From: "Jay and Adrienne Easton"
Subject: Re: [CB] straight baritone/sax obo
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 19:36:01 -0800
> What I'd really like to see is a picture of it being played.
> Do you stand on a chair, or at the edge of a cliff?
The edge of the cliff would just invite some people to
push... ;-)
It's actually just the right hight to be be played while
standing, with the bell of the horn resting on the floor.
>>A sax-fingered oboe? Is that sorta like a soprano
sarrusophone?
>
> No, this looks just like an oboe, and has an oboe bore
profile: it just
> has keywork that is based on the saxophone fingerings
(although not
> exact).
>
> Actually, Jay had a chance to play on it - what was your
opinion Jay?
It was a Loree oboe, but with saxophone fingerings. It seemed
like a few of the toneholes were slightly larger than on a Conservatory
system oboe, so it had a little more of a punchy and raw sound, a
little less sweet-toned. But otherwise, it seemed to be a good
instrument once I got a reed working. It really doesn't look very
different from any normal oboe (is that an oxymoron?), but it sure
feels weird having saxophone fingerings with an oboe reed. It also came
with a single-reed mouthpiece, but there was not a serviceable reed
available at the time.
All the best,
Jay
---------------------------------------------------------
From: "Jay and Adrienne Easton"
Subject: [CB] sax obow.. oboh... whatever!
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 19:37:18 -0800
Make that oboe, not obo...
:-/
Jay
---------------------------------------------------------
From: "Jay and Adrienne Easton"
Subject: [CB] Conn F mezzo-soprano saxophone for sale
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 20:36:21 -0800
Hello all,
I have been contacted by Jesse Bannister, a fine British
saxophonist who is selling his F mezzo- he asked if I would pass the
word to people who might be interested.
He says the horn is in mint condition and is silver plated, with
the original mouthpiece. He bought it from the U.S.A for $4500 last
year. If you are interested in more information, he can be reached at
info@pinjab.com
Enjoy,
Jay Easton
---------------------------------------------------------
From: "Jay and Adrienne Easton"
Subject: [CB] Pipe organ in trouble
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 22:31:35 -0800
Hello to all-
I recently got a chance to play on the magnificent 1928 Brooklyn
Fox Theater organ that is now installed in Gig Harbor, WA, and it was
great fun- it had a whole bevy of 32' stops, and literally, lots of
bells and whistles. The owners of the organ have regularly held free
concerts and benefits for music foundations using this organ.
So I was dismayed to hear that public access to the organ
has just been barred by the local county government. I hope that some
of you will consider writing at least a short letter in support of
preserving public access to one of the finest pipe organs in the
USA. If you know others who should know about this, please alert
them as well.
Here's the situation:
My friends Barbara and Raymond Levine own the amazing Wurlitzer
Manor in Gig Harbor, WA. This house is home to one of the largest
theater organs in the USA (the 1928 Brooklyn Fox Theater organ) and has
been used frequently for fundraisers for non-profit music foundations.
For some strange reason, the local county has decided this is
unacceptable and that the public should not be allowed onto the
property, since it is not zoned for commercial purposes.
This is very wrong. for Barbara and Raymond, this magnificent
organ is not a money-making venture, it is an amazing musical treasure
they love to share with people. Currently, they are not allowed to have
any gatherings on their property, and they are in court attempting to
restore their rights to have people visit their home. Therefore, no one
is allowed to see or hear one of the most amazing musical instruments
in the western USA. Information on this instrument is available at the
Puget Sound Theater Organ website at
http://www.pstos.org/instruments/wa/gig-harbor/wurlitzer-manor.htm
If you are interested in writing a letter to help restore public
access to this marvelous organ, please read the following article from
their local newspaper, and write a letter to the editor and/or their
County Councilmember, Terry Lee with the same message urging him to be
an advocate for the music, and the ability of Barbara and Raymond to
continue to open their home to others.
For more information, here is the link to the article from their
local paper:
The Day the Music Died
If you are interested in trying to help, you can write a letter to the
editor of the newspaper- mine is below as an example.
Letters to the Editor
The News Tribune welcomes your comments. If you want to voice
your opinion about a particular subject, you may do so by writing a
letter to the editor.
Write to:
The Editor
The News Tribune
PO Box 11000
Tacoma, Wa. 98411
Fax: 597-8451
Or E-mail us. letters@thenewstribune.com
and you could copy the writer on it too..His email address
is brent.champaco@thenewstribune.com
Pierce County Councilmember, Terry Lee: tlee1@co.pierce.wa.us
If you know of someone else who might be interested in writing in
support of the instrument, please pass this to them as well.
My sincere thanks for considering this,
Jay Easton
My letter:
Dear Editor,
My wife and I were shocked and
dismayed when we read your article Classic organ falls silent in zoning
dispute last week. Thank you for bringing this to wider attention.
I am writing as a professional
musician and avid music enthusiast who considers one of the greatest
treasures in the state of Washington to reside in Gig Harbor: the 1928
Brooklyn Fox Theater organ that is located in the Wurlitzer Manor. What
on earth could Pierce County be thinking to try, after 18 years of
wonderful music, to stop the Wurlitzer Manor from sharing this
remarkable musical treasure! Having attended events several times, I
can't imagine what complaint there would have been, since it seems
extraordinary care has always been taken by the owners of the Manor to
deal with parking and all aspects of having guests in a nondisruptive
way- they have taken careful measures to protect the neighborhood and
to hold a beautiful, fun and well run event. Why they can't hold
fundraisers for charities without being zoned as a commercial entity is
beyond me! And "The Lavines have been asked to submit a list of
events they'd like to host." This would include their own private
parties. Since when in the USA does the government require a list from
you of all the parties you want to hold in the upcoming year in your
OWN house?
According to the article, the "County
planners concluded the main function of the place was a commercial
business, not a private home." Yet the Lavines do live there, full
time. Several times a year they hold parties ( which they don't charge
for) and charity fundraisers, most of which they also don't charge
anything for. That does NOT make them a primarily business. It seems
the only real business they do make money with there is that they rent
out a few bedrooms, like a Bed and Breakfast. But it appears they are
still allowed to do that- it's only the non-profit fundraisers and
parties that have been stopped. And with them, the chance for the
public to have access to one of the most amazing musical instruments in
the United States. Information on this unique and renowned instrument
is available at the Puget Sound Theater Organ Society website at
I sincerely hope that this issue will
be resolved soon and allow the organ to resume benefitting musical
organizations and to continue to be recognized and enjoyed as a
valuable part of our national musical heritage. For 18 years, this
instrument has been a credit to the community of Gig Harbor. Why throw
that away?
Jay C. Easton
Doctorate of Musical Arts student,
University of Washington
---------------------------------------------------------
From: "Kevin Highley"
Subject: [CB]
octocontracombinaltobasso
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2005 09:51:13
-0000
Grant said:
scroll down to #14).
Terje's combination looks
(slightly) more practical than ours. We were using a
straight contra alto, and two players. Terje's web site
implies that he gets useful sounds out of the combo - I am inspired to
try again. Contras are rare enough that finding another of the same
make in the my home town was quite surprising. If you could
assemble several paperclip contrabasses how low could you go? An
interesting party trick if there were to be a contra convention.
Kevin Highley.
---------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2005 11:30:09
-0500
From: Jonathan Carreira
Subject: Re: [CB] Leblac conta
finishes
<<It seems to have travelled
the world, although it now lives in
southern England it is engraved
with "Killeen High Shool #4". I looked up
Killeen High School, and found a
probable match in Texas. I have heard
that Texas does things on a grand
scale, but a school band with four or more
contrabass clarinets would be
impressive.>>
You'd be surprised what some
school systems have, especially the older ones. I was once going
through the instrument inventory of a large (and older) school system
in my area with a teacher in the system. Among the huge inventory
we found a contrabass Sarrusaphone and a Heckelphone (no surprise
there, we knew they were there, it's why we were looking through them
(and, btw, they have been sold by the school to individual collectors,
so don't get too excited)), some alto horns, a bass trumpet, and ELEVEN
alto clarinets! The scary thought brought up by this is that, at
some point, they thought that ten alto clarinets wasn't enough!
Jonathan Carreira
***End of Contrabass Digest***