Lew Soloff head position!

Jazzerfred · Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2020 5:42 am Post subject: Lew Soloff head position!

Hi guys,

I went to a class with Lew Soloff years ago, and remember him saying something about a head position a bit like a chin tuck, has anyone got any experience of this or know anything about it?

Thanks!

Freddie

YBChen · Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2020 5:59 am Post subject:

Yep， tuck your chin and keep your chest up. Some players suggest that way. Also, some people might disagree with it. There are great players on either side. Give it a try to see if that works for you.

JayKosta · Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2020 6:47 am Post subject:

Does this head position include pulling the chin itself rearward? Or, is it more of 'lifting and straightening' your neck and head, and then moving the chin/jaw into position for playing?

Jay
_________________
Most Important Note ? - the next one !
KNOW (see) what the next note is BEFORE you have to play it.
PLAY the next note 'on time' and 'in rhythm'.
Oh ya, watch the conductor - they set what is 'on time'.

John Mohan · Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2020 11:56 am Post subject:

Perhaps he was referring to the position of his chin regarding his embouchure. I can tell you that in health care, we have dysphagiac patients tuck their chins toward their chests when swallowing because this prevents aspirating food by at least partially closing off the airway. And the first step when performing CPR (after verifying there is no respirations or pulse) is the opposite - we tilt the patient's head back by grasping the lower jaw and thrusting it up and outward to open up the airway. So I don't think tucking ones chin down toward the chest is a good idea if one is doing something that requires a good, open airway such as brass playing.

Irving · Heavyweight Member Joined: 11 Feb 2003 Posts: 1886

Actually it had nothing to do with tucking in your chin. it was about aligning your head and spine. I'm sure that he learned this from his teacher Edward Treutel. He would have you stand up straight against a wall touching the wall with your back and head. This would be the correct playing position. FWIW.

BobD · Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2020 5:21 am Post subject:

In some of the Monette videos Dave M. talks about moving your head back.

Link

_________________
Adams/ACB collaborative
Yamaha Shew Jazz and Bach 7C

Derek Reaban · Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2020 5:46 am Post subject:

There are a number world class players talking about their lessons with Ed Treutel in this post. Posture was a main point that they all mention about their lessons.
_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

american boy · Veteran Member Joined: 22 Sep 2012 Posts: 344 Location: ny

Played with Lew many times over the years, and posture was for sure very important to him;Only time his head went down(chin tuck?) was when he was trying to figure out which mouthpiece to grab next from his pouch!
Fantastic player, and could be hysterically funny too; About 6 months before he passed away,I was sitting in a section with him in a big band rehearsal, and the leader was giving a serious explanation of the road map of a chart to the saxes; After about 30 seconds of this, Lew grabs a mouthpiece and waves it around for the section, and says, rather loudly"When you turn 70,get one of these, it will save your ass!" It was a Callet superchops I think; Funny!
He is so missed.

EdMann · Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2020 9:56 am Post subject:

Lew gave me only one chop thing: to keep my lower lip in the mpc best I can. I heard he sent people to Ed when they went too far with chop issues. He was about the music, spent less time on warming up and routine, far more on music. What a character. So miss him.

ed

deleted_user_02066fd · New Member Joined: 03 Apr 1996 Posts: 0

Lew was a real character. I met him a couple of times. He was such an amazing player. He did a clinic at Berklee when I was a student. He was playing with a faculty rhythm section. The clinic was in the performance center. Lew was walking around the stage while playing and pointing his horn in various directions. I sat there wondering what the hell he was doing. He mentioned after that he was checking the acoustics of the theater.
I also heard him as a guest soloist with a college band at the Qunnipiac Jazz Festival. He played a piece written for him. I think it was called Solo For Soloff.
I know that Lew had also studied with Carmine Caruso as a young man. I know a French horn player who roomed with Lew in college. This individual also studied with Caruso later on when some chop issues started giving him trouble.
In the late 70's Lew happened to be playing at a place in my area that featured jazz on Sunday nights. My French horn playing friend happened to live close by. I told him Lew would be playing and he stopped by. They had a nice reunion, hadn't seen each other in 15 years.