Another killer instrument . . .

You better hold on to your wig, because it's likely to flip. I've always dug the sound of charanga, the Cuban music where violins play the montuna and a five-keyed (usually) flute dances on top of the stings and the rhythm section. Artie Webb used to kill me with Ray Barretto! I suppose I dug it because it was a way of playing rhythm flute, if you know what I mean.

This weekend I had a chance to play one of the prototypes of the Richard Egües Model flute from Orpheus, which is almost ready for sale at your dealer. Richard was himself a fine flute player from Cuba, notably for the nearly 30 years spent with Orquestra Aragon.

What's prevented everyone from cranking out wooden flutes is the same reality that's slowing down clarinet production worldwide: bad wood, green wood, knots in the wood, declining craftsmanship, and so on. The wood cracks. Simple as that.

Orpheus decided to make a noble experiment out of the new model. It's a composite version of the wooden flute, only it's got all modern keywork, like a spilt E and low B with Gizmo.

I played another gig this weekend and brought the Egües Model for a workout, and let me tell you, this flute is something special. With that sharp attack you get from a wooden (or in this case composite) headjoint you get all kinds of percussive effects just by playing arpeggios. Your only limitation is the speed you can tongue.

The flute is LOUD, which is something I didn't think was possible, but there you are. I was playing into a Sennheiser condensor mic, which is really sensitive but once I pulled the gain down a little bit from where I usually have it, I was cool. This is a very well-made instrument, with perfect finish and fit of the keywork.

How'd the gig go? Did I ever get compliments! How it looked (it has gold-plated keywork, and a silver-plated keywork version is available), how it sounded, how clear the high end was, how ballsy the low end was . . . Sweet!

It may not be the flute of choice for somebody who just plays in flute ensembles and does section work, but for someone doing solo work--especially Latin jazz--you've got a flute made just for you. It looks like street price for this model is going to be $1300, although if enough folks buy them, look for them to go down in price.

From the front lines . . .

One of the great things about being a working class musician is that I never am at a loss for complexity in my life.

Our band, which has usually 11 pieces, plays all sorts of gigs. My brother and I are co-leaders, so the band may continue to exist when I toddle off to various port cities courtesy of Princess Cruises. We seldom turn down anything.

Last night was a "short band" gig at Del Webb's Sun City in Georgetown, Texas, seven to ten, for 8 players.

We added a trumpet player for the evening because my good friend Andre is moving here from Las Vegas this week. Andre and his wife were due in Thursday and the gig was Friday. By Friday afternoon, I started to get a little stressed because Andre hadn't checked in yet. As I-35 started filling up between Austin and Georgetown, my phone rang. It was Andre, who had just arrived in Austin because his rental truck broke down, delaying the move for a day. Andre begged off, and under the circumstances I agreed and wished him well.

Hanging up the phone, I realized that I was in a pickle. My book (and I mean that literally; I wrote 300+ charts for 4 horns) is for trumpet, alto/tenor sax, trombone, and bari. Tommy Poole (alto/tenor) and I (bari) would now be the only horns. We needed someone up in the trumet range. Then the light bulb over my head went off.

Lucky for me, I had a few new Vespros in my living room. I picked out a box, opened it, pulled out the case, opened THAT, and started picking out the cork wedges which protect the horn in shipment, and blew a few notes using the stock mouthpiece. It played pretty well, it seemed, so I put it back in the case and was on my way to Georgetown.

The traffic was thick. It took over an hour to get up to Sun City, so by the time I got up there it was nearly six. I thought I'd better spend some time affirming my impressions of the soprano, so once I has set everything up I went off to the dressing room to put it through its paces. The soprano had a gorgeous nickle plate finish with silver keywork. It has one of those backpacking cases that the young players like because it fades in to your school kit, I suspect. The stock mouthiece was BETTER than the Bari brand soprano mouthpiece I'd been playing for years.

It was clear from my woodshed time in the dressing room that this instrument was going to work out fine replacing trumpeter Andre. The most progress of any saxophone over the years is most dramatic (excluding the Steve Goodson Model baritone, which is in a class of its own) in sopranos. Just listen to recordings from the past, and the none too distant past too, and you'll hear how much struggling players had to do to coax music out of a Conn or, especially, the highly prized Mark Six (think Coltrane on this, or Joe Farrell on the Return to Forever album) and ask yourself how much more music would have come out of a horn that played as effortlessly as a tenor did back then.

This horn is astounding. For your estimated $1100, you get a horn that is keyed to high G. You get the gorgeous finish and the utilitarian case. You get a stock mouthpiece that actually works. Most importantly, you get a horn that plays without effort from bottom to top. Going "upstairs" doesn't change the timbre of the horn, and in fact you get more open as you ascend.

So I spent most of the gig playing trumpet parts, and the folks were none the wiser.

Let me recommend that you chase down one of these new Vespro sopranos. You ought to be considering one as a replacement for your old Mark Six, which should fetch two or three times what a Vespro costs. You ought to be considering it if you don't have a soprano in YOUR equipment closet right now. That's my situation, but not for long. I've decided to get a Vespro.

Wait a minute . . . Isn't this supposed to be a student horn? Well, check out the two previous posts for two opinions about what a student horn ought to play like.

2nd Opinion on the new Vespros

As if the belabor a point, Mike Spurlock was on his way into Orpheus as I was leaving. He was the SECOND person to give them a honk, and he came away as impressed as I was. Here's a posting Mike wrote in the Nations of Music message board:
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George Bernard Shaw once said, "The only man I know who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measurements anew each time he sees me. The rest go on with their old measurements and expect me to fit them."

I think that just about sums it up, don't you? The same can be said of the state of introductory level saxophones being marketed today. Well, at least up until the latest line of Vespro horns was introduced.

I was fortunate enough to spend an hour with the new line of Vespro horns yesterday when I visited Orpheus Music.

Compared to most who frequent this corner of the web, I'm a young pup, but I learned to play the saxophone over 20 years ago.

I remember the day very well. We left Music Mart with my brand spankin' new "Rent To Own" Selmer Bundy II alto sax. I grew up very poor and it was all a single mother could do to get me started on what I would argue is one of the greatest journey's I've ever been on. I didn't know a damn thing about saxophones other than I knew that two of my favorite songs had great sax solos in them. I loved Phil Woods' solo in "Just The Way You Are", and on a much simpler note, the sax solo in "Baker's Street". The player skips my memory at this point. What 6th grade kid didn't try to learn that when they first picked up the horn? Anyway...I digress. My point here was that we were at the mercy of whatever that shop told my mom I needed to have. It was then up to her to decide whether or not it was possible with our limited funds.

That saxophone could have been a Mark VI and I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference because I didn't even know how to hold the thing, much less make a sound come out of the other end. I was a fast learner and can recall having intonation problems that were so bad, I had to sit out of some measures that had certain notes with a duration of 2 beats or more. I was first chair too. That sucked. I wasn't fortunate enough to show up to 6th grade beginning band with a Mark VI like the kid next to me was (this really happened).

Time passed and I took to my horn like a duck to water. I never knew the difference between this horn or that horn or what was good and what wasn't. I just knew I had to make a go with the horn that I got. I played that Bundy II all the way up until high school. I remember my band director asking me if I had the opportunity to get another saxophone. I didn't understand then why he asked me that. I do now. In fact, my private instructor, after my first lesson with him, was so determined to try to help me get a better horn because he felt like the Bundy II was holding me back from moving on to the next skill level.

My private instructor found an elderly lady who was getting rid of "an old horn" that her husband used to play before he passed on. She wasn't out to make money or anything, so he bought it from her for $500. He then turned around and gave me that horn and told me to pay him as I could. By the way.....that alto was a Selmer Super Balanced Action in MINT condition. All of a sudden, the notes on the etudes that I was struggling with came out from under my fingers and took flight. The action on this thing was a far reach from my old rattle trap. I often ask myself how a company that made my new "old" horn could make my old "new" horn. Surely there was a problem here. But that was then, this is now.

Students shouldn't have to work as hard as I did to learn the elementary aspects of playing the saxophone. One of the hardest things to do as a musician is lower your expectation once you have passed a certain milestone in your skill level. Stay with me here, as I'll get to my point and it will be crystal clear. When someone says "student horn" to me I automatically liken it to my dear old rattle trap that sits in my garage. With these Vespro horns, that's a grave mistake because they have features and ergonomics that are only found on pro line saxophones.

Here's a brief run down of what my impressions were of the horns:

As stated, I lowered my expectation because I had the words "student horn" in my head. I opened the alto first. I reached for my sunglasses as that bright silver plate blinded me. Man what a finish? This? For a beginner? As I always do, I lifted the horn sans neck and positioned my hands and just moved the keys and got a feel for her. This horn felt significantly better than my Bundy II did when it was new. And believe it or not, it felt better than my SBA. I always thought the SBA's action was a bit too light. I remember all of my old horns sort of like one remembers past girlfriends. Both the good and the bad. Anyway....I put the neck on the horn and greased the cork. I shoved my Saxgourmet mouthpiece on it and started to blow softly through the middle range of the horn. The middle C wasn't airish like my Bundy. I could easily go back and forth quickly from F to F# (using index and middle finger alternating on the lower stack) without the G sounding in between (My first horn couldn't do that). One of the things I also try to do when testing a new horn is jump from C#3 to F#3. That F# jumped out as if to say, "Are we stopping here?" Neither my Bundy or my SBA had a high F# key. I just went up to D4 without a problem.

The articulations on the pinky table will surely make a world of difference for a young lad trying to play chromatically at the bottom of the horn.

The intonation was dead on. Again, better than my SBA, if you can believe that. The only horn that I would even say is close to this in terms of intonation is the Yamaha YAS-23. Close but no cigar. As for action, feel, and design, the Vespro is way out in front. Problem is, that Yamaha is so outdated in terms of mechanics and design, and it's priced a mint. But it's the horn that most music shops pimp on the beginners. It's also the #1 selling student alto at WWBW. We have a lot of uninformed people in this world and this statistic clearly illustrates this. So I played this Vespro alto for a good 20 minutes and took it through the licks. Ran some scales, played a couple things that I always do when testing a horn and she was right there with me. Because of the set up I was using, she sounded like a pro horn. I can say I would not have any problem getting on the band stand with this horn. I would feel comfortable in a section and equally as comfortable as a soloist. Why would anyone want to spend an exponential amount of money on a horn when you can have what to my mind is twice the horn for a fraction of the cost. Where was this horn when a single mother needed to scrape so that her son could join the band and learn to play?

Folks, this simply is not a "beginner" horn. I will from here on out refer to this horn as one with advanced features without the advanced price tag. I told one of the guys in the shop that one of two things has happened: If this is a beginner horn, then either beginner horns are better than they used to be or I've reached a point that I can make anything play well. I doubt VERY seriously that the latter is the case. Remember my comment about lowering expectation? Boy was that ever a mistake. All that accomplished was a heightened sense of awareness that this alto was better than any horn I have ever played at this level, not to mention a helluva lot better than some that cost much more.

Moving on to the Tenor. The horn I played was black nickel plated with silver keywork. To save time and space, you can pretty much apply everything I stated above to this horn as well. It looked to be well built and felt solid in all aspects. Intonation was good too. It seemed to have a very broad voice. This is sure to help the young'uns get heard. By the way, I play tested this one with a silver plated Guardala Crescent mouthpiece.

The horn I am most impressed with is the soprano. It's hard to get a good pro level soprano, much less try to introduce a quality horn at the beginning level. I played the Gold lacquered one. That horn plays effortlessly. For a student model, this is sure to turn some heads. I think the High G key is better than the one on my LA 650. I didn't have to force anything to get it to speak. From Brahms Lullaby (personal thing) to a half finished Jay Beckenstein transcription, it was all there and spoke very clearly. I ran through scales and arpeggios and a few cool licks I know. The keys are positioned comfortably and the action is tight. I used an Otto Link STM to play this one. I can tell you that this soprano had a better scale and evenness in tone (from the top of the horn to bottom) than the old Mark VI that I played for so many years. That particular horn was notoriously out of tune with itself. Anyway.....from Low Bb to High G, this baby was there for me. It has a nice degree of brightness to the tone as well.

All in all, these horns are sure to turn some heads once they make their splash in the market. Why should kids today be forced to keep playing old antiquated designs that are over-priced tremendously? Mr. Shaw, I think there's a new tailor in town and these horns are designed and built with modern keywork and ergonomics that are staples in the pro line saxes out there today. If you know someone that is looking to start playing, or if you want a good horn that you can have for a rainy day when your gem takes a dump at the least favorable moment, please consider these as a viable option. It's an option I wish my mom had over 20 years ago.

Have a great day, gang.

Mike

And the winner is . . . Vespro!

I've been in a lonely crusade for more than ten years now to wipe conventional student instruments off the face of the earth. Yes, I mean the venerable Bundy and the Yamaha YAS-23, as well as a host of dumbed down other woodwinds which cause kids to lose interest in playing long before their parents have made the final payment.

Believe me, the music retailers know this and capitalize on the "yo-yo effect" that brings the horn back to them before the contrat is up (with substantial penalties). With the once-over from the back shop, back it goes into the rental pool, doomed to find another sucker.

The YAS-23 and the various strains of Bundy (viz. Selmer USA, derivatives now made in Taiwan and who knows where else) were designed in the fifties. Why are they dumbed down? They lack a note now considered a requirement for a saxophone--F#. Their pinkie table lack articulations, which are necessary for arpeggios from the bottom of the horn going up or the top of the horn coming down. These articulations are interlocks causing the left hand little finger to cause more than one note in combination with the other fingers.

It's not like it's new and revolutionary technology. The Universal Saxophone Method. which any day now is going to celebrate its 100th anniversary (and holds the distinction for the best method ever written for the saxophone IMHO) mentions the little-finger articulations as being then new, covered by Evette's patents. So, with that mention I'd estimate that every saxophone made after a certain date (for Conn that date was in the middle thrities). But, for whatever reason, the folks at Conn Selmer and Yamaha keep cranking out horns without articulations so young players never gain the facility necessary to arpeggiate a Bb minor chord. How many of these players, disappointed, fall by the wayside is anyone's guess.

I believe that the best student horn is a professional horn. Student line Bundy and Yamaha saxophones may look flashy--they tend toward light lacquer finishes with contrasting nickel-plated keywork. But try to play one of these dogs with fleas and you'll see what I mean by "intentionally hobbled." What the manufacturers gain from a saxophone which for thousands will be the end of the line in saxophone playing I could not say. But know this: Conn was perpetrating the same crap when I ws starting out back in the early sixties. I had the choice in 4th grade between a new flashy-looking Conn and a Conn 6M, a pro horn made in the late thirties, covered with green rash and dents. My dad was a musician and he made it clear that it was no contest. The old Conn was a far better horn.

So, to sum up this part of the blog entry today, if you're picking out a horn for someone you love in a school band program, BEWARE of the horns sold by most music retailers as "student horns." They are little more than instruments designed to come back to them and to rent out again and again, something that would happen a lot less if the horns were up to a professional standard to begin with.

We saxophone players actually have it easy with our instruments. I believe the finest saxophones made nowadays go for $4000-$7000 NEW! Used, anywhere from $800 to $3000 and some careful shopping and you've got it made. Now, our flute playing brothers and sisters are dealing with top instruments for $2500 to $25,000, and the more you pay the subtler the differences between the flutes, generally speaking. Used pro flutes tend to gather around $1500 for Japanese models and $3000-$7000 for a used Haynes or Powell. (Both companies are still in Boston, and both were sold to Asian manufacturers, BTW.) Your results will vary, but you can see that you get a lot for your saxophone dollar by comparison.

Which brings us to the latest arrival at the Closet, the Vespro line of saxophones.

They come in alto, tenor and soprano, and each of them is available in gold epoxy lacquer, silver plate with silver plate keywork, and black nickel with silver keywork. Now what makes these Vespro astonishing is that they're going to occupy the marketing niche of the beginner horns, although they have no dumbed-down beginner horn features.

I played the first production arrivals in San Antonio last week, and I must say I was impressed. The finshes were flawless. With my mouthpieces they sounded like pro horns. With the stock mouthpieces they sounded a little less edgy, which is cool for school band.

I must say I'd have no trouble using one of these as a back-up horn, or on a cruise ship, where a pro horn can really take a few lumps in the course of a contract. (Ask me.)

More importantly, I would recommend them without hesitation for a beginner. I've gone through them so far with two repair techs and both were impressed with the build quality and playability.


So, let's get down to the prices and features:

Soprano
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2 necks, High F# AND High G, playable stock mouthpiece with backpack model case.

Retail (which nobody pays but which is often the basis price on a rental contract) is $1350, you should be able to find them for around $1100.

This instrument is a screaming high note player with dead nuts pitch. If you play another saxophone, this is a very compelling buy for a soprano, which you're likely to play less.



Alto, to High F#
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Retail is $1300, and look for a dealer who'll sell them at around $1150.

This alto is great! I played the silver-plate model, which has a coat of epoxy lacquer so tarnish maintenance isn't a consideration, like some manufacturers I could name. This horn will cost LESS than the YAS-23 while it outplays it by a mile.

Tenor, also to High F#
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Retail is $1600, I'd look for it in the $1300 range.

I played the black nickel model, which also has a protective coat of epoxy lacquer. Big fat sound in the low register. High register plays like there's no tomorrow. I'd put it up against the YTS-23 any day. Nice bell engraving, with the lacquer finish peeking through the engraving.

All these horns are available in Gold Lacquer, Anodized Black Nickel with Silver Plate Keys, and Silver plated body, also with Silver Plate keys.

Look for an announcement when the new Orpheus site is online for more pictures and a matrix of the Features/Benefits.