was best sooted for in his eyes.

This also is not only a commercial trumpet player’s dilemma/routine in dealing with gear. Classical players, at any level, are notorious for changing instruments in the middle of a performance or even single piece to try to get the right sound. timber that’s right for the particular situation. Even to the point of having the exact same model instrument, but just in a different bore size.

I imagine this type of “band hopping “is more a part of living in or close to a bigger metropolitan center, but could also ring true for a player at a large college campus.

By the way, Malcolm does bring 8 trumpets minimum to a film scoring session ( remember any other trumpet he’s required to play at a session will give him a “ double “ on his paycheck ) and Lew Soloff , who is reported to be the ultimate gearhead, might bring even more equipment to an engagement. The other side of the coin is if you are more of a ” name “ player like a Bobby Shew, Chuck Findley , Arturo Sandoval, etc. were you can usually control the environment of your playing situation, or are a featured attraction, usually don’t change equipment at all , and for long periods of time, because your sound is very self evident and individual to their playing and style and they are not being asked to mold to any other style of situation. See what I mean.

Also, you don"t always have to change your trumpet to feel more comfortable in your sound .Sometimes, just a change of mouthpiece with the same rim and different cup or backbore will do the trick.

Larry

MPM

Very interesting! These are things we don't know, I love to hear about. A learning session every time I read one of your posts.

8 different horns @ one session ....WOW ... I have a hard enough time playing one right ... hahahahaha

__________________
"~iii<O"
Michael Manthey
Scodwell USA Trumpets
Bob Reeves Mpc's
www.ultrapureoils.com
Maynard Ferguson BBN Band

Groovyhorn

Thanks Larry, again some great info!

I know a guy who sold his Bach and bought a Calicchio 1s/7. He said it's Calicchio's model that is most close to a Bach. He plays also combo-jazz on this horn.
On the other hand I've spoke to a lead-player who sold his Calicchio and now plays lead on a Mount Vernon Bach ml/37 with a Reeves mouthpiece. I've heard him play Maynard Fergusons solo on "Rocky". I think it makes a big difference when you're using a shallow Reeves mouthpiece for lead playing. It makes your projection much better on every trumpet. You can always change back to a deeper mouthpiece when needed.

Larry Gianni

Groove,

As long as you brought up Bob and his work:

As you may have gathered if you’ve read my posts, I do consider Bob Reeves and his line of mouthpieces, to be the best commercial line on the market, bar none., and was very instrumental in the succes of so many top flight trumpet players both here in Los Angeles and around the globe.(I would consider Karl Hammond and his Schilke line a close second, especially now that his hands are somewhat untied and he can really show his true talents with Andrew Naumann in charge of the Schilke line)

Because of Bob’s years in the field (I believe he started in 1967 when he left Don Purviance and started his own line out of his garage) and experience in dealing with the world’s top players from around the world and helping them with there mouthpiece idiosyncrasies ( You all must know what a” pain in the a**” trumpet players are with there mouthpieces and what they expect out of them), he is unmatched in the industry today.

How would you like a day with your first appointment to be jerry Hey coming in for an alteration, Tim Morrison and Harken Hargenberger will be in around 10 for a new piece and alterations, Tower of Power is in town so both those players will be in after 12 for some work, Gary Grant needs a new rim made and he’ll be around 2 in the afternoon,
Don Green and Boyde Hood prin. and asst. prin for the LA Phil will be in at 4 for some work and Maurice Andre called and he’s flying in for a appearance and could you stay late because he needs a an alteration done before the concert.

That’s a day in the life of Bob Reeves and his staff.

I personally happened to walk into Bob’s Hollywood shop one day and saw Johnny Audino and Pete Candoli sitting in the waiting room, Doc S. was in the back trying out a new mouthpiece (Doc played a Reeves 42M / 692s and a 42s / Z for a number of years right after his departure from his Jet Tone / Getzen set-up) and Tom Stevens and Mario Guarnari were just leaving. WOW

One of the best things about dealing with Bob is he will treat your mouthpiece issue as seriously as one put to him by the leading pro in town. He doesn’t differentiate if you’re Bud Herseth or Chuck Findley or just a high school kid who just won a spot on the McDonald’s All-Star marching band, have been saving your money, decided to hop a plane from Phoenix into LA and wants his first Bob Reeves mouthpiece.

There is a funny story of Jerry Hey calling Bob and wanting Bob to pull a stuck mouthpiece out of his trumpet for him and could he stay late. Jerry didn’t want any repairman doing this for him because he was on his way to his 3rd session of the day and needed this mouthpiece, but he wanted to use a different trumpet. So an hour after closing, a taxi pulls up and the driver comes into the Hollywood Reeves shop with a gig bag with Jerry’s trumpet, mouthpiece stuck in the receiver in it, and hands the package to Bob. Bob pulls the mouthpiece and re-rounds the end to exact specs, gives it back to the driver and this taxi driver was to meet Jerry at his third session, at another studio in Hollywood, with the meter running the whole time. That’s a true testimate to how much these guys want only Bob to work on there pieces and how much trust they have in his abilities.

Lg

MPM

I can "Second" what Larry said about Bob Reeves & his dedication to being sure his clients are taken care of.

I am, compared to the likes of the Findleys, Jerry Hey, Gary Grant a trumpet nobody. But, recently I've gone to some relatively extreme mpc design. Bob has taken the time and effort to get my stuff right, and in a very timely manner. About a month ago I called to discuss my mpc thing ... he literaly dropped what he was doing and came to the phone and spent the better part of a 1/2 hour discussing what I was looking at.

As matter of fact, it was that day ... right when Bob & I were finishing our conversation, he said," hey there's someone here who wants to say Hi to you ..." Turns out Larry was there. Larry & I have been friends for about a year and a half ... great and genuinely honest friend. It's really great to read all these posts of his, sharing with those of us who might never get to experience what he has & does.

One other quick thing (then I'll quit patting a friend on the back) Last night I was getting out of a rehersal with a Latin Salsa band. My cell phone rings and I see from my caller I.D. it's Larrys cell phone ... he was over at Charley Davis' house. Larry knows Charley & I have met and have talked a few times (and that I know Charley's brother Dwight very well) So he puts Charley on ... that's just the kind of guy Larry is. It was great to talk to Charley ( plus it was Larry's dime, hehe ) seeing I live in Florida and he in Los Angelels and I wouldn't have that opportunity unless I went to one of Charley's clinic's which are few and far between in my area.We should all be greatful to have such a man sharing his first hand knowledge & experience with this forum. Like i said somewhere here ... when Larry makes a post, it's a lesson!

OK, enough ... I was suppose to be talking about Reeves. Not just Bob but the whole staff at "Reeves" are very nice, thoughtful and helpful. "THAT" would be a great place to hang out at for a day or two !!!

__________________
"~iii<O"
Michael Manthey
Scodwell USA Trumpets
Bob Reeves Mpc's
www.ultrapureoils.com
Maynard Ferguson BBN Band

B6L

Swinging back to the Projecting vs, hearing yourself thing
this has been something that has been on my mind for many years, listening to recordings, the Basie band when Byron Stripling played lead, anything with Roger Ingram, anything with Conrad Gozzo etc.etc. you get the feeling they are blowing their butts off so your next rehearsal you try and do the same, thinking, "that is what they are doing so I must do the same" Many of our trumpet playing problems, I believe, can be related to this approach ie. intonation, definite ceiling to your range, endurance etc.
I remember reading an article where I believe Bobby Shew was describing playing in a section with the great Bud Brisbois, he said sitting near him he didn’t see what the big deal was, he didn’t seem to be playing that loud ( I wish I could remember exactly what he said) but when you got in front of the band he was just burying the group.
A few months ago I had a lesson with Roger Ingram and sitting next to him I asked him to play at a volume and intensity he would use say on a shout section, it didn’t really blow me away. After talking with him about it it confirmed what I always believe, we are sitting on the wrong side of the instrument to make many judgment calls on sound and volume. The greats seem to understand this and have mastered it. In our practice room we need recording equipment with a good mic and a good friend that will give us honest feedback on how we sound.

Nate