Trumpets

MikeyFingers · #1 02-21-2006, 02:05 PM

Am I the only one who hates the sound of trumpets?
I was just trying to listen to some Wynton Marsalis that my friend gave me. The guy's a great musician, but the sound of that thing is just painful to listen to. In a big band setting, I don't mind it. But when used as a lead/solo instrument, it's basically the equivilent of scratching a chalkboard. Anyone agree?

Bass Boy · #2 02-21-2006, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeyFingers

Anyone agree?

No.

Go get an Art Farmer record.

Freaky Fender · #3 02-21-2006, 02:11 PM

Maybe they used a dynamic microphone instead of a ribbon? They totally make a difference with brass instruments.

Ed Fuqua · #4 02-21-2006, 02:22 PM

Try some Clifford Brown, Don Ferrara or early Freddie Hubbard.

Eric Cameron · #5 02-21-2006, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freaky Fender

Maybe they used a dynamic microphone instead of a ribbon? They totally make a difference with brass instruments.

You have to be REAL careful using a ribbon mic with anything that creates an SPL like a trumpet.

No, trumpets sound fine to me. I'm a big Louis Armstrong fan. If anything, just for that rough, gravely voice.

Rock on
Eric

Christopher · #6 02-21-2006, 02:55 PM

The timbre of a trumpet in a jazz context can be grating at times.

Try some classical players, e.g. Sergei Nakariakov, Maurice Andre and, uh, Wynton.

Freaky Fender · #7 02-21-2006, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Cameron

You have to be REAL careful using a ribbon mic with anything that creates an SPL like a trumpet.

No, trumpets sound fine to me. I'm a big Louis Armstrong fan. If anything, just for that rough, gravely voice.

Rock on
Eric

Tom Waits sounds like if Louis Armstrong smoked 3 packs an hour, and ate a truck full of gravel for meals.

Bruce Lindfield · #8 02-22-2006, 02:24 AM

From the net :

A great jazz trumpet player dies and goes to heaven. When he gets there, he finds out that heaven has a jazz band and rehearsal is about to begin. When he arrives at the rehearsal, he finds out that it is the biggest jazz band he had ever seen. There were over twenty trumpet players, including all the greats, like Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, and many others. The band sounds incredible, the best he had ever heard, and all of the players were great, with one exception. The lead player was horrible! The lead player had no high chops, couldn't play a decent swing groove, and could not improvise. Yet this horrible player was on lead, really looked like he was getting into the songs, and looked incredibly smug and pleased with himself after every song. Incredulous, he asked the player next to him, "Who is that guy? He's horrible!" The other player replied, "Oh, that's just God. He only likes to think that he's Wynton Marsalis."
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Bard2dbone · #9 02-22-2006, 03:25 AM

Try some where the trumpet player uses a flugelhorn, in stead. It's a much mellower, strangely comforting sound.

A Nearly On-Topic aside:

I had a strange moment a few weeks back, when I realized that both my drummer and guitarist were former sax players in the school band. I played all the brass. Mostly I played tuba or baritone horn/euphonium by the time I got to high school. But we had a valve trombone that I sometimes played in jazz band for short periods between playing bass.

I still write some. And I imagined a tune that was very much in the feel of "I'll Still Be Diggin' On James Brown" by Tower of Power. The lyrics were an angry about-to-break-up song.

Sort of like:
"Saturday night went from bad to worse.
You came home Sunday morning, underwear in your purse.
I don't know where you went last night
But I want to know who you were with"

The part that made it funny was I was trying to strategize how we could be the horn section for the recording.

"Let's see. John and Greg can play the saxes. I'll have to get a valve trombone. They've got one at Mr E's for a decent price. I wonder if Ron still has his Flugelhorn?"

Sanity eventually returned. It'll be a lot more believable on the keyboard than for all of us to regain the horn chops that most of us had twenty five years ago. And only Ron still has a pro quality instrument. He doesn't play it anymore. But at least he kept it. None of the rest of us have ours anymore.

elwoodblues · #10 02-22-2006, 03:29 AM

I love the sound of the trumpet, apart from Bass it's the one instrument i'd love to play. I love Dixieland Jazz, and a muted trumpet bopping away is just the best!

All I matter of taste I suppose!

gsys · #11 02-22-2006, 07:42 AM

Trumpet players can start to sound pretty good when they practice a zillion hours a day and get mad tone chops, and combine them with taste in musicianship. Kinda like a lot of instruments.

**baba** · #12 02-22-2006, 08:10 AM

I love the sound of Dizzy ripping through a flurry of notes and Miles droning a ballad.

burk48237 · #13 02-22-2006, 08:21 AM

I must admit the same reservations about the trumpet even though I love jazz. I remember growing up their was a gospel soloist trumpet player in my area named Chuck Ohman, he was from the Doc Severienson school "blare and blare again" it was painful to the ears. I have found as I've aged that nothing can quite match the musicality of Miles solo in "Old Folks". And that some of the modern players, Wallace Rooney and Roy Hargrove are very list-enable. Has any one here heard Jessie McQuire? He's a local Detroit boy who I use to jam with at church, last time I talked with him he was holding down a trumpet chair in TOP. That dude can play and his phrasing sounds like a great Sax player.

Michael Jewels · #14 02-22-2006, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bard2dbone

Try some where the trumpet player uses a flugelhorn, instead. It's a much mellower, strangely comforting sound.

I agree, Bard. I like trumpet, but I love the sound of a flugelhorn.

Think Claudio Roditi.

Mike

Dave · #15 02-22-2006, 12:18 PM

I dont mind the sound of a trumpet at all, but I love hearing sax. Any kind will do. I just love that sound.

AuG · #16 02-22-2006, 01:08 PM

I used to play trumpet in elementary school. Although I never went very far with it, I love the sound. I know James Brown and his band would've never sounded that great without a trumpet or trombone player somewhere in the mix.

AuG

JazzBassMayn · #17 02-22-2006, 01:24 PM

I think trumpets sound great! They can be high and soaring above everything else, or they can be nice and mellow and soothing!

Minger · #18 02-22-2006, 01:26 PM

I don't mind the soudn of turmpets. I do mind, however, when the band comes into Orchestra and they're the only thigns I can hear, and theres only like 3 of them...

And they say they're not playing loud...sheesh. If we end up doing Lord of the Dance with them, I'm turnin the bass amp up because someone gets to play the BG and it'll be like BAM! (er, loudnesswise, not blowing the amp...)

Jazzin' · #19 02-22-2006, 02:04 PM

Trumpets are sexy. In many cases, they complete a (jazz or funk or blues) band.

page · #20 02-22-2006, 03:49 PM

Ahem......

Trumpet is actually my main instrument, bass is my "second ax". I sit second in my school's symphonic band, lead in school's jazz band, and I've played as a guest my trumpet teacher's jazz combo. I love my horn and the sounds it makes......you naysayers can just ......go away!

I'm not much for squealing wankery though. I dig Miles' way of playing melodic , very creative solos that don't always rip into the upper register at breakneck speed. That can be fun, but it can get old. My main influences are Miles, Kenny Wheeler, Roy Martinez, Hurricane Smith, and Cuong Vu.

Wynton Marsalis is a joke if you ask me. He could be so much better than he'll let himself be. Miles Davis had a lot to say about him in his AutoBio. That Botti guy is kinda funny too.
Take my opinion with some salt though, everyone knows trumpet players are arrogant asshats!