[Trombone-l] Ashley Alexander question

[Raymond Horton]

I saw and heard him demonstrate it back in '84 at the IBC in 
Bloomongton, and he said it was a Holton Superbone with the brace 
moved.  He would move the slide and do some valve sequences, but only a 
few positions, so he could get away with the intonation problems a bit.  
He may have helped that problem with the slide some.   Actually, he was 
demonstrating that as a beginning technique with the instrument, so one 
would not get overwhlemed with it's possibilities. He was a marvel with 
the slide, too, and could make unique sounds with it. 


He was also a trumpet player.  He said on the way home from trombone 
jobs he would buzz his trumpet mouthpiece to stay in shape.


Raymond Horton


George Carr wrote:

>>>Ashley Alexander played a "double trombone," akin to the Firebird or
>>>other hybrid valve-slide horns.  Valves under the fingers of the right
>>>hand, and a full-length hand slide manipulated in the left.
>>>      
>>>
>>Is it not easier to play the valves on the left and slide on the right a la
>>the Holton Superbone?
>>    
>>
>
>Perhaps others can chime in on this, but I heard that he was
>originally left-handed, a la Slide Hampton, so that he preferred "his"
>model of horn over the Superbone.  I think he died in the late 1980s,
>but I can't find any way to make Google help me with that.
>
>  
>
>>>Remarkably difficult to play (not least because of the pitch
>>>difficulties) but when mastered, pretty amazing to listen to - e.g.
>>>being able to play the same lick in seven different keys (using the
>>>hand slide) without changing valve combinations,
>>>      
>>>
>>Hmm, it doesn't work quite that easy, the further out you push the slide,
>>the more out of tune (sharp) become the valve tubings.  You'd need some kind
>>of really complicated compensating system and methinks that might be rather
>>heavy for a trombone.
>>    
>>
>
>Now on thinking about it, I may have heard that the slide was shorter
>than seven positions, but this is all triple-hearsay clouded over by
>memory problems, so maybe I should just shut my mouth.  Anyone who
>actually knows what's up with Ashley's horn, please chime in.
>
>George
>
>PS My Googling did find an out-of-print book by Alexander titled "The
>Superbone" published by LeBlanc, so perhaps he did play a
>straight-off-the-rack Superbone, or was persuaded to sign onto
>Holton's campaign at some point.  I also found him in some personnel
>listings for the Matteson-Phillips Tubajazz group, so he clearly had
>great facility with valves.
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>  
>