Comic relief?

dershem · Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2021 4:06 pm Post subject: Comic relief?

Had an interesting situation last night. Went to play a solo. the 1st valve slide slipped down about 3/4 of an inch. Took a while to notice what was going on, but ... wow. It's very difficult to play when the 1st valve is about 1/2 step out of tune.

There are down sides to vertical valve slides!
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HERMOKIWI · Heavyweight Member Joined: 24 Dec 2008 Posts: 2581

There was this funny story told to me 46 years ago by a trombone player by the name of Dick Sharpe who played in my band (the Neoclassic Jazz Orchestra now called the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra). Dick was the Chief Pharmacist at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Lincoln at the time. He was transferred to Louisville, Kentucky in 1977 and formed bands and played in other bands until he passed away in 2018. A super guy and an excellent player. Maybe the story is true. Maybe it's not true. It's funny no matter what.

Dick claimed that he was playing in a band performing at an Elks Club in some small town. They were playing 3 sets. The guys in the band hit the bar before the gig even started and hit the bar at every break, too. By the third set some of the guys, including one of the trumpet players, was seriously inebriated. The piano player was playing the house piano which was very flat, so the trumpet players' tuning slides were pulled way out. As the story goes, the third set started and this particular trumpet player had a solo in whatever tune they began the set with. When he stood up to play he didn't notice that his tuning slide had now fallen complete out of his horn. He put the horn to his lips and produced a couple of mouthpiece/leadpipe sounds and then looked at the player next to him and said, "Take it man, my chops are gone!"

Dick was a jokester but he swore the story was true. Maybe he was putting us on. Maybe not.
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