[Trombone-l] Plunger Mute question...

[Samuel Keyser]

I agree with you, Stan.  No one could make the trombone + plunger  
combination speak like "Tricky Sam."  Part of his "trickiness" was to  
use a pixie mute with the plunger.  But part also  had to do with how  
he modified the airstream  going into the horn.  Nanton did a lot of  
shaping the airstream with syllables like "ya."  You can actually hear  
them in his playing and that is what made it so speech-like.

Jay


On Jan 6, 2009, at 1:14 PM, Stan Brager wrote:

> To me, the plunger master was Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton who was with  
> Duke
> Ellington from the '20s until his death in the late '40s. Listen to  
> some of
> his solos (Mood Indigo, Black and Tan Fantasy, Caravan, Main Stem,  
> etc) and
> you'll swear that it's a real person talking. Ellington liked it so  
> much
> that he insisted that someone in the trombone section become a growl  
> master.
> At one time, Lawrence Brown was chosen. Brown didn't like the  
> assignment,
> but did it none-the-less.
>
> Stan
> Stan Brager
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Daryl Burch [mailto:daryl at burchinteractive.com]
> Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 2:24 PM
> To: James O'Briant
> Cc: Trombone Forum
> Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Plunger Mute question...
>
> I would add:
>
> It really depends on the sound you want. I personally prefer the old,
> cheap rubber ones with the wooden handle. The rubber dampens some of
> the brightness off the sound and lets you growl pretty hard. And
> since it's rubber you can squish to make different shapes or shades
> to your sound. Of course, the clerk at the hardware store will look
> at you funny if you don't get the handle, too...
>
> Some like the H&B's with the finger loop on the front.
>
> Side note (pun intended): I always loved listening to Snooky Young
> work with a plunger. He could really make the thing talk. Steve Turre
> did a great duet recording of "Since I Fell For You" on his Rhythm
> Within album with Britt Woodman. Steve plays plungered and Britt
> plays open. They alternate A's & bridges. And the rhythm section is a
> shell choir (with Robin Eubanks) and shakers. A beautiful recording.
>
> Cheers!
> -D-
> www.burchinteractive.com
> O: 707.927.4152
> C: 707.338.8338
> E: daryl at burchinteractive.com
>
> "The real warriors are the ones with the pocket protector
> shields! ...in today's Camelot, anyway."
>
>
>
>
> On Jan 5, 2009, at 2:00 PM, Jeff Albert wrote:
>
> There are multiple sizes, although the hardware store might not have
> multiple sizes.  I have found that most stores have the 5.5 inch
> variety.
>  You can get 6 inch ones, and I like the bigger ones.  I don't know
> that it
> really makes all that much difference, but I have a stack of them,
> and swear
> they all sound different. ;)
> Jeff
>
> On Mon, Jan 5, 2009 at 3:49 PM, James O'Briant <jobriant at garlic.com>
> wrote:
>
>> As a long-time tuba player (50 years) I'm going to partially
>> "return to my roots" and attend a trad jazz camp as a trombone
>> student.  One of the things I need to get is a plunger mute.
>>
>> Before I run down to the hardware store to buy one, can someone
>> with some experience with these things tell me whether they come
>> in more than one size?  If so, is there a "best" size to get?
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Jim O'Briant
>> Trombone (1957-1959, 2009- )
>> Tuba (1959- )
>> Gilroy, CA
>>
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>
>
>
> -- 
> ===========================
> Jeff Albert
> (985) 966-6093
>
> www.jeffalbert.com
> www.scratchmybrain.com
> www.openearsmusic.org
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