Posted by Rick Denney on April 23, 2003 at 14:40:33:
We usually play the usual Baroque stuff, and my little Yamaha F tuba is perfect for it. It has a sound that blends with the trombone and I can play it through its full dynamic range without worrying about violating the Geneva Convention.
But last night, we pulled up some jazz arrangements (I'm Getting Sentimental Over You, and the like) to read. Our trombonist plays in a well-known trad jazz ensemble and he gravitates to this stuff naturally. I suppose it rubbed off, and I found myself wanting to, um, do things.
After the first reading, I felt frustrated. How do I explain it? The Yamaha is just too tight-a$$ed. I can't think of any other way to put it. I said, "I need my BBb BAT for this one." The trombonist said, "Why not?"
So, I played the next few jazz standards using the Holton in a brass quintet, and enjoyed the heck out of it. Granted, my dynamic range was about the softest 30% of the capability of the instrument, and a little too much exuberance could land me in jail. But the warmth, the bendable pitches, and the friendly color of the instrument just fit. Of all my instruments, the Holton is the only one that makes it easy enough for me to do that.
When we went back to the Baroque stuff, however, I had to put the Holton away and bring out the little F again. The Holton was just too broad.
Rick "suffering from scrambled sound concepts" Denney