AL HIRT

vaxtrpts · Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:08 pm Post subject:

It is great to see all of you talking about "Jumbo" with such glowing reports. I am honored to say that we were friends for many years and I got to hang out with him some again not too long before he passed away.
He was an amazing technician, with a sound that could fill any concert hall or stadium. He was almost "overqualified" for just playing the New Orleans repertoire, but he did so with such energy and conviction and love of his home town, that he was one of the "consumate" purveyors of that music.
One of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed a trumpet player do, he did every night in his club. It was in the "round" with the stage in the middle. During one set every night, he would go out into the audience and "stroll" amongst the usually packed house. He would announce at the begning that he was going to take requests, then proceed to go from one tune to another, but just calling keys to the rhythm section (they had to know LOTS of tunes, obviously....), with just a short interlude between tunes he would play constantly for 45 minutes or so. The endurance factor was unbelievable, the sound as beautiful as could be, and the audience just LOVED it.
He was a true gentleman and a good friend to many musicians.
Mike Vax

MartyH · Regular Member Joined: 25 Aug 2005 Posts: 21

Great story Mike. That's cool you guys were friends.

Also, I have a Mike Vax Yamaha. Great horn.
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KingSilverSonic · Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 2:18 pm Post subject:

ljazztrm,

What a great story. I, too, was a huge Al Hirt fan in the 60's when I was playing in band in Jr. High and High School. What kid who played trumpet or cornet during that time wasn't a fan? I was able to see an Al Hirt concert in 1967 and was I glad I went. Seeing him in person is something I will always remember. One regret I may have is when in New Orleans in the mid-80's or so I was walking around the French Quarter and may have walked by Al Hirt's club when he was playing. I remember stopping in the middle of the street and thinking I really better investigate if Al Hirt was really playing, but I didn't. If he did have a club, and was playing I really missed an opportunity.

I think that Al was one of the best players ever. A lot of people are a bit down on him but his tone, endurance, tonguing, and command of the instrument were truly amazing. I recently purchased a CD of an excellent rendition of Arutiunian's Concerto for Trumpet, which is masterfully played. In listening to the double tonguing of this piece, however, and comparing it to double tonguing by Al Hirt there is essentially no comparison. It's not that the one player was bad, it's that Al Hirt was so much better. So, I'm glad that there are a lot of positive posts for such a legend.
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Richard

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BeboppinFool · Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 3:33 pm Post subject:

I was in 5th (or maybe 6th) grade when the Green Hornet TV show debuted, and I remember being totally gassed at the trumpet player who did the theme, The Green Bee, based partly on Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight Of The Bumblebee. I wasn't buying records at the time, doggone it.

I started playing trumpet in 6th grade, and by then, Herb Alpert was a bigger commercial hit, and my parents bought me a couple of his records for Christmas that year. I don't think that I knew that Al Hirt had records out . . . I was just that hip. (Not!)

But in 9th grade, when my parents returned my Olds Ambassador rental horn, they bought me a LeBlanc Al Hirt autographed model trumpet (in lacquer), the kind with the raised autograph. I played the crap out of that horn, and let it go some years later.

About a year ago, a student I taught had a beautiful silver version of the same horn, and he let me play it. Wow! I keep saying I'm going to get one of those again.

Anyway, who knows the story of those horns? What years did LeBlanc make them? I remember it was a rather large bore horn, but I didn't know anything about horns then, either. (Not that I do, now, for that matter.)
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Puttin’ On The Ritz

MartyH · Regular Member Joined: 25 Aug 2005 Posts: 21

Wow, the sixties.

AM radio.
Grew up in the Phila., PA area. One song would be the Beatles and the next song would be Al Hirt playing Java, then they'd play a Stones song, then Tijauna Brass.

Crazy. But great, too.
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If it ain't broke...Go ahead and mess with it anyway.

ljazztrm · Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 8:41 pm Post subject:

Hey Silversonic - I know exactly what you mean about Al's multiple tonguing! It made me practice A LOT of double and triple tonguing studies out of my Arban's as a kid!LOL... I haven't heard too much Raphael Mendez but he's the only other one I've ever heard that could hold a candle to Al when it came to double and triple tonguing. Yeah, I've heard a good amount of other guys doing it...but..man, when Al would double and triple tongue....WATCH OUT! I remember at that same concert Al even talked about how he could triple tongue so fast to the audience...something about being in a group in the 50's called the Triple Tongueteers (or somesuch name)...He credited it for developing his multiple tonguing.

Rich W. - Yeah, I'd love to try one of those Al Hirt horns just to see what it was like...I would imagine it would be pretty open...I remember staring at a couple of my dad's old LP's as a kid with Al Hirt's script engraved on his gold trumpet...of course I was really impressed with that!

p.s. - Rich, I like your new image. It looks like you have a really long tongue...does it effect your multiple tonguing speed?

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