Cat Anderson...super high note player with Duke

GR Tech · Regular Member Joined: 29 Mar 2002 Posts: 54

JackD, you are correct.

I have been very fortunate to attend a clinic by Cat Anderson and get a lesson. It was 1975; I attended a master class with him along with about 100 other trumpet players. After the class I asked Cat for a lesson and he say sure. Cat was very disciplined in his practice routine. He explained his method and playing technique. Cat did have a different type of tone because he played with his teeth closed. This will create a buzz or hiss in the tone. Cat said he would open his teeth in the low register at times. Cat also said this method is not for everybody. Just try it, play a G in the staff and close your teeth. You must keep the pressure off or the lips or they will not vibrate.

The key to Cat's playing was the discipline used in his practice. He would start out with 20 minutes of a pppp G in the staff. He had a powerful natural foundation and supple playing surface that allowed him to play so powerfully in the extreme upper register. During the clinic some nut asked Cat to bust off a double high C. Cat said, " Do you want it ppp for fff." The nut asked, "What's harder." Cat replied, "ppp". The nut said, "Can you do it." Cat was cold, picked up his horn, played the Double C at ppp and nailed it right on the head. He then did it fff and hurt my ears.

Cat was a good storyteller. He was also a fine soloist and flugelhorm player. He played a beautiful ballad on the flugel and I asked him about it. He said he loved to play the flugehorn but nobody wanted to hear him play anything but the scream stuff. His flugel sound was beautiful, flexibility was incredible, and musical ideas were good. His plunger work was excellent as well.

Any time you get an opportunity to spend time with a great player, teacher, or innovator take advantage of it. Down the road that person may not be around to share their work with others. That was almost 30 years ago and it seems like yesterday.
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GR Tech

PhxHorn · Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 2:53 pm Post subject:

He wasn't just a high note player - check out his solos on the Ellington at Newport disc - superb!

Which solo are you talking about? The first trumpet solo (the one with some high Fs) in Festival Junction is Willie Cook, and Cat plays the one at the end that goes up to A above double C.

JackD · Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2004 8:47 am Post subject:

I was referring generally to his solos on that record - he plays some really nice ones in the middle register, for example on "Black & Tan Fantasy".

Mr.Hollywood · Heavyweight Member Joined: 14 Dec 2002 Posts: 1730

I met Cat in 1977, and had sort of a lesson with him.

The one thing that struck me about the guy was his build, and his head.

He was built like a "fireplug" solid as a rock, but his HEAD!!! Jeez, he looked like a pit bull, his huge jaw was solid muscle and bone. His head was so large that to me his ears looked very tiny in comparison.

Yeah, he wouldn't let anyone within ten feet of his mouthpiece, and when he did finally let me see it he slipped in a Bach 1 1/2C but it was silver, and the mp he played all his high notes on was gold so I knew he was jiving.

The records he made don't show how LOUD he was in person.

Chris

Hey Mr Bennet, did you know my first trumpet teacher Vinnie Tanno?

JohnBennett · Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2004 2:48 pm Post subject:

Hi Chris,

Yep, I knew Vinnie fairly well altho we never worked together...we did do several concerts together. I first met him in Hollywood Beach, Florida where he was living after he had just gotten off Kenton's band. He was an outstanding soloist. If I remember right, he did almost all the trumpet jazz on Kenton's "Cuban Fire" album....terrific stuff. His solos were always so creative and unusual...and all the high notes made sense. I've played most of those charts many times (not the jazz) but they never seem to come together quite like they did when Vinnie played the bebop.

Vinnie lived in Vegas and worked for a lot of years in the showbands during the same time I was there. ...also for quite a few of his last years he was the trumpet player in Jim Fitzgerald's "Sorta Dixie Band" that worked at Hotel Rio there in Vegas. This seven piece band played a BIG variety of music (not all Dixie) and everyone had lots of solo space during this six hour a day / six days a week gig. I always enjoyed his playing. We lost another jazz giant when he died.

John Bennett

[ This Message was edited by: JohnBennett on 2004-01-05 17:51 ]

joetriscari · Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2004 8:20 am Post subject:

I also knew Vinnie....and loved his playing very much...
He had great taste with his soloing...
He was real sick for along time before he passed...
Joe Triscari

[ This Message was edited by: joetriscari on 2004-01-06 17:50 ]