1. P. Mauriat’s Jeremiah True. 2. Steve Rorie, Theo Wanne and Trace Rorie at the JJ Babbitt exhibit. 3. Yamaha’s Nicole Lamphier. 4. KHS America’s Craig Denny. 5. Vandoren’s Michael Fenoglio. 6. JodyJazz’s Jody Espina. 7. S.E. Shires’Matthew Nishida. 8. Conn Selmer’s Ryan Lillywhite. 7. 6. 8.
they do the polishing and the stamping. I’m training them to do any finish work that might be needed at the end, so we’re getting very involved in the manufacturing processes. We’re going through every mold, every core, making sure everything is as consistent and high quality as possible across the board.” The entire Otto Link line — including the New York, Super Tone Master, Tone Edge, Florida models — is being updated and streamlined, with each model now available in both hard rubber and metal. A new LA design targeting modern players has been introduced as well. The announcement drew expressions of enthusiasm among retailers and musicians at the show. “We knew it would be well received but we didn’t expect it to be a tsunami,” Rorie said. “Most distributors and retailers have been enormously excited and supportive. Everybody is like, finally. But we needed to have a very hard discussion. With the partnership, it has caused us to make some changes. But whenever you have to make a few territorial type decision, then there’s usually some people who get left to the side, and that’s a hard thing to do.” SHOWFLOOR STANDOUTS Conn Selmer took a big step forward in res- urrecting part of its historic legacy with the introduction of a new professional model Conn alto saxophone, the limited-edition 150th an-
niversary CAS811. “Conn saxophones are back,” said Ryan Lillywhite, Conn Selmer’s senior director of product management. “The idea behind it is, if Conn had continued innovating saxophones up till today, what would that look like? Rolled tone holes are a really big point. These are true drawn and rolled tone holes just like we made them in the 1920s, and they’re fitted with Pisoni pro pads. It gives it a really great crisp sound. It has flat riveted resonators like the old Conns had, Art Deco styling throughout the engraving, vintage Conn style. The wire key guards are vintage Conn style, all the little details down to the oversized bow guard just like on the old Conns. And then the sound of it: That’s a big Conn American sound.” Other innovative features contributing to the sound of the CAS811 (limited to 150 units) include a generative bell brace and the use of Bach brass, the same alloy the company uses to manufacture its high-end trumpets and trombones. Intermediate (CAS411) and beginner (CAS211) Conn altos that incorporate design elements of the CAS811 have been introduced as well. S.E. Shires showed off some of its com- mercially oriented brass instruments, harking back to the classic era of jazz trombone. Sales manager Matthew Nishida pointed out the Vintage L.A Bass Trombone and its younger sibling, the small bore Vintage L.A. Trom- bone, as among the brand’s top contenders
for this year. “We’re really trying to go back to the roots of old jazz trombone,” he said. “Shires has been long known as a classical trombone company, so we wanted to see what we can do in that jazz space. We’re starting to expand into that world a little bit more. Our Marshall Gilkes and the Mike Davis models were our first forays into that area, so now we’re adding a bass and a new specific small bore for that realm.” Vandoren designed a clarinet mouthpiece for beginners with the Juno J5, P. Mauriat showed its rolled tone hole 67RVX and 66 RVX tenor and alto saxophones. Jupiter made design innovations with the JAS1150Q inter- mediate alto saxophone and JTB1160 large bore trombone, and Yamaha’s limited-edition Kangaki trumpet drew ample interest while the company’s SVC300F and SVC300C next- generation Silent Cellos made leaps and bounds over previous incarnations. The success of JodyJazz’s Quasar Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece came as a bit of a surprise to proprietor and designer Jody Es- pina, who developed it to be the company’s brightest-playing mouthpiece. “It’s been our best release ever,” Espina said of the free-blowing Quasar, which tar- gets a niche within the commercial market. “It’s strange that so many different players would like that mouthpiece, being so far on the tonally bright end of the spectrum. But everyone who’s played it has liked it.” MI
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