Danbassin

I've only played a few notes on a flumpet, but it is an impressive instrument. If I could, that would be my next horn. I was lucky enough to be in contact with the late Art Farmer in the early mid-90's, and heard him play both the original Flumpet, and the 'Next Generation' Flumpet (with the sheet bracing and larger shanked mouthpiece). Those horns are incredibly responsive and expressive, and the important thing to remember when considering them is that they're a complete instrument - not a novelty. Art had been switching back and forth between Flugel and Trpt for years, and had played a Monette Bb for a while, and I don't know whose idea it was, but the Flumpet combines what were the most essential qualities (to Art Farmer and to Dave Monette) of a trumpet and a flugel. It's a solo instrument - though the idea of a section sound of several Flumpets is something for the mind's ear to behold.
The addition of sheet bracing and the larger mpc essentially increased the number of overtones present in the sound. It is a very dense and dark sound, but, due to its nature and to the design of the cup of a Flumpet mouthpiece, the sound is quite diffuse and...vocal. When played with little velocity it approaches the singing quality of a Flugel, though it does not have the 'light' (and to my ears...'bright') sound of that instrument - possibly because of the complex of overtones present in the sound. When pushed the instrument opens up to a brassy 'super trumpet' sound - I believe Mark Isham described the sound as similiar to a 'soprano valve trombone'. That's totally accurate, I think, but requires some imagination to 'hear' without having the horn on your face.

-db