Nice! I’m a bit surprised that more professional tenor players from the 50s Rock and Roll era didn’t play that horn (was the Silversonic even available back then?). I know Cannonball Adderly played on a King Super 20 alto but I don’t recall many top notch alto players from the 50s and 60s playing that model either. Could it be that the King Super 20 horns were overlooked with the Selmer Mark VI becoming so popular back then?
soupy:
Keyboard/piano will definitely help you, especially down the road when you might want to start transcribing solos off recordings. I also began as a trombone player in elementary school, didn’t come to the sax the natural way through the clarinet or flute like a lot of people. And yes, it took me a while to get use to the coordination in the fingers of both hands to get consistency and proficiency with complex musical passages without being heavy handed and “slapping” at the keys.
Hang in there, buddy, and it will eventually come together. From your post above, you seem to possess the introspective skills that will help you gauge your progress. Just don’t be too critical of yourself and invest in an experienced sax instructor. I’m just getting back into playing after a 22-year layoff and have finally found a semi-local instructor in my area because – and just like Johnny has said on this site many times – I don’t want to get back into any bad habits.
Keep pluggin’ away.
smhowse: Thanks for the info. I found a couple of players in my area over the weekend who, like yourself, have played both the Cannonballs and P. Mauriats and gave the slight edge to the Mauriat. However, one of them also mentioned the Eastman tenors as a good deal. The Mauriat that I’m looking at is a demo model with two slight blemishes in its lacquer; so, the price range is about the same as the Cannonball. I think the Mauriats are a bit overpriced compared to the other Taiwanese-fabricated horns but the demo is being offered at a good discount.
Thanks for info, Johnny. The RG Links are a totally different animal from the traditional Otto Links and I’ve been able to find a dealer offering the RG’s at a reasonable price; however, I just haven’t been able to track down anyone who’s had a decent amount of experience with the RG in metal. I found one guy who absolutely loves his RG in hard rubber (a Berg HR clone externally and internally) but had a limited (and poor) experience with the RG in metal. Hopefully, someone will be able to offer some of his/her experience with an RG somewhere down the road.
Jazza: I’m also looking into the Meyer Metal Jazz mouthpiece. Could you tell me a little about the baffle and chamber? I’m trying to decide between a 7J and and 8J. My old Berg Larsen HR was closer to the 8J. Any info about your experiences with the Meyer Metal would be greatly appreciated.
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