Posted by Ken Herrick on June 04, 2002 at 17:35:13:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: BBb piston tubas at ITEC posted by Rick Denney on June 04, 2002 at 09:33:54:
Interesting points, Rick, but I feel I should offer some clarification this time.
I believe it was Chester who described the big York as an old man's horn, not Jake.
Yes, he too was always looking for something better (at least up to the mid/late 60's which is the time i knew him best) but in his case I think it would really have been a case of "as good as he was". Not many people on this BBS would have heard him "live" when he was still somewhere near his prime physically (early 50's in my case). What is heard on record with the CSO etc. is not necessarily the best criteria to make a fully informed judgement about his playing.I had the opportunity to hear him playing many different things, on and off stage, on a number of different instruments. My favourite for "solo" material would have been the smaller "production" York CC which he seriously considered using for the RVW performance with Morton Gould in 68. There were some pics from the York cat. posted here some time back. He could make the smaller German instruments such as Alex F or 184 Mirafone sound absolutely exquisite and said that if he were a persuing a career as a soloist, eg Harvey Phillips, he would use a "chamber music" sized instrument. The big York though was what he liked for the bulk of the orchestra work and it became his "comfort zone" instrument and produced "the sound" he became so well known for and which others expected to hear from him which was the reason he gave for using the big horn on the RVW that time, even though he sounded "sweeter" and played it better on the smaller York.